LOGAN, Utah (AP) — California water officials are relying on key hydrology tests being performed in Utah on a replica of the Oroville Dam spillway to pinpoint what repairs will work best at the tallest dam in the U.S for a spillway that was torn apart in February.
Extensive computer modeling is also being used in the design of the spillway repairs. But experts say high tech testing is no replacement for dam replica research.
The team of hydraulic engineers sends water over the dam model to test design elements of a $300 million spillway rebuild set for completion by November.
Preliminary findings show the repair should hold up under intense water flows.
Dam experts around the world are closely watching the project.
A separate team is assessing why the spillway crumbled.