HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.18.22 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - July 15, 2022
From:Paulsen, Shaina
To:BOS
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - July 15, 2022
Date:Monday, July 18, 2022 8:00:42 AM
Shaina Paulsen
Associate Clerk of The Board
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.3304 | F: 530.538.7120
From: Department of Water Resources <DWRMedia@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2022 4:28 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - July 15, 2022
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Lake Oroville Community Update
July 15, 2022
Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission Meeting
The California Natural Resources Agency is hosting its 11th Oroville Dam Citizens
Advisory Commission meeting on July 29, 10 a.m. to Noon. The public meeting will be
held at the Southside Community Center in Oroville, located at 2959 Lower Wyandotte
Road, Oroville, CA 95966, and will include presentations and public comment.
The Commission will receive a brief update on the development of the Commission report,
a recap of a flood safety stakeholder technical workshop held in April, and a presentation
from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) on dam facilities management
and annual maintenance planning.
Time for public input is also scheduled. The Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission
is a forum for questions and feedback from the communities surrounding Oroville Dam.
For information on the meeting, please visit https://bit.ly/OrovilleCAC.
Oroville Recreation
Four paved boat ramps at Lime Saddle, Bidwell Canyon, Spillway, and Loafer Point are
open at Lake Oroville, along with the Lime Saddle and Bidwell Canyon marinas, and
reservations for campgrounds in the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area (LOSRA) can be
made by visiting the California Department of Parks and Recreation (CA Parks) LOSRA
website.
Restrooms, potable water, and fish cleaning stations are not in service at the Spillway
Boat Ramp area, but portable toilets are provided – please plan visits accordingly. A water
and sewer pipeline replacement project is underway to restore these utilities. Please be
aware of construction traffic in the vicinity of the Spillway Day Use Area.
The Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay provide a wide range of recreation opportunities
including fishing, hiking, biking and boating. Non-motorized boating is permitted in the
North Forebay, and motorized boating is only permitted in the South Forebay and
Afterbay. Boaters are reminded to abide by speed limits near boat launch areas and north
of the Highway 162 bridge where Afterbay speed limits are five (5) miles per hour. Visitors
are reminded to abide by all posted signage regarding permitted swimming areas (never
near boating docks) to ensure public safety for all. Swimming near boat docks is
dangerous – risks include propeller strikes and boat collisions, carbon monoxide poisoning
from boat exhaust, electrical shock from shorted wiring in boats or docks, and an
increased chance of polluted waters where boats are launched and retrieved.
The North Forebay Aquatic Center has kayaks, paddle boards, and other watercraft
available for rent Thursday through Sunday. Non-motorized boating is also permitted in
the Thermalito Diversion Pool with kayak access just before the restroom on Cherokee
Road. Lake Oroville and the Oroville Wildlife Area also have car-top boat launch areas.
Visit the interactive map of recreation facilities in DWR’s Oroville-Thermalito Complex on
DWR’s Lake Oroville Recreation webpage. And step inside the Lake Oroville Visitor
Center, open Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., to learn about the State
Water Project and history of the area.
Grazing Goats Reduce Fire Risk
Four hundred goats and sheep just completed the 50-acre grazing operation around Hyatt
Powerplant and Canyon Drive towards Oroville Dam’s Upper Overlook. The goal of this
project is to minimize the rate of spread of a potential fire by reducing ground fuels, ladder
fuels (vegetation that reaches up from the ground into trees), and overgrown vegetation.
Grazing is gaining popularity across California as a sustainable method to minimize
wildfire risk and lessen the spread of a wildfire through vegetation management. The
goats and sheep graze on grasses, leaves, poison oak, and a variety of shrubs and trees.
By standing on their hind legs, they can reduce ladder fuels up to six feet high. Plus, they
love to eat weeds, especially invasive ones.
The goat grazing project is part of DWR’s Fuel Load Management Plan, which helps
reduce wildfire risk, increase public safety, and enhance forest health in areas around
Lake Oroville within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) project
boundary. In partnership with Butte County Fire Safe Council, DWR continues to use
grazing as a sustainable method of fuel reduction around DWR’s Oroville-Thermalito
Complex.
To learn more and to see goat grazing in action, visit DWR’s YouTube Channel for a video
of the March 2021 Lakeland Boulevard goat grazing project on DWR’s YouTube webpage.
Blue Green Algae Monitoring
DWR environmental scientists regularly monitor for blue-green algae and their toxins
during the summer months. There are currently no harmful algal bloom (HAB) advisories
for Lake Oroville, the Thermalito Forebay, or the Thermalito Afterbay.
Water samples are taken at various locations regularly from Memorial Day through Labor
Day. To learn more about HABs, or to report a HAB visit the Water Board’s website.
Current Lake Operations
The elevation of Oroville’s reservoir is about 739 feet elevation and storage is about 1.58
million acre-feet (MAF), which is 45 percent of its total capacity and 63 percent of
historical average. Very warm temperatures are anticipated over the weekend and into
next week. Expect to see temperatures over 100 degrees throughout the week.
The Feather River releases were increased last week and are currently at 4,000 cubic feet
per second (cfs) to meet downstream Delta water quality and outflow needs. Flows
through the City of Oroville are at planned at 1,550 cfs with 2,450 cfs released from the
Thermalito Afterbay Outlet (Outlet) for a total of 4,000 cfs downstream of the Outlet. Flows
through the low flow channel may fluctuate through the week for fisheries purposes.
The public can track precipitation, snow, reservoir levels, and more at the California Data
Exchange Center at www.cdec.water.ca.gov. The Lake Oroville gage station is identified
as “ORO”.
All data as of midnight 7/14/2022
California is entering its third year of drought conditions. With water
conservation now a way of life in California, everyone is encouraged
to find ways to save water. See tips, tools, and ideas on the Save Our
Water website. Information about real time local hydrological
conditions, forecasts, and water conditions is available on DWR’s new
website California Water Watch.
California Department of Water Resources
715 P Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Call our general information line at 916-820-8142
or email us at oroville@water.ca.gov
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