HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.14.25 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - November 14, 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 - November 14, 2025
Date:Monday, November 17, 2025 8:09:46 AM
Please see Board Correspondence -
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2025 2:25 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - November 14, 2025
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Lake Oroville Community Update
November 14, 2025
Oroville Wildlife Area
The 11,800-acre Oroville Wildlife Area (OWA) is a forested upland and riparian habitat
along the Feather River and around the Thermalito Afterbay. Managed by the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in partnership with the Department of Water
Resources (DWR,) the OWA offers outdoor recreation activities such as hunting, river-
and pond-oriented fishing and boating, and wildlife observation and photography.
Several trails cross throughout the OWA, providing opportunities for hiking and biking. The
Feather River runs through the center of the OWA and several locations provide unpaved
boat ramp access that accommodate both car-top and trailer launching. The OWA also
provides anglers with walk-in access to 10 miles of the Feather River.
The OWA is a “Type C” wildlife area (hunting pass not required) and is open for hunting
seven days a week with entry hours limited from 1.5 hours before sunrise to one hour after
sunset. Some game species currently available for harvesting include dove, quail, squirrel,
rabbit, turkey, and pheasant. No rifles or pistols may be used or possessed on the wildlife
area except at the designated shooting range (Rabe Rd. Shooting Range off Larkin Rd.;
open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset). Lead ammunition cannot be used while
hunting in California.
Paving and Sealing Work Ongoing
DWR continues work on a paving and sealing project to rehabilitate several locations
owned and maintained by the department that are heavily used by maintenance staff and
members of the public. While improvements in most public areas have been completed,
portions of the Thermalito Afterbay Dam Crest Road remain closed for ongoing pavement
work. Vintage Paving Company, Inc. of Winters, California is the project contractor.
Upcoming construction work will require closures to the following public areas and roads:
Aug. 18 – Nov. 30: Afterbay Dam Crest Road/Brad Freeman Trail south of State
Route 162 to the East Hamilton Road Trail Access
Nov. 21: Canyon Drive from the four-way intersection at Oroville Dam Blvd.
E./Royal Oaks Drive to Royal Oaks Drive near the Upper Overlook will have one-
way traffic control from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for striping work.
Nov. 21: The main Feather River Fish Hatchery facility will be closed to the
public. The lower parking lot will remain open for public access to the fish viewing
window and fish barrier dam viewing platform.
Additional locations for future paving and sealing work include:
Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant
Oroville Field Division Operations and Maintenance Center at Glen Drive
DWR will provide more details about scheduled work and potential public access impacts
in future newsletters. Work schedules are subject to change based on weather and the
availability of equipment and materials.
Spillway Maintenance Activities
In early October, DWR completed routine annual cleaning and inspections of Oroville
Dam’s main spillway chute to assess the condition of the spillway’s concrete slabs, walls,
joint sealant, and dentates (energy dissipators at the base of the spillway structure).
Following inspections, minor concrete repairs, slab epoxy coating, and joint sealant work
were identified in localized areas of the spillway. Identified maintenance work is ongoing
with activities extended through Dec. 15 as weather conditions permit.
While the main spillway continues to perform well and operate as designed, periodic
concrete and sealant repairs of the spillway are expected due to seasonal temperature
variations, spillway releases, and sun exposure. The spillway was rebuilt to the highest
engineering and safety standards with oversight and guidance by the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD), and an
independent board of consultants. DWR performed a significant amount of inspection and
testing throughout construction to verify compliance with project specifications. DWR also
provides regular updates to the Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission, a public
forum for discussing operations, maintenance, and public safety activities at Oroville Dam
and its facilities.
Golden Mussel Inspection Program
DWR is reminding the public that boat ramps at Lake Oroville are no longer open 24/7.
Watercraft must be out of the water by ramp closing time or they will be locked into the
facility overnight. Please plan ahead. More details about DWR’s mussel inspection
program are available at water.ca.gov/mussels.
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 4:30 p.m.
Sealed Vessel Launching
Lake Oroville
Ramp hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Spillway
Ramp hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 8
p.m.
Bidwell Canyon
Ramp hours: Monday-Thursday 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Lime Saddle
Ramp hours: Daily from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Loafer Creek/Loafer Point
Thermalito Afterbay
Ramp hours: Daily from 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset
Monument Hill
Thermalito Forebay
Ramp Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to sunset
North Forebay (Non-motorized vessels only)
Feather River Fish Monitoring Station
Between Jan. 30 and April 20, high flows in the Feather River required the temporary
removal of fish monitoring equipment resulting in lower spring-run estimates. Upstream
migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between Jan. 1 and
Nov. 10, 2025 are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon (April 16 through June 30): 17,712
Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 41,492
Steelhead: 1,249
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 768 feet elevation and storage is approximately 1.77 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 52 percent of its total capacity and 99 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with
1,800 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total
Feather River release of 2,450 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 11/13/2025.
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
Stay Connected with the California Department of Water Resources
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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