Lake Oroville Community Update - April 10, 2026

DWR Increasing Releases for Flood Protection

With an incoming storm system expected in the Feather River watershed, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is increasing water releases from Oroville Dam to maintain flood protection for downstream communities. Releases are currently being made through the Hyatt Powerplant for power generation. DWR will also resume using Oroville Dam’s main spillway for releases on Monday, April 13. DWR is conserving as much water as possible in Lake Oroville while continuing to meet federal guidelines for downstream flood protection and state environmental regulations. 

Between mid-September and June, DWR is required to operate Lake Oroville for flood control under federal Water Control Manual Guidelines set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 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 coordinated releases. To maintain this storage space, DWR conducts flood protection releases from Lake Oroville. Some of the water released from Oroville for flood control is captured downstream for beneficial uses by local landowners, communities, and the State Water Project. Releases from Oroville Dam also support Feather River habitat for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and other river species.

DWR coordinates releases to the Feather River closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other downstream water operators. DWR advises Feather River recreation users to remain alert as river flows are expected to be swift and cold and may change based on projected weather forecasts.

The information below reflects current reservoir level estimates. Forecasts can change quickly and may affect the estimates provided. 

• Current Oroville Reservoir Level: 884 feet elevation 

• Current Storage: 93 percent of capacity

• Total Releases to the Feather River: 5,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)

The Lake Oroville reservoir is the largest storage facility in the State Water Project, providing flood protection while supporting environmental and water delivery needs to 27 million Californians.

DWR continues to monitor lake levels, weather forecasts, and mountain snow levels to optimize water storage and allow for carryover storage into the following year. 

Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission

The California Natural Resources Agency hosted its 22nd Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission meeting on April 10. In addition to public comment, the commission[KR1]  received presentations from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the City of Oroville’s levee screening report and the Water Control Manual update process and an update from Yuba Water Agency on New Bullards Bar operations and partner coordination.

The Citizens Advisory Commission is a forum for questions and feedback from communities surrounding Oroville Dam. For information on the meeting, please visit the Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission website. A transcript of the virtual meeting will be available on the webpage in the coming weeks.

DWR Begins Vernal Pool Monitoring

Some grasslands, including areas around Butte County, have an underlying impervious layer of rock or clay that causes rainwater to pond in the winter and spring, creating seasonal wetlands called vernal pools. Although vernal pools are only a small component of our local grasslands in terms of area, they support a remarkably high diversity of plants and animals, including rare and endangered species and species that are found only in California[KR2] .

Vernal pool organisms and plants are highly specialized to their unique environment and to the Mediterranean-type climate found in California. They have adapted to living in pools that fill in the winter but are completely dry in the summer, as well as to the extreme variabilities in temperature and rainfall that can occur year to year. They are important targets for conservation because most vernal pools in California have been lost to development, agriculture, and habitat degradation from invasive plants.

Vernal pools often support spectacular wildflowers that bloom from March to May. Each spring, DWR environmental scientists from the Oroville Field Division monitor hundreds of vernal pools throughout the Oroville area and assess how protection measures for these valuable environmental resources are succeeding.

This year scientists are observing wildflowers blooming earlier, likely due to ongoing dry conditions, which have also dried up vernal pools earlier than usual. Areas around the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay are currently abundant with flowers, in part due to annual prescribed burns to remove invasive grass buildup and other invasive plants. These efforts are coordinated by DWR in partnership with CAL FIRE, the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and demonstrate the benefit of invasive plant management within the Thermalito area grasslands.

Golden Mussel Inspection Program

DWR has moved its invasive mussel inspection/decontamination facilities at the North Thermalito Forebay to the paved RV parking lot near the entrance. Watercraft owners should turn right once past the main entrance. Signage is posted to help direct traffic. 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 9 p.m.

• Spillway  
• Bidwell Canyon

Ramp hours: Daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Lime Saddle
• Loafer Creek/Loafer Point

Thermalito Afterbay 

Ramp hours: Daily from 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset

• Monument Hill

Thermalito Forebay

Ramp Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to sunset

• North Forebay (Non-motorized vessels only)

Feather River Fish Monitoring Station

DWR resumed operations of the Feather River fish monitoring station on March 4, 2026 to capture the return of spring-run Chinook salmon. Monitoring was temporarily suspended at the end of December 2025 due to anticipated high flows in the Feather River. Upstream migrating fish totals between March 4 through April 7, 2026 are:  

• Spring-run Chinook salmon: 612
• Steelhead: -6 (most likely kelts moving downstream)
• To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 884 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.18 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 93 percent of its total capacity and 124 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 650 cfs through the City of Oroville with releases from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet at 4,350 cfs for a total Feather River release of 5,000 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 11:59 p.m. on 4/9/2026.