= = Article clip: (emphasis mine)
"Sacramento >> In its eighth memorandum released Thursday, the independent board analyzing the redesign of the Oroville Dam spillways commends the construction contractor’s work and makes slight tweaks to former recommendations."
"This is the second memorandum issued without any redactions which the state Department of Water Resources previously requested, citing national security concerns."
. .
"Cleaning and preparation of the rock foundation of the spillway has been done much better this time around, compared to when the dam was originally constructed, the board said."
= = end clip more at link:
This article did not touch upon the forensic "fill material" "interpretations" from the original construction (other than "cleaning" of the foundation). But I suspect this "fill material" + "leveling concrete" assertion subject may be brought up in an interview to where this point may be "emphasized". The media wouldn't know the significance of the issue in a conflicting forensic situation when compared to the other photographic evidence that was not put into the BOC & DWR summary report.
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/article/NH/20170714/NEWS/170719883
They can talk that smack all they want, it still doesn’t explain the fact that the design performed up to spec until the sidewall drains quit working (for whatever reason) in the exact same area that the slab failed.