The releases tore a larger hole in the spillway and jumped over the structure, creating an instant waterfall. “As we upped the flows … that’s further eroding around the lower part of the spillway and the spillway itself. Thursday afternoon the reservoir level was 884 feet, 17 feet below the emergency release point of 901 feet. But if that doesn’t work, Croyle said it was possible water would start flowing over the unpaved emergency spillway sometime Saturday. The state’s second largest reservoir, Oroville provides the main storage for the State Water Project that sends Northern California supplies to the Southland.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 10, 2017 04:02 UTC