The DWR releases their plan for spillway re-construction and identifies the four contractors in the running for making the repairs - Sacramento Bee
OROVILLE
The repair job at the battered Oroville Dam spillway lacks a price tag and a finalized design. But it has drawn the interest of four leading construction contractors, all with experience in big dam projects.
The four contenders for the project are Kiewit Corp. of Omaha, Neb.; Granite Construction of Watsonville; Barnard Construction Co. of Bozeman, Mont.; and ASI Constructors Inc. of Pueblo West, Colo., according to the Department of Water Resources.
DWR released its repair plan Thursday, acknowledging the work won’t be finished until 2018 and will leave the fractured spillway partially undone when the next rainy season begins this fall. Nonetheless, Acting DWR Director Bill Croyle said the 3,000-foot-long concrete chute, whose problems led to a near catastrophe in February, will be functional by the time the rains arrive in November.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article143200489.htmlFrom the San Jose Mercury News, we learn that because the DWR will not get the existing lower spillway fully repaired this year and peak spillway flows will be limited to 100,000 cfs. This will compromise their flexibility for reservoir level management next winter.
Oroville – The state Department of Water Resources Thursday outlined its plans for repairs and replacement of the Oroville Dam spillway by Nov. 1, with the undamaged top chute as the priority. At an afternoon press briefing, DWR Acting Directory Bill Croyle said the lower portion of the spillway would also be repaired by Nov. 1 to withstand a maximum outflow of 100,000 cubic-feet per second.
One good note from the Mercury News coverage - the final spillway design, when all parts are installed and/or upgraded to current standards, will have an upgraded capacity of 270,000 CFS. The old spillway was only rated at 150,000 CFS. This higher discharge rating will further reduce the possibility of the emergency spillway ever coming to play. How much will all this cost? No one is talking anymore. Will the DWR even release the bid amount for the successful bidder?
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/07/oroville-dam-dwr-unveils-plans-to-replace-damaged-spillway/