(SACRAMENTO) – Today, members of the Delta Caucus released the following statement regarding the hazardous situation at Oroville Dam after The Mercury News reported that previous concerns about the safety of the Dam’s current infrastructure were ignored:
“We are concerned that a clear alarm raised 12 years ago about the state of the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway was discounted. There has been more than enough time since then for upgrades and maintenance to the structure. Instead, nearly 185,000 people have been displaced, and there are still people in harm’s way. A catastrophic failure at Oroville would result in uncontrolled releases that do considerably more harm to the surrounding communities, and threaten those further downstream, including levee-protected communities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. For now, we have a collective responsibility to ensure that people are safe and that necessary steps are taken to prevent further compromise of the entire Oroville facility. When the immediate threats have subsided, we need to clearly assess this disaster and its causes. We have a duty to ensure California’s existing infrastructure is maintained and upgraded, and not sacrificed in favor of conveyance projects.”
Assemblymember Grayson is a member of the Delta Caucus, a bipartisan group of legislators whose districts include portions of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The caucus works to keep their colleagues updated on the latest scientific data, economic developments, and actions taken by the state agencies responsible for the Delta, including the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Water Resources, and the Delta Stewardship Council. The following legislators wished to be part of this statement: Senator Dodd (Co-Chair), Senator Pan, Assemblymember Frazier (Co-Chair), Assemblymember Eggman, Assemblymember Baker, Assemblymember Cooper, and Assemblymember Grayson.
Assemblymember Timothy S. Grayson represents the 14th Assembly District which includes the communities of Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Benicia, and Vallejo.
CONTACT: Matthew Powers, matthew.powers@asm.ca.gov, (916) 319-2014