Oakland – The state Department of Water Resources has received a satirical award for its management of the Oroville Dam crisis from the Independent Institute, which also recommends the department transfer dam ownership to private entities.

The Oakland-based institute gives the California Golden Fleece Award quarterly to state government agencies that “swindle taxpayers or violate the public trust.”

“In the case of DWR, the mistakes and wrongdoing could have caused a total dam collapse resulting in severe property damage, mass injuries, and fatalities,” a press release from the institute reads. “After the spillway failures, which prompted the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people in downstream communities, details emerged showing that DWR failed to act on specific warnings about spillway integrity, provided insufficient inspection and repair processes, and made poor design and construction choices. Worse, the agency also concealed safety problems from the public.”

Independent Institute senior fellow Lawrence J. McQuillan goes further in his report to state that DWR should no longer operate California’s 44 state-owned dams and suggests private water companies or private irrigation districts take over.

Regardless of who operates the dam, there should be more weight given to concerns of downstream communities, especially regarding public safety, McQuillan said. He also recommends independent dam inspections be required, as DWR’s Division of Safety of Dams is “too interconnected with state agencies to have the public trust.”

“These recommendations should be part of a broader plan to modernize California’s entire, outdated, legacy water system,” McQuillan said.

A DWR spokesperson could not be reached for comment before the deadline for this story.

For more about the Golden Fleece award, see independent.org/aboutus/cagoldenfleece.

Contact reporter Risa Johnson at 896-7761.