Lake Oroville Update - May 22, 2026

DWR Starting Construction on Dam Revegetation Project

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is starting construction in the coming weeks on a project to reestablish native vegetation in areas adjacent to Oroville Dam’s main and emergency spillways. The project is revegetating approximately 70 acres with seed and replanting six acres of woody vegetation surrounding Oroville Dam’s spillways, further enhancing the appearance of the dam’s hillside. The project is designed to improve the appearance of areas near trails and roadways while enhancing the view for visitors and motorists traveling along Oroville Dam Boulevard East. Maintaining a fire-resilient landscape within the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area was also a top consideration during project development, with planting basins well spaced to prevent vegetation from acting as a fire ladder. In addition, selected California native plants are fire-adapted species that can regenerate after fires.

Members of the public will see heavy equipment and grading work in areas surrounding both spillways and along the Diversion Pool. Work in 2026 will include grading and seeding areas of the hillside to establish native grasses, with completion of the first phase expected by November. Project work will continue in 2027 with the establishment of planting basins that include trees and shrubs. A five-year establishment period has been incorporated into revegetation efforts, with temporary irrigation tanks being installed to support initial vegetation growth. Following project completion, Oroville Field Division’s Fuel Load Management Program will maintain native vegetation.

DWR’s revegetation project continues the Department’s commitment to mitigate impacts to native habitats from the 2017 spillway incident. Following the incident, DWR mobilized immediately and implemented a robust reconstruction plan resulting in impacts to native vegetation surrounding the spillways. While project plans were initiated, developed, and submitted during spillway reconstruction efforts, the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) gave DWR approval to move forward with revegetation efforts in 2023. Final revegetation plans were approved by FERC in July 2025. Empire Landscaping Inc. of Davis, CA, is the contractor for the project.

Driftwood Abatement at Lake Oroville

With Lake Oroville near full capacity, DWR’s civil maintenance crews are patrolling the branches of Lake Oroville to capture floating woody debris before it reaches the main body of the lake. When reservoir elevations rise, fallen woody debris along the shoreline floats into the lake which can impact water infrastructure and present a hazard to boaters. DWR crews are collecting, containing, and pulling larger pieces of wood out of the lake and away from shoreline areas using boom lines.

DWR crews spent a significant amount of time collecting woody debris in Lake Oroville between 2023-2025 following heavy storms, with approximately 44,000 cubic yards of woody vegetation collected. 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.

Lake Oroville Near Full Capacity

Lake Oroville is near full capacity thanks to average precipitation this fall and winter. DWR is conserving as much water in the reservoir as possible, while still meeting water delivery and environmental requirements.

With the reservoir near capacity, windy periods are likely to cause water to splash onto and over the crest of the emergency spillway. This may cause minor surface wetting of the downstream side of the emergency spillway crest and the very upper sections of the concrete pad. Visitors to Oroville Dam may also notice minor amounts of water flowing from drains built into the emergency spillway. Both conditions are normal and expected in the emergency spillway design. The dam and emergency spillway continue to operate as intended.

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

• Current Oroville Reservoir Level: 897 feet elevation
• Current Storage: 99 percent of capacity
• Total Releases to the Feather River: 1,050 cubic feet per second (cfs); increasing to 1,550 cfs on Sunday, May 24

Lake Oroville is the largest storage facility in the State Water Project (SWP), providing flood protection while supporting environmental and water delivery needs for 27 million Californians. Some 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 continues to monitor lake levels, weather forecasts, and mountain snow levels to optimize water storage and allow for carryover storage into the following year. 

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 and May 19, 2026, are:  

• Spring-run Chinook salmon: 5,583
• Steelhead: -31 (most likely kelts moving downstream)
• To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 897 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.38 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 99 percent of its total capacity and 121 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 400 cfs for a total Feather River release of 1,050 cfs downstream. Releases from the Outlet will increase to 900 cfs on May 24 for a total Feather River release of 1,550. 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 5/21/2026.