Lake Oroville Update - August 23, 2024

Explore the Thermalito Afterbay

The Thermalito Afterbay and surrounding Oroville Wildlife Area are managed for primitive and immersive wildlife experiences and for the preservation and enhancement of wildlife habitat areas. With 17 miles of shoreline and 4,300 surface acres of water, the Thermalito Afterbay provides an expansive area for watercraft use, with numerous opportunities for motorized and non-motorized vessels, swimming, fishing, picnicking, and hunting.

 

The Afterbay’s Monument Hill boat ramp and day use area provides a two-lane ramp with a boarding dock, picnic tables, barbecues, restroom facilities, a fish cleaning station, and a swimming beach. North of the Highway 162 bridge, a 5-mph motorized watercraft speed limit provides opportunities for paddle sports, windsurfing, and fishing. The Afterbay is local hotspot for largemouth bass [HOT TIP: Anglers have been doing very well fishing topwater lures along the tule beds]. The Wilbur Road boat ramp on the northern side of the Afterbay and Larkin Road Car-top boat ramp on the southern side of the Afterbay provide additional launching facilities for water recreation, with vault restroom facilities at both locations.

 

Several trails in the Afterbay area – Toland Road Trailhead, Tres Vias Trailhead, and East Hamilton Road Trailhead – connect with the popular Brad Freeman Trail for further exploration of the Oroville Wildlife Area. The East Hamilton Trailhead is the only facility with a picnic table and a small gravel parking area.

 

Located within the Oroville Wildlife Area, campsites near the Afterbay Outlet offer primitive camping facilities with vault restrooms and trash receptacles. To check hunting and fishing seasons and regulations, consult the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

 

Free Fishing Day

If you are new to the sport of fishing, and not sure if you will enjoy it, CDFW is offering a free fishing day on Saturday, August 31. While all fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect, the upcoming free fishing day allows anyone to fish without purchasing a fishing license. Free Fishing Days provide a great, low-cost way to give fishing a try.

 

Lake Oroville is one of the State Water Project’s premier recreational destinations and one of California’s best fishing spots. The lake provides both warm-water and cold-water fisheries. Below the Oroville Dam, the Thermalito Forebay, Thermalito Afterbay and the Feather River offer additional excellent fishing opportunities for Chinook salmon and steelhead. The marinas at Bidwell Canyon and Lime Saddle are open daily and provide a variety of services including a convenience store, gas, boat rentals, and more.

 

More information about CDFW’s free fishing day is available on their website.

 

Brad Freeman Trail Improvements

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is making progress on a project to improve a 1.5-mile section of the Brad Freeman Trail between Cherokee Road and the Highway 70 Garden Drive overpass. DWR crews are removing old asphalt and nearby vegetation and laying base rock along the trail in preparation for future paving work. Trail paving is expected to occur in September, with the work schedule subject to change based on material and crew availability.

 

Overall trail improvements include upgrading the existing gravel/dirt trail to include an 8-foot-wide asphalt path for cyclists and a 4-foot-wide decomposed granite path for pedestrians. Existing entrance bollards will also be replaced with wider, accessible box gates. The improvement project is supported by a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant through the National Park Service, with remaining funding for the $700,000 project provided by DWR. During construction, portions of the Brad Freeman Trail may be closed intermittently for paving and grading work. Trail improvements are being completed in phases and work may be suspended during the winter months depending on weather conditions.

 

Oroville Recreation

Staffed by knowledgeable guides, the Lake Oroville Visitor Center features interpretive displays on Oroville Dam, area geology, wildlife and habitat, hydroelectric power, and cultural and historical artifacts. View videos in the theater about the construction of Oroville Dam, walk or hike along nearby trails, and visit the 47-foot-tall observation tower that provides unsurpassed panoramic views of surrounding areas. Free guided tours for school and community groups are available by reservation. Parking and admission to the Visitor Center are free.

 

DWR, State Parks, CDFW maintain over 92 miles of trails in the Oroville area. An interactive map of recreation facilities, including open trails and their permitted uses (hike, bike, horse, multi), is available on DWR’s Lake Oroville Recreation webpage. A paper trail map is available at various locations, including most entrance kiosks and the Lake Oroville Visitor Center.

 

Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between January 1 and August 17 are:  

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 1 through June 30): 7,121
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 3,747
• Steelhead: 928

 

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 827 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.42 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 71 percent of its total capacity and 113 percent of the historical average.

 

Feather River flows are at 1,100 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 6,400 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 7,500 cfs downstream. DWR continues to assess Feather River releases daily. 

 

Releases from Oroville Dam’s main spillway ceased earlier this summer, but water is still being released through the Hyatt Powerplant for power generation, water deliveries, and environmental requirements. When the main spillway is not in use, water may still be seen on the main spillway outlet as the seals on the eight radial gates are not designed to be watertight. The gate seals do not play a role in the structural integrity of the gates. Visitors to Oroville Dam may also notice minor amounts of water flowing from drains built into the emergency spillway. This is normal and expected given the emergency spillway design. The dam and emergency spillway continue to operate as intended.

 

The public can track precipitation, snow, reservoir levels and more at the California Data Exchange Center. The Lake Oroville gage station is identified as “ORO.”

 

All data as of midnight 8/22/2024.

 

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