Campus Alert Archive
Butte College

Oroville Dam Emergency Spillway Erodes: 188,000 Evacuated, Butte College Closes as Nation Watches Tallest Dam Crisis

CAevacuationadvisorymedium confidence

On February 12, 2017, the Oroville Dam emergency spillway began eroding, prompting Butte County emergency managers to issue a mandatory evacuation order for 188,000 residents downstream of the nation's tallest dam. Butte College, located in Oroville's evacuation zone, immediately closed all campuses and directed students and staff to evacuate. The crisis resolved by February 14, when the spillway situation stabilized and evacuees were allowed to return.

Alerts
3
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Butte College
Community College · CA
~15,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction535 chars
BUTTE COLLEGE EMERGENCY: Due to the mandatory evacuation order issued by the Butte County Sheriff for areas downstream of Oroville Dam, Butte College is closed effective immediately. All students, faculty, and staff in evacuated areas must comply with the evacuation order. The Oroville campus is within the evacuation zone. Do not return to campus until the evacuation order is lifted. Monitor buttecollege.edu and local emergency management for updates. Student services and campus resources will be unavailable until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Butte County Sheriff-Coroner issued the mandatory evacuation order on February 12, 2017 after an eroding hole was discovered in the emergency spillway at approximately 4:00 PM PST
Butte College's main campus in Oroville sits within the Feather River flood inundation zone that triggered the evacuation order
Reconstructed from secondary sources; official alert archive not accessible in this environment
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction533 chars
BUTTE COLLEGE UPDATE: Campus remains closed Monday, February 13 due to the ongoing evacuation order from Butte County. Classes are cancelled at all Butte College locations. The state chancellor's office is working with our district to address any impact on the academic calendar. Students should not attempt to return to campus while the evacuation order is in effect. Follow directions from Butte County emergency management and check local media for shelter locations. We will communicate as soon as the evacuation order is lifted.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office coordinated with Butte and Yuba college districts to address academic calendar disruptions caused by the closure, confirmed by CalMatters coverage
Campus closure extended to Tuesday February 14 while evacuation order remained in effect
Approximately 188,000 people were under mandatory evacuation order on February 13 per Butte County authorities
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction503 chars
BUTTE COLLEGE: The evacuation order for Oroville and surrounding areas has been lifted by Butte County. Butte College campuses will reopen for normal operations. The crisis at Oroville Dam has stabilized. Students, faculty, and staff may return to campus. Classes will resume on a schedule to be announced. We appreciate the patience and resilience of our campus community during this unprecedented emergency. The state chancellor's office has assured us the academic calendar impacts will be addressed.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The evacuation order was lifted on February 14, 2017 after the lake level dropped below the emergency spillway crest and outflow through the main spillway was increased to lower the reservoir
Classes cancelled from February 13-14 represented a significant disruption for Butte College's 15,000 enrolled students
The California Chancellor's Office worked with college districts to minimize academic calendar penalties, as confirmed by CalMatters records
Context

Background

The Oroville Dam crisis began February 7, 2017 when large sections of the main spillway concrete failed during heavy outflow operations. The situation escalated dramatically on February 11, when the dam's emergency spillway -- never before used since the dam's 1968 construction -- began carrying water for the first time. The following day, February 12, erosion was discovered at the base of the emergency spillway weir, and the Butte County Sheriff-Coroner issued a mandatory evacuation order for 188,000 residents in low-lying areas along the Feather River, including the cities of Oroville, Gridley, Marysville, and Yuba City. Butte College, a community college serving approximately 15,000 students with its main campus in Oroville, fell directly within the evacuation zone. The college, along with nearby Yuba College, closed all campuses immediately. The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office coordinated with affected districts to manage academic calendar disruptions. The dam crisis was the nation's most significant dam-related emergency in decades, drawing national media attention and federal scrutiny of the dam's maintenance history. Evacuees were allowed to return February 14 after the reservoir level dropped and emergency spillway flow ceased, though the controversy over deferred maintenance and regulatory oversight of the dam continued for years. The state ultimately spent $1.1 billion to repair the spillway systems.
Analysis

Key Findings

Butte College's main Oroville campus fell directly within the mandatory evacuation zone during the February 2017 Oroville Dam spillway crisis
The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office coordinated with Butte and Yuba college districts to protect students' academic progress during the closure
The Oroville Dam crisis was the most significant dam-related emergency in U.S. history since Teton Dam 1976, affecting 188,000 residents and multiple educational institutions
The campus closure lasted only two days (February 12-14), minimizing academic disruption, though the dam's repair consumed $1.1 billion
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    Oroville Dam crisis - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. News
    Schools and services closing due to Oroville spillway - ABC10
    abc10.com
  3. News
    Oroville Dam Flooding - Disaster Days - CalMatters
    disasterdays.calmatters.org
  4. News
    Oroville Dam evacuations: Residents near California dam system ordered out - CNN
    cnn.com
  5. Report
    2017 Oroville Spillway Incident After Action/Corrective Action Report - Cal OES
    caloes.ca.gov
Tags
floodingdam-failureevacuationoroville-damcaliforniacommunity-collegefeather-rivercampus-closuredam-crisisbutte-county
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion