Lake Oroville Community Update - July 3, 2020
Boats on Lake Oroville. DWR/2019
Local Recreation Areas Plan for Busy Holiday Weekend
Lake Oroville and the North and South Forebay boat ramps, parking lots, and day use areas are open. The Oroville Dam Spillway Boat Ramp area is open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. with other LOSRA boat ramps open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trails and Day Use Areas are open from 8 a.m. to sunset. Floating campsites and group campsites are not currently available to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Additionally, Lake Oroville’s boat-in campsites are not available for camping until Sunday, July 5. To make a reservation, visit www.ReserveCalifornia.com or call 800-444-7275. For more information about camping, visit www.parks.ca.gov/COVID19Camping.
For July 2nd – July 5th only, trailered boat launching is restricted at the Larkin Road Boat Ramp, and only launching of car-top boats is allowed. The Oroville Wildlife Area, including the Thermalito Afterbay, is open 1.5 hours before sunrise to one hour after sunset, including the 4th of July weekend. The Lake Oroville Visitors Center remains closed to protect public health. Information and an interactive map of Lake Oroville and OWA recreation facilities is available on the Department of Water Resources (DWR) Lake Oroville Recreation webpage.
California Department of Parks and Recreation (CA Parks) encourages visitors to practice physical distancing and avoid congregating with people outside their immediate household. The state now requires face coverings indoors and outdoors when you cannot maintain a safe 6-foot distance from people outside of your immediate household. Additional information regarding public health practices and requirements is available on the LOSRA webpage.
Oroville to Celebrate Fourth of July with Fireworks Display
The City of Oroville’s Noon Rotary Club fireworks will begin at approximately 9 p.m. on July Fourth and will be launched from the Oroville Airport. A Red Flag (severe fire danger) Warning from the National Weather Service for July Fourth will cancel the display.
Viewers are encouraged to observe the show from their homes, if possible, or higher locations throughout the City and surrounding area. Participants must abide by physical distancing and face covering requirements to protect public health. The Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area will close at sunset on Friday, July 3 and remain closed until 8 a.m. Sunday, July 5. The OWA will also maintain normal operating hours on July Fourth: 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset. Please visit the Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce website for information.
An American Icon Calls Lake Oroville Home
Did you know that seven nesting pairs of bald eagles call Lake Oroville home? This year they are successfully raising nine young eaglets, many of whom have grown their feathers and are now able to fly. Lake Oroville provides prime habitat for bald eagles with tall trees and access to one of their primary food sources – fish. Discover how DWR Environmental Scientists help protect our Oroville eagles on the DWR Updates webpage.
“New’ Trails Around Thermalito Diversion Pool
Trails on the north side of the Thermalito Diversion Pool, previously closed for the Oroville Dam Spillways Reconstruction Project, are open for hikers and bikers, including from Burma Road to the Spillway Boat Ramp area and North Fork Trails. A new trail access parking lot has been constructed west of the Kelly Ridge Power Plant on the south side of the Diversion Pool. The graveled parking lot is accessible from Oro Powerhouse Road (off Oro Dam Boulevard East) and provides access to hiking, biking, and fishing opportunities. Boating is not allowed in this upstream area of the Diversion Pool, but boating is allowed on the Diversion Pool further downstream, with access from the Burma Road car-top boat launch off of Cherokee Road. Boating is limited to kayaks, canoes, and other non-gas-powered boats.
Oroville Area Algal Blooms Status
DWR environmental scientists regularly monitor Lake Oroville, the Thermalito North Forebay, and the Thermalito Afterbay for blue-green algae and their toxins. There are currently no Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) advisories for Lake Oroville, the Thermalito Forebay, or the Thermalito Afterbay. If elevated levels of cyanobacteria toxins are found, DWR staff work with California’s Regional Water Quality Control Board and recreation area managers to notify the public and post advisory signs at affected waterbodies. To learn more about HABs, visit the Water Board’s website and DWR’s digital article on the DWR Updates webpage.
DWR Water Education Program Educates Youth Online This Summer
Missing Summer Camp? Join DWR’s virtual Summer Camp. DWR Staff will be providing fun activities relating to DWR’s recent Water Wednesday’s videos. The family-friendly programs are designed for kids 10 to 14 but are appropriate for anyone who would like to learn more about California’s water resources. Each video is available on DWR’s YouTube channel and a listing of all the program’s episodes can be found by clicking the Playlists tab. Activity suggestions and information can be found in the video’s comment section as they are added each week.
Current Lake Operations
The elevation of Oroville’s reservoir is about 796 feet and storage is about 2.15 million acre-feet. Daily average inflows to the lake have ranged between 1,625 cfs (cubic feet per second) to 2,242 over the past week.
Dry conditions and very warm temperatures continue this weekend and into the week of July 6. The Northern Sierra Basin rainfall totals remains below average for the year, at 63 percent of normal of year.
The total releases to Feather River are 3,300 cfs to meet downstream Bay-Delta water quality and flow standards. Flows through the City of Oroville are about 650 cfs for and flows from the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet.
All data as of midnight 7/2/2019
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