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Heavy rains could impact Oroville Dam on Sunday night

Oroville Dam

As spillway repairs continue at the Oroville Dam, area residents are bracing for a storm Sunday that will put more stress on the California dam, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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“It looks like it’s going to be a pretty good rainmaker,” said meteorologist Mike Smith of the National Weather Service. “You’re looking at 10 inches from Sunday night to Monday night.”

The storm is expected to impact the Oroville and the Feather River basin areas Sunday night, the Times reported. Much of the water falling across the local mountains and foothills is expected to flow directly into the reservoir. Lake Oroville is currently at 88 percent capacity.

The Department of Water Resources hopes to drain up to a third of the lake to make room for rain and has been sending water down its damaged main spillway and into the Feather River at a rate of 100,000 cubic feet per second, the Times reported.