Recent rainstorms caused flooding and power outages across northern California but also helped replenish the state’s water supply. On the other hand, as many Californians learned, storms can also reveal government incompetence.
As we noted in 2017, a massive spillway failure at the Oroville Dam prompted an evacuation order that sent 200,000 people running for shelter. According to experts, if the spillway collapsed, it would not be much different than total dam failure.
“The emergency spillway remained basically a dirt, soil rock facility,” Rep. John Garamendi told reporters, “and it worked fine until it had to be used, in which case it
