Years ago, officials told federal regulators that communities just downstream of California’s Oroville Dam would not receive adequate warning or time for evacuations if the 770-foot-tall dam itself, rather than its… Years ago, officials told federal regulators that communities just downstream of California’s Oroville Dam would not receive adequate warning or time for evacuations if the 770-foot-tall dam itself, rather than its spillways, were to fail. Where critics see a rocky start to his administration, supporters of President Donald Trump see an elected official finally doing exactly what he promised during the campaign.