Lake Oroville Update - November 15, 2024

Exercising at Oroville Dam

While Oroville Dam plays a critical role in providing flood protection to downstream communities, it is also a prime location for physical fitness. A 1.3-mile paved road and separated two-lane multi-use path runs the length of the dam’s crest, offering an opportunity for exercise while enjoying scenic views of both Lake Oroville and the valley. Free parking is available on either side of the dam’s crest with restroom facilities located at the intersection of Canyon Drive and Oroville Dam Crest Road. Additional nearby parking is available at the Oroville Dam Crest Overlook, with a short path connecting to the dam crest road. For early birds or late-night fitness enthusiasts, the dam crest path has full lighting, making it a great location for free outdoor recreation during the shorter daylight hours of the autumn and winter months.

 

The Department of Water Resources (DWR), the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (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.  

 

Vegetation Management Activities 

DWR and its partners have resumed Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) activities on DWR property along Oro Dam Blvd. East near the Hyatt Powerplant, the Bidwell Canyon/Kelly Ridge area, and the Loafer Creek State Recreation Area. This multi-year project is reducing hazardous fuels and the risk of catastrophic wildfire by thinning vegetation using hand and mechanical methods, accompanied by chipping. By proactively reducing ground fuels, thinning overgrown vegetation, and removing dead and dying vegetation, firefighters have a better chance at suppressing a wildfire. HMPG work began in 2023 and is supported by grant funding totaling $667,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to complete a 220-acre hazardous fuels reduction project in the Lake Oroville area.

 

Vegetation management activities may require the intermittent closure of several trails throughout the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area. Trail users should be cautious when entering work areas and obey all posted trail signage. 

  

Since 2012, DWR’s Fuel Load Management Plan has helped reduce wildfire risk, increase public safety, and enhance forest health around the Lake Oroville area. Between early 2013 and June 2024, DWR and its local partners have treated or retreated more than 2,500 acres of vegetation. Ongoing vegetation management of this critical area remains a high priority for DWR and its partners at CAL FIRE, Butte County Fire Department, Butte County Sheriff’s Office, the California Conservation Corps (CCC), State Parks, and the Butte County Fire Safe Council.

 

Salmon Spawning Operations

DWR and CDFW continue spawning activities for fall-run Chinook salmon at the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville. As part of their 2- to 5-year lifecycle, fall-run Chinook salmon traditionally migrate from the Feather River to the ocean, and return to the Feather River to spawn. Fall-run start returning as early as July and continue through November. Many make their way to the Hatchery, where DWR and CDFW staff process salmon by collecting, fertilizing, incubating their eggs, then raising and releasing fish.  

 

With lingering drought impacts to California Chinook salmon populations, DWR and CDFW have significantly increased Chinook salmon egg collection by several million to boost populations not only in the Feather River, but also in the Central Valley. Chinook salmon raised at the Feather River Fish Hatchery will later be released in the Feather River and San Francisco Bay to support inland and ocean fisheries. In addition, DWR and CDFW continue thiamine treatments to combat B1 vitamin deficiencies. This treatment improves the health of the fish, increasing the survival of Chinook salmon from egg to juvenile.

 

Oroville Recreation

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. Be sure to check CDFW fishing regulations before you go out fishing. 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.

 

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.

 

Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between Jan. 1 and Oct. 19 are:  

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 1 through June 30): 7,152
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 27,548        
• Steelhead: 1,251

 

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 756 feet elevation and storage is approximately 1.65 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 48 percent of its total capacity and 93 percent of the historical average.

 

Feather River flows are at 800 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 950 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 1,750 cfs downstream. DWR continues to assess Feather River releases daily. 

 

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 11/14/2024.

 

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