Justice
The Oroville Dam Crisis Exposes the Flaws in Trump's Infrastructure Plan
A near-disaster in California probably wouldn’t be averted by the kind of privatized investment that the president has in mind.
Tens of thousands of residents fled Oroville, California, on Sunday after water levels surged over a spillway at the Oroville Dam. Traffic jams reigned on highways leading north from Oroville, where officials ordered people to evacuate at 4:45 p.m.
Oroville families, who made their way to the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico and other staging areas, face uncertainty in the coming days. By late Sunday night, water from Lake Oroville was no longer rushing over the top of the dam’s emergency spillway, thanks to efforts by California water authorities to increase the flow of water out of the reservoir. But the spillways sustained damage during Sunday’s flooding. Officials are attempting to measure that damage as they consider next steps.