Here is the latest information regarding the state of the auxiliary spillway at the Oroville Dam this evening:
- There is a section of the spillway that was reported earlier to have been close to being compromised. However, at this hour the auxiliary spillway is intact. In fact, within 30 minutes, the lake level should be low enough to not be spilling over the auxiliary spillway at all.
- Nonetheless, an evacuation order has been issued for Oroville (city) and low lying areas along the Feather River in Butte and Yuba Counties. Our police department has been requested to assist with evacuation efforts along with other regional law enforcement agencies.
- Currently, the state Department of Water Resources says there appears to be no immediate threat to the Sacramento area. The Oroville area residents were asked to evacuate by Butte County out of an abundance of caution. However, the state is anticipating that the lake level will be below the auxiliary spillway before midnight.
- If there was a compromise, it would not significantly impact Sacramento as the Sacramento River channel has sufficient capacity to accommodate increased flows.
We will continue to update you as necessary. This information will be provided to the news media this evening and will be provided to the public via City Express (this blog).