LaMalfa: Newsom Administration Wasted Water

Statement

(Chico, CA) Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after Hyatt Power Plant at Lake Oroville official stopped making power today. Hyatt can make up to 900 megawatts and typically produces 450 megawatts of power, enough to power 800,000 homes. Because of low water levels, only 10 megawatts had been produced in recently. Today the power plant went offline as the lake's water level sank to one of the lowest levels on record.

"Lake Oroville was at full capacity two years ago, as well as in 2017. This dam was designed to provide water and power through five years of drought. Governor Newsom's administration mismanaged and wasted so much water that Oroville ran out of water in just a year and half. Throughout the winter and spring, the state let water out of the lake, ignoring that we were in a drought. The government has used our water for its pet projects like the delta smelt, a fish no one has found a single one of in over three years. Yet families and farms have seen dramatic cutbacks in their water availability. Mismanagement of our water means we lose 450 megawatts of power, recreation, drinking water, water for farms and water for fall run salmon. Everybody loses because of the states wasteful management," LaMalfa said.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.

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