An aerial view of Lake Oroville in June 2018. DWR/2018
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) today issued the following statement:
"The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced it will lower Lake Oroville water levels over the coming days to expand construction access to the upper chute of the main spillway, in order to meet the November 1 public safety construction deadline.
Construction activities on the upper chute of the spillway revealed bedrock conditions that require additional excavation. To accommodate the additional work and complete the main spillway construction by the November 1 deadline, crews require a second point of access to the upper chute through the radial gates.
DWR began increasing releases from the Hyatt Powerplant yesterday afternoon. Releases will increase to approximately 4,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) to achieve the target lake level of 808 feet early next week.
As the lake level drops, some Lake Oroville boat ramp lanes will be inaccessible. DWR will provide additional updates regarding construction and recreation impacts next week."
Contact: Niki Woodard, Deputy Assistant Director, Public Affairs
niki.woodard@water.ca.gov | 916-662-3128