State officials insisted Thursday that hundreds of recently revealed cracks in the new Oroville Dam spillway are normal and don’t threaten the integrity of the recently completed first stage of work.
In a conference call with reporters Thursday, DWR spokeswoman Erin Mellon said the hairline cracks were first noticed in late August. The cracks, which number in the hundreds, were first reveled to the media this week. Mellon downplayed their importance.