Across California, there are a total of 1,404 dams (KQED). These can be small structures simply holding back rivers and streams, or as large as lakes and reservoirs, supplying water to up to 20 different counties. Oroville Dam is the largest dam in California and is located just outside of Oroville County near Sacramento. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and it finally opened 7 years later in 1968. Oroville Dam is a rockfill embankment dam, which means: a water barrier made with certain materials so that it is not subject to erosion or deterioration. Because the material is so heavy due to the need for a secure dam, it creates a much stronger barrier and base for its foundation. A study was carried out to see if a rockfill dam is the most stable type of dam to retain the expected amount of water. The study tested different types of dam stability against the stability of riprap and ultimately found that riprap is completely acceptable and safe (Lei). The Feather River is the only river to feed the dam, filling it to its full capacity of 3,507,977 acre/feet. The Central Valley Project was a federally managed project with the desire to use water from Sacramento's water sources. and the San Joaquin Water Springs to better irrigate and supply water to the Central Valley. The Central Valley is where most of California's agriculture comes from and depends on. After World War II, it became apparent that California needed water in many places other than the Central Valley because of the masses of people who began to move to California, especially to the South. In 1951, the Feather River Project was proposed. This included a dam, aqueducts, as well as pumping facilities to transport...... middle of paper ......y. Lake Oroville's water is only at 39 percent capacity. This means that California receives less than half of its normal precipitation in the northern region alone. Governor Jerry Brown finally decided to step in and declare the state of California in drought. The dam is not used to its capacity, causing problems in the rest of California (Chiocer). Earthquakes also played a significant role in Oroville Dam's water levels. In 1975, there was a 5.7 magnitude earthquake near Oroville County. Since the earthquake occurred, they noticed that water levels dropped when the lake emptied, and that this was less likely to happen when it was full. This has been happening almost regularly for 7 years, and it shows that the water depth of Lake Oroville controls earthquakes (Martin). Because earthquakes