There are a total of 1,404 dams (KQED) in all of California. They can be small structures that simply hold back rivers and streams, or as large as lakes and reservoirs, providing water to up to 20 different counties. The 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 was finally opened 7 years later in 1968. The Oroville Dam is a rock embankment dam, which means: a water barrier made of certain materials so that it is not subject to erosion or deterioration. Because the material is so heavy due to the need for a safe dam, it creates a much stronger barrier and base for its foundation. A study was conducted to see if a rock dam is the most stable type of dam to hold back the intended amount of water. The study tested different types of dam stability compared to the stability of a rock fill and ultimately found that rock fill is completely acceptable and safe (Lei). The Feather River is the only river feeding the dam, filling it to its total capacity of 3,507,977 acre-feet. The Central Valley Project was a federal government-run project with the desire to use water from Sacramento water sources and San Joaquin water sources 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 was apparent that California needed water in many places other than the Central Valley due to the masses of people who began moving to California, particularly south. In 1951 the Feather River project was proposed. This included a dam, aqueducts and pumping plants for transportation...... middle of paper ......y. Lake Oroville's water has reached only 39% of its capacity. This means that California receives less than half of the normal precipitation in the northern region alone. Governor Jerry Brown finally decided to intervene and declare the state of California in a state of drought. The dam is not being used to its full capacity, causing problems for the rest of California (Chiocer). Earthquakes also played a major role in the Oroville Dam's water levels. In 1975, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake occurred near Oroville County. Since the earthquake occurred, they noticed that water levels were decreasing as the lake was emptying, and this was less likely to happen while it was full. It is almost a consistent 7 year pattern that this has occurred and shows that the water depth in Lake Oroville controls earthquakes (Martin). Because earthquakes