Lake Oroville Update - August 22, 2025

Paving Work to Temporarily Close Recreation Areas

DWR continues work on a $1.9 million paving and sealing project to rehabilitate seven locations owned and maintained by the department that are heavily used by maintenance staff and public members. Project work began Aug. 18 and will continue through November 2025. Vintage Paving Company, Inc. of Winters, Calif. is the contractor for the project.

Upcoming paving and sealing work will require closures to the following public areas:

• August 18 – September 12: Afterbay Dam Crest Road/Brad Freeman Trail south of State Route 162 to the East Hamilton Road Trail Access
• August 25-29, September 2-3: Feather River Fish Hatchery - including the hatchery facility, upper and lower public parking lots, and river access road under the green bridge

Additional locations for future paving, sealing, and guardrail work include:

• Thermalito Powerplant Access Roads
• Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant
• Thermalito Power Canal Access Road 

• Oroville Field Division Operations and Maintenance Center at Glen Drive
• Canyon Drive from the intersection of Oroville Dam Blvd. E./Royal Oaks Drive heading north to the dam and upper overlook
• Oroville Dam Boulevard East near Oro Powerhouse Road

DWR will provide more details about scheduled work and potential public access impacts in future newsletters. Work schedules are subject to change based on weather and the availability of equipment and materials.

Golden Mussel Inspection Program – Ramp Hour Changes

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is alerting water recreators to upcoming changes to boat ramp hours that will be in effect as of Monday, Sept. 1. Hours for inspection/decontamination services at the North Thermalito Forebay will remain the same. Additional changes to boat ramp hours are anticipated with the shortening days.

More details about DWR’s mussel inspection program are available at water.ca.gov/mussels.

Watercraft Inspection Location/Decontamination Services

North Thermalito Forebay at Garden Drive and HWY 70 in Oroville 

Hours of operation: Daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sealed Vessel Launching 

Lake Oroville

Ramp hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.  

Starting Sept. 1: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Spillway  
• Bidwell Canyon

Extended Ramp hours: Daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.  

Starting Sept. 1: Daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Lime Saddle
• Loafer Creek

Thermalito Afterbay 

Ramp hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to one hour after sunset

Starting Sept. 1: Daily from 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset

• Monument Hill

Thermalito Forebay

Ramp Hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Start Sept. 1: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to sunset

• North Forebay (Non-motorized vessels only)

Tree Blocking Feather River at Cottonwood Riffle

DWR is alerting Feather River anglers and water recreators of a downed tree spanning the main river channel at Cottonwood Riffle near the Feather River Fish Hatchery. Feather River users launching near the green Table Mountain Bridge should use caution. Warning signs will be posted in the water to alert river users of the hazard ahead. Water users can still navigate downstream along the east side of the river closest to downtown Oroville. DWR does not own the Feather River channel but has notified local authorities about this hazard. 

Oroville Recreation

DWR, State Parks, and 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.  

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.

Between Jan. 30 and April 20, high flows in the Feather River required the temporary removal of fish monitoring equipment resulting in lower spring-run estimates. Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between Jan. 1 and August 13, 2025 are:  

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (April 16 through June 30): 17,742
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 566
• Steelhead: 196
• To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 830 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.45 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 72 percent of its total capacity and 114 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 1,000 cfs through the City of Oroville with 6,000 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 7,000 cfs downstream. Flows through the City of Oroville will increase to 1,200 cfs by 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23. Total Feather River releases will remain at 7,000 cfs. 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 11:59 p.m. on 8/21/2025.