BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. — Relief from California's years of drought came roaring into focus Friday as state water officials began releasing water from Lake Oroville.
Cascading waves of water plummeted down the concrete chute of the new Oroville Dam spillway, crashing into the Feather River below as a small crowd of journalists and locals looked on.
Water managers are drawing down the lake level as part of flood control plans ahead of a forecast onslaught of rain from atmospheric river systems coming from the Pacific.
The relatively warm rainstorms are soaking a generous snowpack already blanketing Northern California's mountains and foothills. Thursday night's rain brought reports of collapsed roofs in mountain communities, crushed by the weight of snow soaking up rainfall like a sponge.
With more rain on the way, the release from Oroville Dam is meant to make room.
"The operation of the spillway is intended to keep the lake at a certain elevation so we can hold reserve storage for upcoming storms so we can provide flood protection," Department of Water Resources official Ted Craddock said.
Friday's opening of the spillway marks only its second use since the 2017 crisis forced mass evacuations of the community beneath the dam.
Officials with the Department of Water Resources expressed confidence in the integrity of the rebuilt spillway, noting engineers had observed it the last time it was used in April 2019.
Craddock added the department still expects enough runoff from snowpack to fill Lake Oroville before the summer months.
With a wet start to 2023, more than half of California had been removed from drought status as of the most recent drought monitor report.
In a state where "we need the moisture" is cliché small talk, the skies have provided rare abundance this year.
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