Lake Oroville Update - September 25, 2026
Fall-run Chinook salmon migrate and spawn in the Feather River near California Department of Water Resources infrastructure and the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville, Butte County.
Hatchery Fish Ladder Opening
Chinook salmon are completing their life cycle and returning home to the Feather River to lay eggs for the next generation of salmon. With their return, spawning activities have begun at the Feather River Fish Hatchery with the fish ladder now open.
Visitors to the Hatchery’s fish barrier dam overlook area can view salmon congregating and jumping in the Feather River and see them up close through the underwater viewing window as they swim up the fish ladder. The overlook is located off Table Mountain Boulevard, east of the green bridge and across from the main hatchery facility. The fish ladder is expected to remain open through June 2027 for viewing opportunities.
The Feather River Fish Hatchery’s spawning operations rear millions of Chinook salmon to be released every spring in the waters of the Feather River, San Pablo Bay, and San Francisco Bay to support Central Valley and Pacific Ocean fisheries. DWR owns and maintains the facility and provides funding to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for its spawning, rearing, and stocking operations.
Oroville Salmon Festival
Join DWR at the Oroville Salmon Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26! Visit our booth at the Feather River Fish Hatchery from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We will have educational materials on water safety, a salmon gyotaku fish printing activity, and a photo opportunity. DWR Guides will also be giving free tours of the Hatchery, where DWR and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) raise Chinook salmon and steelhead to improve fish populations throughout the state.
Other Salmon Festival activities include the Motor Mania Car Show, Salmon Run, a food and beer garden, Kid’s Zone, and numerous shopping opportunities and vendor booths in downtown Oroville. DWR has also partnered with the Oroville State Theater to showcase videos about efforts to support vital salmon habitat restoration, fish health, and population growth.
View the full Salmon Festival schedule at Visit Oroville.
Feather River Floating Classroom
Feather River Floating Classroom raft tours are returning this fall! Sponsored and developed by DWR, the Floating Classroom program guides participants through Feather River spawning habitat while DWR and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission scientists describe Chinook salmon conservation efforts supported by the State Water Project. Discussion topics include ongoing and planned research, restoration and monitoring projects, and fisheries management activities.
Free floating classroom tours start Sunday, Sept. 27 during the Salmon Festival weekend, followed by tours each Saturday between Oct. 3 and Nov. 7. Each weekend will have two public tours with limited seats. Tickets will be released each Friday, approximately two weeks in advance of each tour, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis with up to four free tickets available per person each fall. Reserve your FREE floating classroom ticket(s) on Eventbrite.
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 September 14, 2026, are:
- Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 4 through June 30): 8,509
- Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present):9,573
- Steelhead: 73
- To see previous year data, visit Calfish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 761 feet elevation and storage is approximately 1.70 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 50 percent of its total capacity and 88 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with releases from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet at 7,350 cfs for a total Feather River release of 8,000 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 9/24/2026.