Relief in California as Lake Oroville recedes

Northern Californians living downstream of Lake Oroville awoke to good news this morning. The lake’s emergency spillway remained intact, and the threat of catastrophic flooding eased just a bit. But officials caution communities below the over-full lake aren’t out of danger yet. Crews are still trying to assess potential damage to the emergency spillway, which is designed to siphon water from the reservoir when the regular spillway can’t drain fast enough. On Sunday, officials got word a concrete wall at the top of the emergency spillway might give way, sending a 30-foot wall of water crashing onto nearby communities. They ordered mass evacuations and increased the flow from the regular spillway. As of this morning, water no longer poured over the emergency outlet, giving engineers a chance to assess its stability. But an evacuation order covering about 188,000 residents remains in effect. Lake Oroville is California’s second-largest reservoir, held back by the tallest dam in the country. It drains into the Feather River, which flows past Oroville, Marysville, and Yuba City. It eventually merges with the Sacramento River that runs through California’s capital. Forecasters predict more rain for the waterlogged region on Wednesday.