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In this aerial photo, barges sit in low water on Lake Oroville as the California drought emergency worsens July 25, 2021 in Oroville, California.
Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty Images
SANTA MONICA, Calif .– California has shut down a major hydroelectric power station at Lake Oroville as water levels fell near the minimum needed to generate electricity, state water officials said.
This is the first time the state has shut down the Hyatt Power Plant due to depleted water levels since the plant came into service in 1967.
The loss of power could fuel even more blackouts this summer as the state grapples with a historic drought and record heat waves.
Officials said record water levels in Lake Oroville, a man-made water reserve in northern California, are the result of drought exacerbated by climate change.
Although California experiences constant drought, climate change has fueled high temperatures and dry soil that have dramatically reduced water runoff into reservoirs this spring, resulting in the lowest levels on record at Lake Oroville, said Thursday officials.
“This is just one of the many unprecedented impacts we are experiencing in California as a result of our climate-induced drought,” Karla Nemeth, director of the state’s water resources department, said in a statement.
Nemeth said the department anticipated the shutdown and predicted a loss of water and network management. Officials have warned that the plant can no longer generate electricity if water levels drop below 640 feet above sea level.
The mainland is visible, in a section that is normally underwater, on the shores of Lake Oroville, which is California’s second largest reservoir and, according to daily reports from the state’s Department of Water Resources, its capacity is close to 35% near Oroville, California. , June 16, 2021.
Aude Guerrucci | Reuters
Water rises at Lake Oroville are expected to reach up to 620 feet above sea level by the end of October. Nemeth said the state’s water agency was working to “save as much water as possible in storage.”
Although the power station is no longer producing electricity, officials said they would release water from the dam to the Feather River to maintain the river’s temperature requirements.
Gov. Gavin Newsom called on residents of California in July to reduce household water use by 15% to conserve water supplies. Network operators also urged residents to limit electricity use to avoid power outages as wildfires burn the state, including the Dixie Fire, which has been burning for more than three weeks and has decimated the town of Greenville, the gold rush.
“The drop in reservoir levels is another example of why it’s so essential that all Californians conserve water,” Nemeth said.
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