Experts: Bad Design, Building Caused Dangers Oroville Dam Spillway
OROVILLE (AP) - An independent team of dam experts says bad design and construction led to a disastrous spillway collapse at the nation's tallest dam.
Dam safety experts investigating February's spillway failures at California's Oroville Dam say the state probably could have detected the problems if dam managers had reviewed the original flaws in the half-century-old dam, using modern engineering standards.
Authorities ordered nearly 200,000 people to evacuate in February after both spillways at Oroville Dam collapsed and they fear an uncontrolled release of water.
An independent team of national dam safety experts cites a series of flaws in the main spillway's design and construction in a preliminary report released Tuesday.
State Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Erin Mellon says officials are reviewing the report.
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