Because of the designation of a natural disaster verses deferred maintenance as a "cause", DWR's exposure to this question likely is placing great pressure on the "Forensic Team's" forensic failure analysis report.
Besides FEMA, you have the CA "water contractors" who normally pay 96% of the costs associated with the dam's operation & maintenance. Even if FEMA came through to the 75%, the water contractors may point the finger of blame back at DWR regarding their burden of 25% of the repair costs. Thus lawsuits could result. Again, this gets back to the Forensic Team's report. This report has to be so thorough that it needs to withstand the scrutiny of "engineering, operations, and management evidence" in a legal sense & definition.
Setting up a "hotline" gmail address for anonymous tips or information to be sent to the Forensic Team does not sound like they have a strong case in this sense. That is why I believe there may be tension at play in their investigation. - Money and lots of it is on the line….
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California State Assembly Hearing with DWR alerts residents to the hazard of problems with the Oroville Dam
Written by Valerie L. Price
Steemed May 14, 2017
"John Laird answers the question of who will be responsible for paying the costs associated with repairs to the dam by stating that 96% of costs associated with the dam have historically been paid by water contractors, and 4% has been paid by the State. He says that “water contractors will have to step up here,” and there is only a question of whether federal funds will offset any of the costs."
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