Lake Oroville Update - March 28, 2025

Flood Control Releases from Lake Oroville Ongoing

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) continues federally required flood control releases from Lake Oroville to reduce flood risk for downstream communities. Water is being released through the Hyatt Powerplant for energy production and from Oroville Dam’s main spillway. DWR continues to conserve as much water supply as possible in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Releases are subject to change based on ongoing weather conditions.

 

Between October and June, DWR is required to operate Lake Oroville for flood control under federal Water Control Manual guidelines set by USACE. These federal regulations establish a set storage space that is reserved to capture inflows from rain and future snowmelt, while protecting downstream communities from damaging flood events through water releases. Releases to the Feather River are coordinated closely with USACE and other downstream water operators.

 

Current reservoir levels are as follows, though estimates may change quickly:

• Current Oroville Reservoir Level: 870 feet elevation
• Current Storage Capacity: 87 percent
• Total Releases to the Feather River: 11,000 cubic feet per second

 

Lake Oroville is the largest storage facility in the State Water Project, providing flood protection while supporting environmental and water delivery needs to 27 million Californians. Some water released from Lake Oroville is distributed locally for agriculture benefits, while the remaining Feather River releases flow south through the State Water Project system to reduce salinity effects in the Delta, provide irrigation for crops in the Central Valley, and eventually make their way to Southern California. DWR continues to monitor lake levels, weather forecasts, and mountain snow levels to optimize water storage while allowing for carryover storage into next year.

 

Oroville Wildflower & Nature Festival

The Feather River Recreation & Park District (FRRPD) is hosting its annual Wildflower & Nature Festival at Riverbend Park in Oroville on Saturday, April 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free to the festival with activities highlighting the area’s natural resources and booths showcasing handmade Butte County products. Activities and entertainment will be available for all ages including children’s crafts, river kayak tours, live music, food trucks, and a beer and wine garden. 

 

Make sure to stop by DWR’s booth for information about native plants that inhabit local vernal pools and a craft activity for kids – making felt California poppies and tissue paper Butte County meadowfoam. More information about the Wildflower & Nature Festival is available on FRRPD’s website.

 

Feather River Forks Open

DWR’s Civil Maintenance staff have removed log booms from the south, middle, west, and north forks of the Feather River that feed into Lake Oroville, permitting access to recreation sites further upstream. During the winter months, crews use log booms to collect woody debris during high water inflow periods and prevent it from reaching the larger body of the lake.

 

Crews will continue woody vegetation collection as water levels rise this spring at Lake Oroville. Floating debris removal ensures continued infrastructure operations and the safety of the recreating public on Lake Oroville. However, boaters and other water recreationists should take precautions when operating watercraft on Lake Oroville and should remain alert for floating debris.

 

Feather Falls

A popular excursion at Lake Oroville during high-water level periods is to take a boat trip to the upper end of the Middle Fork Arm to view Feather Falls, a Yosemite-style waterfall of exquisite beauty. Along the way, there are many smaller waterfalls to see including some that tumble directly into Lake Oroville such as Bean Creek and Frey Creek. Bring a picnic lunch, a camera, and don’t forget your fishing pole. There are unlimited bass fishing opportunities along the route and trout fishing can also be good where the cold mountain streams enter the lake.

 

Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout Stocking

Over the last week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) planted approximately 25,000 Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout averaging 10 to 12-inches in length at Lake Oroville. Approximately 18,400 trout were planted at Loafer Creek and approximately 6,600 trout were planted at Lime Saddle to support recreational fishing at Lake Oroville. These trout were sterilized so they cannot reproduce and were supplied by the Darrah Springs Hatchery. Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout are a subspecies of rainbow trout that are native to Eagle Lake in Lassen County. They are popular with anglers because of their fast growth and excellent table fare. More information about Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout is available on CDFW’s website.

 

Christmas Tree Fish Habitat

DWR, the California Conservation Corps (CCC), and CDFW installed fish habitat structures earlier this month at Lake Oroville and the Thermalito Afterbay using approximately 1,300 recycled Christmas trees. The trees were collected by Chico Boy Scout Troop 2 and delivered free of charge to DWR by Recology, a local waste management company.

 

To create the habitats on Lake Oroville and the Thermalito Afterbay, members of the CCC team bundle the recycled Christmas trees together and anchor them in various locations around the lakebed. At Lake Oroville near the Bidwell Saddle Dam area, 744 trees were assembled into 35 structures. At the Thermalito Afterbay, 570 trees were assembled into 56 structures. Anchoring the trees allows them to remain submerged, providing juvenile fish safe refuge, and improving fisheries and recreational fishing opportunities.

 

For more than 30 years, DWR has worked with local groups to construct fish habitat structures, which is one of the longest continuously running warmwater fish habitat improvement programs in the State of California.

 

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 870 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.97 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 87 percent of its total capacity and 120 percent of the historical average.

 

Feather River flows are at 2,500 cfs through the City of Oroville with 8,500 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 11,000 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 3/27/2025.

 

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