Tuesday February 27, 2024
Newsweek —
California water officials are releasing water from Oroville Dam as the lake’s water levels continue to rise with more rain on the way.
California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) opened the main spillway at Oroville Dam to provide flood protection for downstream communities in advance of more rain forecast for California. Lake Oroville’s water levels had jumped significantly over the past few months as several atmospheric rivers battered the state with torrential rain and heavy snow.
Lake Oroville reached concerningly low levels in 2022, as did many of California’s other reservoirs, as severe drought gripped the region. More than a dozen atmospheric rivers last winter helped bolster the reservoirs’ water levels, and a similarly wet winter this year has improved lake levels as well. Lake Oroville’s levels are so high that the DWR is releasing water in advance of more rain.