Introduction
Dams provide energy, water, and flood protection for communities, however as infrastructure ages the risk of dam failure increases (Bowels, 2007). The cost of large dam projects is increasing as climate change impacts the magnitude and duration of drought and storm events in California (Mann & Gleick, 2015). On February 7, 2017 Northern California Butte and Yuba County residents were forced to evacuate as the near failure of the Oroville Dam threatened downstream communities (Harpold, 2017). Prior to the main spillway damage, California experienced a severe multiple year drought. A seven-day precipitation event resulted in failure of the spillway and the second largest runoff event in the Oroville basin since 1995 (Vahedifard …show more content…
Large magnitude rain events lead to increased runoff intensifying flood events, rate of erosion, and slope instability. Dam failure is a huge safety risk in California due to the effects of climate change impacting how much water is available and aging infrastructure. Aging infrastructure is resulting in higher potential risks to the safety and wellbeing of residents downstream of major dam projects (McDonald, 2017). Unpublicized construction issues of the Oroville dam that undermined the geologic structural integrity further increased the risk of catastrophic failure (France et al., 2018). Through evaluating the history of the Oroville Dam, weather impacts, geomorphic agents, and socioeconomic factors, we will suggest solutions to mitigate the issues that occurred with the Oroville Dam. This paper aims to answer the questions: Why did the Oroville Dam almost fail, and to how were local
Dams provide energy, water, and flood protection for communities, however as infrastructure ages the risk of dam failure increases (Bowels, 2007). The cost of large dam projects is increasing as climate change impacts the magnitude and duration of drought and storm events in California (Mann & Gleick, 2015). On February 7, 2017 Northern California Butte and Yuba County residents were forced to evacuate as the near failure of the Oroville Dam threatened downstream communities (Harpold, 2017). Prior to the main spillway damage, California experienced a severe multiple year drought. A seven-day precipitation event resulted in failure of the spillway and the second largest runoff event in the Oroville basin since 1995 (Vahedifard …show more content…
Large magnitude rain events lead to increased runoff intensifying flood events, rate of erosion, and slope instability. Dam failure is a huge safety risk in California due to the effects of climate change impacting how much water is available and aging infrastructure. Aging infrastructure is resulting in higher potential risks to the safety and wellbeing of residents downstream of major dam projects (McDonald, 2017). Unpublicized construction issues of the Oroville dam that undermined the geologic structural integrity further increased the risk of catastrophic failure (France et al., 2018). Through evaluating the history of the Oroville Dam, weather impacts, geomorphic agents, and socioeconomic factors, we will suggest solutions to mitigate the issues that occurred with the Oroville Dam. This paper aims to answer the questions: Why did the Oroville Dam almost fail, and to how were local