HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.06.25 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - June 6, 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; Krater, Sharleen; Lee, Lewis; Little, Melissa; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.;
Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth; Loeser, Kamie
Cc:Nuzum, Danielle
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 6, 2025
Date:Monday, June 9, 2025 10:22:03 AM
Please see Board Correspondence -
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, June 6, 2025 4:10 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 6, 2025
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Lake Oroville Community Update
June 6, 2025
Golden Mussel Inspection Program
DWR’s mussel inspection program in Oroville is underway to protect State Water Project
(SWP) infrastructure. Mandatory watercraft inspections are required prior to launching at
the Oroville Facilities (Lake Oroville, Thermalito Forebay, Thermalito Afterbay). Watercraft
that pass the inspection will receive a seal and can launch during designated ramp hours.
Watercraft Inspection Location/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 inspections and decontamination services at DWR’s Oroville facilities are free.
To pass an inspection, watercraft and trailers must not have any attached mussels and be
clean and 100 percent dry. Watercraft with ballast bags/tanks, bilge, and motors must
have a working battery and be operational to complete required inspections. Be sure to
bring your vessel’s keys!
Sealed Vessel Launching
All trailered and personal watercraft with an intact blue seal 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.
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 one hour after sunset
Monument Hill
Thermalito Forebay
Ramp Hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
North Forebay (Non-motorized vessels only)
More details about DWR’s mussel inspection program are available at
water.ca.gov/mussels.
CAL FIRE Burning Grasses Around Thermalito
For the fifth straight year, CAL FIRE Butte County, DWR, and the California Department of
Parks and Recreation (State Parks) are conducting a series of prescribed burns around
the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay. Prescribed burning is continuing June 9-10 at the
North Thermalito Forebay along Garden Drive and South Thermalito Forebay along Grand
Avenue.
DWR’s Thermalito Vegetation Management Project was first conducted in 2021 to
improve valley grassland and vernal pool habitat. Invasive annual grasses and other
invasive species like the yellow starthistle degrade native grasslands and fire is a valuable
tool to combat this degradation. Because invasive species have abundant seeds and dry
material called thatch that build up on the soil, it is important to burn the same area
multiple years in a row. When completed during the right stage in these species' growth
cycle, the prescribed burns eradicate the current crop, reduce the dry residual thatch, and
decrease the spread of seeds. The area has seen a significant decline in the volume of
invasive grasses and starthistles since the project began. The burns also allow DWR to
continue post-fire studies on vernal pool habitat.
Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission
The California Natural Resources Agency is hosting its 20th Oroville Dam Citizens
Advisory Commission meeting on Friday, June 13 from 10 a.m. to noon. The virtual public
meeting will include presentations and an opportunity for public comment. Presentations
will cover advancements in research on atmospheric river, snowpack, and storm runoff
forecasting (recently documented in the Yuba-Feather Forecast-Informed Reservoir
Operation (FIRO) Final Viability Assessment) and how this may inform the future update
of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Oroville Water Control Manual; an explanation of
how the California Nevada River Forecast Center forecasts inflow to California reservoirs;
and an update on the Commission’s 2025 Legislative Report.
The Citizens Advisory Commission is a forum for questions and feedback from
communities surrounding Oroville Dam. For information about the meeting, please visit the
Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission website.
Project Upgrading Power and Fiber Communication Lines
DWR is starting construction on a project to replace power and fiber optic communication
lines that support the Hyatt Powerplant and Thermalito Diversion Dam Facilities. Starting
Monday, June 9, construction crews will begin clearing and grubbing trees and vegetation
near the Lakeland Boulevard Trailhead access point. Vegetation work is anticipated to last
approximately three weeks.
During construction, portions of the Dan Beebe and Brad Freeman Trails near the
Diversion Pool will remain closed for the safety of the public. Trails in this area are
expected to remain closed for approximately one year during power and fiber optic line
upgrades.
Oroville Recreation
Between Jan. 30 and April 20, higher flows in the Feather River required the temporary
removal of sensitive fish monitoring equipment or may have impacted counting operations.
Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between
Jan. 1 and June 1, 2025 are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon: 14,881
Steelhead: 160
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
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
Lake Oroville is at 899 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.42 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 100 percent of its total capacity and 122 percent of the historical
average.
Feather River flows are at 950 cfs through the City of Oroville with 1,850 cfs being
released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River
release of 2,800 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 6/5/2025.
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
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