Whatever happened to Math and Physics in California schools and colleges? It is extreme folly to build the highest earthen dam in the world in an extreme seismic zone.
>>>It is extreme folly to build the highest earthen dam in the world in an extreme seismic zone<<<
The Dam was built Decades ago. I doubt they had the information available today about Seismic Zones. During that time the Dam has held up.
The issue is the State postponing required maintenance, not the structure of the Dam itself. The design was obviously state of the art when the Dam was constructed.
Built and completed 1968 before earthquake mitigation in Los Angeles building codes was instituted—after the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. From photos of the Oroville Dam spillway, there doesn’t even appear to be any re-bar reinforcing the concrete structure.