There are over 1,400 dams and water diversion structures throughout California. Most of the time, we don’t pay much attention to them – they do their job and fade into the background. But months of massive storms after years of drought have suddenly brought the state of our dams and reservoirs to the top of the public agenda.
Now, some experts like Roger Bales, an engineering professor and director of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at the University of California, Merced say it’s time to change the way we manage the state’s reservoirs. He joined us on Valley Edition to talk about the state of our dams, and how they not only need better maintenance, but also updated operational guidelines that take into account changes in technology and in climate.
