Lake Oroville Update - September 6, 2024

Campfire Restrictions During Red Flag Warning Days

Even with summer days waning, the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area remains a prime location for camping year-round. But Oroville’s Mediterranean climate featuring hot, dry summers and high winds leads to an elevated fire risk in the region. During extreme fire weather conditions known as “red flag warning” days, campfires are prohibited within the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area. This includes tiki-style torches and those in designated campfire rings. Additionally, portable cooking devices fueled by wood, gas, charcoal, pressurized liquid fuel, or jellied petroleum are also prohibited in Day Use Areas during red flag warnings. Portable cooking devices and lanterns fueled by gas, petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel are only permitted at designated campsites. Temporary fire restrictions remain in effect until lifted by trained park staff following an assessment of current conditions and notification has been given to current park users. 

 

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) would also like to remind visitors that dragging chains is another common way that many fires start. Be sure to check your trailers and equipment before driving to ensure you are not dragging anything that could get hot or spark.

 

Oroville-Area School Tours

A new school season is back in session with young minds ready to grow in their knowledge of local history and ecosystems. Fortunately, DWR offers free tours and educational programs for students throughout the region. Tour the Lake Oroville Visitor Center featuring 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.

 

During the fall Chinook salmon spawning season, Lake Oroville Visitor Center guides also host free school tours of the Feather River Fish Hatchery. View salmon spawning activities in action, feed fish in the rearing raceways, and learn about the Chinook salmon lifecycle and the importance of the Hatchery in supporting salmon populations in the Feather River and ocean. Fall spawning tours book early, but the Visitor Center still has afternoon tours available.

 

Free guided tours for schools are available by reservation. To book your tour, contact the Lake Oroville Visitor Center at (530) 538-2219.

 

Explore Loafer Creek

Located along the southern shoreline of Lake Oroville, the Loafer Creek Recreation Area offers several hiking, equestrian, and biking trails that are largely shaded by trees. With current temperatures in the high-90 or 100-plus degree range, trails such as the Loafer Creek Day Use (1.7 miles) or Loafer Creek Loop (3.2 miles) offer a shaded respite from the scorching sun. Trails also run along Lake Oroville’s waterline, providing an opportunity to cool off in the lake after meeting your activity goals for the day.

 

The Loafer Creek recreation trails can be accessed from the Loafer Point Campground and Day-Use area off Highway 162 (Oro-Quincy Highway), or trail users can connect to Loafer Creek through the Bidwell Canyon Saddle Dam Trail. The trails are open to equestrians and cyclists, but cyclists must stay on paved and dirt roads.

 

Oroville Recreation

DWR, 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.

 

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.

 

Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between January 1 and September 2 are:  

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 1 through June 30): 7,121
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 9,103
• Steelhead: 972

 

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 812 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.24 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 66 percent of its total capacity and 110 percent of the historical average.

 

Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 8,350 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 9,000 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 9/5/2024.

 

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Know someone who would like to receive Community Updates? They can email their request to oroville@water.ca.gov.