HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.16.25 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - May 16, 2025.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening
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From:Clerk of the Board
To:Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue, Tod;
Kitts, Melissa; Lee, Lewis; Little, Melissa; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen;
Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth
Cc:Loeser, Kamie; Nuzum, Danielle
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - May 16, 2025
Date:Monday, May 19, 2025 8:43:22 AM
Please see Board Correspondence -
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2025 4:02 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - May 16, 2025
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Lake Oroville Community Update
May 16, 2025
Watercraft Inspection Program at DWR’s Oroville Facilities
With the discovery of the highly invasive golden mussel in California waterways, DWR is
starting a mussel inspection program in Oroville to protect State Water Project (SWP)
infrastructure. Starting Monday, May 19, mandatory watercraft inspections will be
required prior to launching at the Oroville Facilities (Lake Oroville, Thermalito Forebay,
Thermalito Afterbay). One of DWR’s primary responsibilities is to maintain the SWP and
its associated storage, conveyance, flood protection, and power generation facilities that
deliver water to 27 million Californians and approximately 750,000 acres of farmland
annually. DWR’s Upper Feather River and Lake Oroville reservoirs provide water to
several municipal water agencies, produce hydroelectric power generation, and provide
flood control. These reservoirs also supply water to the Feather River Fish Hatchery,
which critically supports Central Valley and Pacific Ocean salmon fisheries and is one of
the most productive hatcheries on the west coast.
DWR recognizes the impact this will have on boaters and recreation users at Lake Oroville
and is not closing the reservoir to implement a mussel inspection program. DWR aims to
minimize recreation impacts by keeping Lake Oroville open and implementing an
inspection program before Memorial Day, one of the most popular holidays for outdoor
recreating. Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, DWR encourages watercraft owners to take
advantage of early inspection and decontamination opportunities and have their vessel
sealed to be ready to launch for the holiday weekend.
DWR is not the only reservoir operator in California to implement a watercraft inspection
program this year to protect reservoir infrastructure. Due to their water chemistry, many
reservoirs in northern California are suspectable to golden mussel invasion including
Folsom Lake.
Starting May 19, all trailered vessels and personal watercraft launching at DWR’s Oroville
Facilities will require a properly attached seal - a wire with a blue-colored tag specific to
the Oroville Facilities that connects the watercraft to the trailer or, in the case of a jet ski,
seals the steering unit to the back of the vessel. Once the seal is connected, it cannot be
removed without cutting the wire so seal checkers at designated boat ramps will know that
the vessel has not been launched elsewhere since being sealed. This prevents watercraft
users from launching in an infested waterbody and unintentionally transporting mussels or
their larvae. Records will be kept of each inspection and will include the date, seal
number, watercraft CF number, and trailer license plate number.
Blue Oroville launch seals will only be applied if the watercraft passes inspection. To pass
inspection:
1. Mussels cannot be present.
2. All water-containing areas of the watercraft and trailer must be 100 percent dry.
This includes, but is not limited to, the live well, bilge, ballast tanks, cup holders, low
depressions in the hull, anchor storage area, coolers, life jackets, bait buckets,
ropes or lines, or any area in the watercraft or trailer that can hold water.
To avoid inspection failure, follow these steps before arriving at the Inspection Station:
Clean off aquatic plants, animal material, mud, dirt, and other debris from your
watercraft, trailer, and equipment.
Drain the ballast, bilge, live-wells, and other water-containing areas of the
vessel.
Dry water-containing areas of the watercraft, trailer, and equipment, including
bilge, interior, hull, live well, and other areas where water could collect.
Early Inspection and Launch Seal Opportunity
North Thermalito Forebay at Garden Drive and HWY 70 in Oroville
Hours of operation starting Friday, May 16: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Vessel owners may volunteer to have their watercraft inspected and sealed prior to the
start of the mandatory watercraft inspection program which begins Monday, May 19, 2025.
Watercraft that pass inspection will receive a blue Oroville launch seal and be permitted to
launch when the mandatory program begins on May 19, 2025. A DWR Decontamination
Station will be available to decontaminate a limited number of boats. The intent is to
reduce the amount of congestion that may occur once the mandatory program begins on
May 19.
