Water To Start Flowing Down Damaged Oroville Dam Spillway Again Today

BUTTE COUNTY (CBS13) - Oroville Dam's damaged spillway is expected to be back in use today.

The Department of Water Resources says it will start up outflows from Lake Oroville and begin to slowly increase them, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. today.

The spillway has been shut off since February 27 when officials closed it for repairs and to clear debris after a giant hole formed in the concrete.

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So far, crews have removed 1.2 million cubic yards of debris from the 1.7 million yards that have accumulated in the diversion pool, a DWR official announced at a press conference today.

Outflows will gradually ramp up to 50,000 cubic feet per second today.

DWR Acting Director Bill Croyle said that as of today, Lake Oroville water levels are at 864 feet. It's risen about a foot in the past 24 hours.