HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.14.2024 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - June 14, 2024.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening
attachments, clicking on links, or replying..
From:Clerk of the Board
To:Bennett, Robin; Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan;
Kimmelshue, Tod; Kitts, Melissa; Lee, Lewis; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen;
Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth; Loeser, Kamie
Cc:Nevers, Dawn
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 14, 2024
Date:Friday, June 14, 2024 4:25:42 PM
Please see Board Correspondence –
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, June 14, 2024 2:28 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 14, 2024
View as a webpage / Share
Lake Oroville Community Update
June 14, 2024
Lake Oroville Remains Full
With temperatures remaining in the triple digits, Lake Oroville continues to remain at full
capacity, offering ample water recreation and cooling opportunities for visitors. The
Department of Water Resources (DWR) is adjusting water releases from the reservoir as
needed to account for increasing or decreasing inflows while maintaining flood protection
for downstream communities. Releases are closely coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers and other water operators and adjusted as needed to maintain balance
throughout the water system. DWR continues to monitor Lake Oroville levels to optimize
water storage while meeting environmental requirements and allowing for carryover
storage into next year.
With Lake Oroville 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.
The information below reflects current reservoir level estimates. Forecasts can change
quickly and may affect the estimates provided.
Current Oroville Reservoir Level: 898 feet elevation
Current Storage Capacity: 99 percent
Total Releases to the Feather River: 3,800 cubic feet per second (cfs)
Total releases to the Feather River amount to 3,800 cfs with 850 cfs being routed down
the Low Flow Channel through the City of Oroville. An additional 2,950 cfs is being
released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet, located 5 miles downstream from
Oroville. DWR continues to assess Feather River releases daily.
As the largest storage facility in the State Water Project, Lake Oroville helps provide water
to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland, while providing flood protection
to downstream communities along with environmental and recreation benefits. Spring is
an important time for water project operators to fill reservoirs like Lake Oroville ahead of
dry months. It also is an important migration window for many native fish species. DWR is
using the best available science to protect fish species. However, SWP operations have
faced significant restrictions in the Delta this year that have impacted the ability in other
areas of the state to capture and store the water needed if California sees a return to
drought conditions.
More Prescribed Burns Anticipated Next Week
DWR, CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire Department, and the California Department of Parks
and Recreation (State Parks) will continue prescribed burn activities near the Thermalito
Afterbay and Forebay between Thursday, June 20 and Saturday, June 22. Approximately
120 acres will be burned near the Thermalito Afterbay between north Wilbur Road and
Tres Vias Road. At the Thermalito Forebay, approximately 140 acres will be burned
across three different locations – near Grand Avenue and the Thermalito South Forebay
Recreation Area, and around the north Forebay area near Garden Drive and Nelson Park.
CAL FIRE is using this controlled burn as a training mechanism for its employees. Fire
personnel will utilize the burn to train on specific strategies and tactics associated with
wildland fires and firing operations.
The burns are part of DWR’s Thermalito Vegetation Management Project, which was
established in 2021 to improve valley grassland and vernal pool habitat. They also have
the added benefit of reducing dry brush near the Thermalito Forebay and Nelson Park in
preparation for the City of Oroville’s Fourth of July fireworks showcase. Burn activities are
dependent on favorable weather conditions with the schedule subject to change. Smoke
from prescribed burning activities will be highly visible in the Oroville area next week.
DWR, CAL FIRE, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) previously
completed a 100-acre prescribed burn along South Wilbur Road near the Afterbay to
remove grasses and invasive vegetation. 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.
California Climate Adaptation Strategy
The world’s leading climate scientists have made it clear - our window to avoid the worst
impacts of climate change is narrowing faster than expected, and success requires
unprecedented collective effort and transformational change. The California Natural
Resources Agency (CNRA) recently released a draft of the 2024 update to the California
Climate Adaptation Strategy and is seeking public feedback through July 12, 2024. The
2024 draft builds on the previously released 2021 Strategy and outlines the state's key
climate resilience priorities, includes specific and measurable actions, and serves as a
framework for collective efforts across California.
CNRA is hosting a public workshop and community meeting on Tuesday, June 18 in
Oroville to discuss the draft 2024 California Climate Adaptation Strategy and obtain
feedback. Both meetings will be held at the Southside Oroville Community Center located
at 2959 Lower Wyandotte Road, Oroville, CA. Food and refreshments will be provided at
both sessions.
RSVP for the public workshop (1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
RSVP for the community meeting (5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
Oroville Recreation
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.
DWR, State Parks, and CDFW maintain over 92 miles of trails in the Oroville area. An
interactive map of recreation facilities, including open trails and their permitted uses (hike,
bike, horse, multi), is available on DWR’s Lake Oroville Recreation webpage. A paper trail
map is available at various locations, including most entrance kiosks and the Lake Oroville
Visitor Center.
Lake Oroville is one of the State Water Project’s premier recreational destinations and one
of California’s best fishing spots. The lake provides both warm-water and cold-water
fisheries and is a popular destination for bass tournaments. Below the Oroville Dam, the
Thermalito Afterbay and the Feather River offer additional excellent fishing opportunities.
The marinas at Bidwell Canyon and Lime Saddle are open daily and provide a variety of
services including a convenience store, gas, and boat rentals.
Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between
January 1 and June 10 are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon: 5,410
Steelhead: 874
Due to higher flows in the low-flow channel of the Feather River between
February 26 and March 18, some fish swam over the monitoring station and were
not counted in upstream migration totals.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 898 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.51 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 99 percent of its total capacity and 127 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 850 cfs through the City of Oroville with 2,950 cfs being
released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River
release of 3,800 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 midnight 6/13/2024.
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
Stay Connected with the California Department of Water Resources
SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
Manage Subscriptions | Help
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