Aerial drone footage from the state Department of Water Resources reveals progress on the Oroville Dam this week.
Shot July 11, the video shows concrete being pumped between the stay-in-place forms. It is part of a new foundation and drainage system for the Lake Oroville control spillway. The clips also highlight demolition and rock cleaning on the emergency spillway.
Both structures were damaged in February after the reservoir reached capacity and water began spilling over the dam. The disaster created a large hole in the main spillway and that led to massive erosion on the hillside. The overflow forced the evacuation of 180,000 residents downstream.
More recently, state officials filed a request with the Federal Energy Commission, according to the Chico Enterprise Record. The filing asked the government for permission to demolish and reconstruct more of the Oroville Dam spillway’s upper chute.
Kiewit, the contractor doing the repair, is rebuilding the main spillway with a deadline of Nov. 1 set by the water resources department, the Enterprise Record said.
