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California Water Chief: Oroville Dam's Emergency Spillway Worked

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) – The latest on a hearing about repairs to the Oroville Dam spillway:

1:17 p.m.

The head of California's water agency says an emergency spillway at the Oroville Dam worked despite extreme erosion that led authorities to order nearly 200,000 people to flee.

Department of Water Resources Acting Director Bill Croyle briefed a state legislative committee Tuesday on the state's response to severe damage at the nation's tallest dam.

Croyle's assertion that the spillway worked surprised Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher, who represents Oroville. Gallagher says the unexpected erosion reveals a design flaw.

Water flowed over the emergency spillway for the first time in February after damage to the main chute caused officials to limit releases.

Lawmakers also questioned Croyle about details of the $275 million contract to shore up the emergency spillway and the damaged main spillway in time for the next rainy season.

7:16 a.m.

State lawmakers are holding a hearing this morning to get an update on spillway repairs at the Oroville Dam.

This comes after California's Department of Water Resources finally released documents on the Oroville Dam's spillway.

The documents were initially withheld due to security concerns.

The reports are written by an independent board of technical experts who are monitoring DWR's repair plans and making written recommendations.

"The reason you need so much review is dams are so important and the consequence of a failure of a dam could be so great," said David Guiterrez, a technical advisor with DWR.

One recommendation has been to replace the remaining concrete in the spillway chute rather than just re-surfacing it.

The hearing on the spillway repair updates will begin at 9 a.m. at the State Capitol.

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