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WATER: Fire damages State Water Project pumping-generating plant
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – An early morning fire broke out at a State Water Project plant on Thursday, but officials said water deliveries are expected to continue uninterrupted.
The California Department of Water Resources said the fire, of undetermined origin, occurred at the State Water Project’s Ronald B. Robie Thermalito Pumping-Generating plant near Oroville.
The incident was not expected to interrupt water deliveries, the Department of Water Resources said.
The agency reported that there were no injuries, and no personnel were in the plant when the fire started.
The fire at the plant, four miles west of Oroville in Butte County, was detected about 7 a.m. Wednesday, and was responded to by Cal Fire, according to the report.
Crews fighting the fire eventually had to exit the facility due to life-threatening dangers from collapsing equipment, zero visibility and other conditions. The fire was still burning Thursday night, with Cal Fire and the Department of Water Resources continuing to monitor the situation.
Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant is operated in tandem with Hyatt Powerplant beneath Oroville Dam and the nearby Thermalito Diversion Dam power plant to produce electrical power to pump State Water Project water.
Water released from Lake Oroville behind Oroville Dam can be diverted around the pumping-generating plant, so deliveries will not be impacted and no flow changes are expected in the downstream Feather River.
Damage to the plant, however, will reduce electrical generation, meaning the Department of Water Resources will have to purchase additional power to pump water.
The State Water Project delivers water to more than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland.
The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.