HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.30.25 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - May 30, 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; Loeser, Kamie
Cc:Nuzum, Danielle
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - May 30, 2025
Date:Friday, May 30, 2025 4:41:34 PM
Please see Board Correspondence -
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2025 2:53 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - May 30, 2025
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Lake Oroville Community Update
May 30, 2025
Prepare for Water Recreating This Summer
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). DWR’s
free mussel inspections are only performed at the North Thermalito Forebay.
Watercraft that pass the inspection will receive a seal and can launch during designated
ramp hours.
In addition to getting watercraft inspected and sealed for a summer on the lake, owners
should ensure their vessel is in proper working condition prior to launching – check
batteries, filters, and fluids, purchase life vests for all occupants, and remember to clean,
drain, and dry your vessel prior to launching at a new water body.
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.
Vessels that fail inspection can undergo decontamination where water-containing areas
will be flushed with hot (approximately 130 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 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 to launch where a seal checker will
remove the seal. Reinspection is not required as long as the seal is not broken. Re-entry
seals will only be offered to departing vessels during ramp hours. Please plan ahead.
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 began May 23 along north and
south Wilbur Road with additional burns planned for June 9 near the Thermalito Forebay.
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.
Visitor Center Temporarily Closed for Staff Training
The Lake Oroville Visitor Center will be temporarily closed Thursday, June 5 for staff
training. Located at 917 Kelly Ridge Rd. in Oroville, the Visitor Center is open daily from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. Staffed by knowledgeable guides, the Visitor Center features interpretive
displays on Oroville Dam, area geology, wildlife and habitat, hydroelectric power, and
cultural and historical artifacts. View videos in the theater about the construction of
Oroville Dam, walk or hike along nearby trails, and visit the 47-foot-tall observation tower
that provides unsurpassed panoramic views of surrounding areas. Free guided tours for
school and community groups are available by reservation. Parking and admission to the
Visitor Center are free.
Lake Oroville Reaches Full Capacity
Thanks to warming temperatures and ongoing mountain snowmelt in the Feather River
watershed, Lake Oroville reached full capacity last week for the third year in a row,
offering ample water recreation and cooling opportunities for visitors. DWR continues to
monitor Lake Oroville levels to optimize water storage while meeting environmental
requirements and allowing for carryover storage into next year.
With the lake at 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.
Temporary Crane Construction Near Diversion Pool
DWR has temporarily constructed a crane along the west side of the Diversion Pool, just
north of the Diversion Dam. The crane and temporary infrastructure are enabling the
transfer of two new spherical valves that will be loaded onto barges and transported to
Oroville Dam as part of infrastructure upgrades to the Dam’s River Valve Outlet System
(RVOS). During this operation, Diversion Pool water levels are expected to fluctuate a
couple feet. It is anticipated that the crane and associated work will be completed by the
middle of June.
The RVOS is a series of two parallel outlet conduits, each with two valves, that have the
capacity to draw water from deep in Lake Oroville for release. The RVOS is a critical
feature of the dam, providing the ability to discharge cold water to the Feather River to
maintain water temperatures necessary for fish health. It also ensures the ability to
maintain Feather River flows through RVOS releases during drought years, especially if
reservoir levels drop below Hyatt Powerplant’s water intake structures.
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 May 11, 2025 are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon: 3,975
Steelhead: 115
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 899 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.41 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 100 percent of its total capacity and 121 percent of the historical
average.
Feather River flows are at 850 cfs through the City of Oroville with 1,450 cfs being
released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River
release of 2,300 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 5/29/2025.
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
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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