The May 2009 flood was the 14th highest on record, and similar in height to the great flood of 1973 that nearly destroyed the Old River Control Structure’s Low Sill Structure. Image credit: USDA ...

In theory, the Old River Control Structure can be operated at 140% of a Project Flood, since there are now four control structures instead of just the two that existed in 1973 (flows rates of ...

The flood-control manuals are created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. California has more than 1,500 dams, 54 of which are considered primary flood-control structures.

Independent experts familiar with the flood-control manual at Oroville Dam said Wednesday there’s no indication the 47-year-old document contributed to the ongoing crisis involving the dam’s ...