Heavy rainfall in California's Oroville Dam has led to a record surge in the reservoir, forcing operators to open the massive spillway gates and release billions of gallons of water into the Feather River. The move is aimed at preventing potential flooding downstream.
The reservoir, which holds back California's second-largest body of water, has seen its level increase by 75 feet between December 16 and January 7, bringing it to 75% full or 136% of its historical average. This drastic rise in water levels was prompted by a series of major storms over the past three weeks.
Dam operators often let water out of reservoirs during wet winters to make room for future rainfall, allowing them to control water releases and prevent flooding downstream. In Oroville's case, releasing excess water is crucial to maintain storage space and prevent overflow.
Jeffrey Mount, a professor emeritus at UC Davis and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California's water center, described the process as "a balancing act." He noted that while it's usually straightforward during wet winters, there can be high flows for days after a storm event.
The reservoir has seen an astonishing increase in its water levels, with Oroville going from 1,740,668 acre feet on December 16 to 2,578,222 acre feet today. This equates to an additional 837,554 acre feet of water, enough to fill nearly 400,000 Olympic swimming pools.
Engineers at the state Department of Water Resources opened the gates on Oroville's spillway at 6 a.m. on Monday, with releases increasing nearly tenfold from 1,856 cubic feet per second on Christmas Day to 16,135 on Monday. However, despite increased releases, the reservoir continues to rise due to incoming water flows.
Experts are hopeful that more storms in February and March will continue to boost reservoir levels and the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides 30% of California's water supply. The snowpack's melting snow is essential for topping up reservoirs and irrigation systems in the Central Valley.
The reservoir, which holds back California's second-largest body of water, has seen its level increase by 75 feet between December 16 and January 7, bringing it to 75% full or 136% of its historical average. This drastic rise in water levels was prompted by a series of major storms over the past three weeks.
Dam operators often let water out of reservoirs during wet winters to make room for future rainfall, allowing them to control water releases and prevent flooding downstream. In Oroville's case, releasing excess water is crucial to maintain storage space and prevent overflow.
Jeffrey Mount, a professor emeritus at UC Davis and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California's water center, described the process as "a balancing act." He noted that while it's usually straightforward during wet winters, there can be high flows for days after a storm event.
The reservoir has seen an astonishing increase in its water levels, with Oroville going from 1,740,668 acre feet on December 16 to 2,578,222 acre feet today. This equates to an additional 837,554 acre feet of water, enough to fill nearly 400,000 Olympic swimming pools.
Engineers at the state Department of Water Resources opened the gates on Oroville's spillway at 6 a.m. on Monday, with releases increasing nearly tenfold from 1,856 cubic feet per second on Christmas Day to 16,135 on Monday. However, despite increased releases, the reservoir continues to rise due to incoming water flows.
Experts are hopeful that more storms in February and March will continue to boost reservoir levels and the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides 30% of California's water supply. The snowpack's melting snow is essential for topping up reservoirs and irrigation systems in the Central Valley.
i mean we're talkin' 75ft increase in just a month!! engineers had to open the massive spillway gates and release billions of gallons of water into the feather river 
. it's kinda like when u finally get that one item on ur wishlist but then u realize u need to clear space for more 
. experts r hopin more storms in feb & march will top up reservoirs and snowpack, so fingers crossed 
!
I mean, think about it, all that extra water is gonna flood whatnot... and they're not even done with the winter yet! 
And 400k Olympic pools worth of water? That's a lot to be adding up there... I'm sure it's just a matter of time before someone complains about the lake levels being all wonky. 
...
, it's just doing its thing to keep everyone safe from flooding! I mean, 75 feet in one month? That's wild 
! But seriously, it's good that they're releasing excess water and not letting the reservoir overflow. It's like a big balancing act, as Professor Mount said 
. I'm sure it can get chaotic after a storm event, but at least the engineers are on top of it 
. Fingers crossed for more snow in February and March to fill up those reservoirs and keep California hydrated 
This heavy rainfall in Oroville Dam is a good thing, I think! Yeah, we need to fill up those reservoirs before things get out of hand. I mean, imagine if it just kept raining and rain and nobody did anything about it... 
I mean come on! It's not like they're gonna let that water just sit there, it's gonna get drained or used somehow! I've got a buddy who lives near Oroville and he was freaking out when the flood warnings started going off last week. But now that the gates are open and water is flowing, I'm sure everything will be okay 
. The thing is, how much of this excess water can they really store? It's not like it's gonna just magically disappear... 
I'm like so amazed by how much water is being released from Oroville Dam!! It's literally crazy to think that they had to open up the gates bc of all those heavy rains 
. I mean, I get it tho, flooding is no joke & we don't want ppl losin there homes etc 
. But 75% full? that's wild! 