The Edward Hyatt Power Plant has been providing hydroelectric power in California since 1967.
But low water levels in Lake Oroville in Butte County are raising concerns that the plant may be forced to close, state officials warn.
"This would be the first time we would be stopping it because the lake level is so low," said John Yarbrough is Assistant Deputy Director of the California Department of Water Resources.
The plant only came close to shuttering once before in another historic drought in the late ‘70s, said Yarbrough.
Currently, the water level sits at about 700 feet above sea level. If that level drops to 640 feet or below, there would not be enough water to power the plant. When operating at full capacity, the Lake Oroville hydroelectric plant can provide power to some 800,000 homes.
Already, the plant is only operating at 20% capacity.
And it’s not just a California problem. The Colorado River’s Lake Powell, which feeds into Nevada’s Lake Mead, is projected to receive only 25% of the water it normally would this summer, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
The Hoover Dam is located in Lake Mead, and is one of the country’s largest hydroelectric facilities, with the potential of powering about 1.3 million homes. About 23% of its power serves Nevada, 19% serves Arizona, and the majority of the rest serves Southern California.
