Oroville Dam Crisis is Only the Beginning of Climate Impacts on US Infrastructure

Oroville dam is the tallest dam in the US, and this past week the community surrounding it went into crisis due to “an infrastructure failure and a weather event” forcing almost 200,000 people to be evacuated from the area near Sacramento, California. The concerns over the dam were due to extensive rainfall and additional runoff from snowpack due to the warmer weather which brought the water level up quickly, as well as damage to not only the main spillway but also the emergency spillway. Despite the evacuation being lifted a few days later, as repairs and further inspections were made, the worries are far from over for the residents and those in charge of water infrastructure.

Climate change tends to exacerbate extremes, be it drought or storms. “These biggest events that cause the biggest problems are the ones we are pretty sure are going to become more common. We're seeing the stresses of the current climate upon our infrastructure, and seeing in some cases it's enough to cause really big problems,” noted Daniel Swain, a climate scientist from UCLA.

More uncertainty and greater extremes are becoming the new norm, but much of US infrastructure is unprepared for such changes. The near-catastrophe at Oroville Dam shows water managers and the public that maintenance of critical infrastructure requires more attention, and more dollars. Meanwhile, another storm is approaching Oroville this weekend.