A total failure at Oroville Dam could cost billions in real estate – study

With Oroville, Calif., residents evacuated early this week over fears that a damaged spillway in the Oroville Dam could fail, the cost of destruction – and reconstruction – can put a strain on the counties near the dam, according to CoreLogic.

Six counties – Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba – would be at risk if the dam were to fail. There are 50,047 homes in those counties, and their estimated reconstruction value, or RCV, is $13.3 billion, according to CoreLogic. But only 12% of the at-risk homes are in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).

There are 33,967 properties ranging from 20 to 60 miles from the dam – properties that would still be at risk in the event of a failure, according to CoreLogic. Those properties have an estimated RCV of $9.8 billion, while 16,080 at-risk homes located less than 20 miles from the dam have an estimated RCV of $3.5 billion.

Below are the figures on the counties affected by the flooding:

By county:

By city and ZIP Code

Source: CoreLogic


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