LA County Supervisors Order Inspection of Dams in Wake of Oroville Emergency

Supervisors have ordered inspections of all Los Angeles County dams in the wake of flooding concerns at Northern California’s Oroville Dam.

The supervisors unanimously approved the order in late February after Oroville Dam looked as if it would produce flooding during heavy rains, prompting evacuation orders for nearly 200,000 people.

A CoreLogic analysis showed roughly 50,047 residential homes could be damaged with an estimated reconstruction cost value of $13.3 billion if the dam were to fail completely. The L.A. Department of Public Works was given 30 days to report on the condition of dams, spillways and debris basins.

It also must create a priority list of flood-control projects needing completion.

L.A. County operates 14 dams and reservoirs, most of them in the San Gabriel, San Fernando and Antelope valleys.

Many were built in the 1920s and 1930s.