http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/20170708/letter-oroville-council-needs-to-take-critical-look-at-dwr
Letter: Oroville council needs to take critical look at DWR
Posted: 07/09/17, 2:55 AM PDT
The June 20 Oroville City Council agenda, included a vote to sign an agreement with the Department of Water Resources.
Signing any agreement with DWR at this time sends the message to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, their overseer, that Oroville is satisfied with their relationship with DWR. Signing implies approval of the agency’s record of disregard for the city of Oroville and criminal negligence regarding the operation and maintenance of the dam. They have been unwilling to maintain the spillway and unable to repair the multiple problems with the gates at the top.
A failure of even one gate, described by experts as a “when” not “if” situation, will likely lead to a cascade of failures that undermines the entire gate structure (a breach at the top that will take out the dam and Oroville as well).
The city’s attorney, Scott Huber, has traditionally advocated in favor of supporting PG&E, Cal Water, DWR, or whoever’s pounding at the door wanting to have their way with Oroville. He suggests that if FERC doesn’t relicense DWR to continue their willfully inept upkeep and dangerously inept operation of the dam, Oroville could be left without anyone to manage it. We are to believe that the state can build a dam and then walk away without decommissioning it. Fat chance.
I suspect he got this talking point from the same water vendor that gives the mayor her talking points.
The mayor advocated for signing the agreement throughout the evening. God help us all.
— Don Fultz, Oroville
It’s time for a third party to take over the dam operations, whether it be PG&E, BPA, Corp of Engineers, or whomever. Based on the evidence I’ve read, DWR doesn’t seem to be as capable as they like people to think.