During the emergency press conference at noon on the 13th of February Acting Director of Water Resources William Croyle showed an unacceptable lack of knowledge about both basic fluid dynamics and specifics about the design of Oroville dam.

Specific examples include:

When questioned about why the aux spillway failed at 20,000 cfs of flow when it is designed for 250,000 cfs, Croyle replied that the lower flows were more erosive/energetic. This stands in stark contrast to basic fluid flow laws and principles of erosion and deposition.

When questioned about why upgrades were not made to protect the emergency spillway when a motion to intervene was filed due to likelihood of erosion during emergency spillway use during the dam's re-licensing 12 years ago, Croyle was unaware of the motion. The reason given 12 years ago was that the emergency spillway is allowed to suffer severe damage during use. Croyle days into the crisis at Oroville dam was unaware of this, that essentially the emergency spillway was only designed to be used as an alternative to over topping the dam.

Croyle's lack of knowledge about the designed purpose of the emergency spillway late into the crisis and lack of basic knowledge about fluid flow and erosion principles, something any director of the DWR should know, led Croyle to make a decision that nearly killed/made homeless millions of people as the inundation map released late on the night of the 12th showed. This is why we ask California Governor Jerry Brown to demand Acting Director of Water Resources William Croyle immediately resign his position.



Link to the press conference: https://www.periscope.tv/CA_DWR/1kvJpnYnMnPKE

Link to the Motion to Intervene: https://www.scribd.com/document/339226431/Oroville-Dam-Motion-to-Intervene-of-Friends-of-the-River-Sierra-Club-and-South-Yuba-River-Citizens-League-filed-on-October-17-2005

Link to inundation map: https://imgur.com/gallery/BBs05