NOTE: Between Friday, May 16 and Sunday, May 18, inspection staff will not be at boat
ramps to provide an Oroville re-entry seal when leaving. It is recommended that watercraft
that pass an inspection during this period wait to launch at the Oroville facilities until the
mandatory inspection program begins on May 19.
Watercraft Inspection Location
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.
Watercraft inspections at DWR’s Oroville facilities will be free. Watercraft that pass
inspection will be sealed with a blue Oroville launch seal and permitted to launch at the
three Oroville reservoirs. Available boat ramps and hours of operation are provided below.
Vessels that fail inspection can undergo decontamination or return for a follow-up
inspection the next day but must be clean and 100 percent dry.
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.
Watercraft with ballast tanks or other components that cannot be drained will
automatically fail an inspection. Owners have the option to have their vessel
decontaminated at a DWR-designated decontamination station where these water-
containing areas will be flushed with hot (120 F) water to kill mussels and their larvae.
Watercraft will then receive a blue Oroville seal and may launch immediately if desired.
If a boat owner chooses not to have their vessel decontaminated, the vessel can be
sealed with a red quarantine tag and will not be permitted to launch at the Oroville facilities
for a minimum of 30 days. After completing the 30-day quarantine period, the vessel is
eligible for launching.
Sealed Vessel Launching
All trailered and personal watercraft with an intact blue seal and watercraft with a red seal
that have not launched for 30 days will be permitted to launch at the following boat ramp
facilities during the hours listed. Boat ramps at the Oroville facilities will no longer be
open 24/7. Launching trailered boats or personal watercraft is not allowed at any other
location.
When a vessel is leaving the Oroville facilities, staff at designated launch ramps will offer
to re-seal all departing watercraft with a blue Oroville seal. During the next visit, sealed
Oroville vessels can proceed directly to the ramp for launching where a seal checker will
remove the seal. Reinspection is not required as long as the seal is not broken.
Starting May 19, 2025, the launching of sealed watercraft will be limited to the following
locations and hours. In an effort to increase access to recreation at Lake Oroville,
DWR has extended evening ramp hours following our initial program
announcement on May 14.
Lake Oroville
Ramp hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Lime Saddle
Loafer Point
Spillway
Extended Ramp hours: Daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Bidwell Canyon
Thermalito Afterbay
Ramp hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Monument Hill
Thermalito Forebay
Ramp Hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
North Forebay (Non-motorized vessels only)
DWR is assessing opportunities to increase boat ramp operation hours or open additional
ramps for trailered or personal watercraft launching. Physical barriers will be placed at all
other launch locations and only hand-launching of boats will be allowed.
Reduced Ramp Hours for Launching/Retrieving Trailered or Personal
Watercraft
While Lake Oroville will remain open 24/7 for recreation, boat ramps will have limited
hours of operation and will be closed at night to watercraft launching and retrieving. The
marinas at Lake Oroville provide overnight moorings. This provides boaters the option to
remain on the lake after the ramps close for the night. For more information, contact the
marinas - Bidwell Canyon or Lime Saddle.
Re-entry seals will only be offered to departing vessels during ramp hours. Please
plan ahead.
Inspection Failure due to Visible Mussels
Any watercraft with visible mussels will automatically fail, receive a red seal, and be
reported to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for a mandatory
decontamination and quarantine period. These vessels will not be permitted for re-
inspection or launching at the Oroville facilities without approval from CDFW.
For more information about invasive mussels, visit https://water.ca.gov/mussels.
Lake Oroville Nearing Capacity
With warming temperatures and ongoing mountain snowmelt in the Feather River
watershed, Lake Oroville is nearing full capacity. DWR has decreased total releases from
Lake Oroville to optimize storage for the benefit of water supply, recreation, and fish and
wildlife enhancement.
As the lake nears full capacity, windy periods are likely to cause water to splash onto and
over the crest of the emergency spillway. This will result in minor surface wetting of the
downstream side of the emergency spillway crest and the very upper sections of the
splash 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 given
the emergency spillway design. The dam and emergency spillway continue to operate as
intended.
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 122 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 650 cfs through the City of Oroville with 1,050 cfs being
released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River
release of 1,700 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 5/15/2025.
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
Contact Us
This email was sent to clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net from the California Natural Resources Agency
utilizing govDelivery. California Natural Resources Agency, 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
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