HomeMy WebLinkAbout01.23.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - January 23, 2026.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:Hancock, LeAnne
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - January 23, 2026
Date:Friday, January 23, 2026 4:46:20 PM
Please see Board Correspondence -
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2026 2:38 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - January 23, 2026
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Lake Oroville Community Update
January 23, 2026
DWR Conserving Water Storage at Lake Oroville
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has reduced water releases from Oroville
Dam as dry conditions continue throughout January in the Feather River watershed. DWR
is conserving as much water as possible while continuing to meet federal guidelines for
downstream flood protection. Between Dec. 20, 2025 and Jan. 22, 2026 Lake
Oroville rose 87 feet in elevation and gained approximately 1 million acre-feet of
water thanks to a series of strong storms in December.
Between mid-September and May, DWR is required to operate Lake Oroville for flood
control under federal Water Control Manual Guidelines set by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. These federal regulations establish a set storage space that is reserved to
capture inflows from rain and future snowmelt, while protecting downstream communities
from damaging flood events through coordinated releases. To maintain this storage
space, DWR conducts flood protection releases from Lake Oroville. Some of the water
released from Oroville for flood control is captured downstream for beneficial uses by local
landowners, communities, and the State Water Project. Releases from Oroville Dam also
support Feather River habitat for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and other river species.
Releases to the Feather River are coordinated closely with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and other downstream water operators. Feather River recreational users
are advised to remain alert as river flows may change based on projected weather
forecasts.
The information below reflects current reservoir level estimates. Forecasts can change
quickly and may affect the estimates provided.
Current Oroville Reservoir Level: 854 feet elevation
Current Storage: 81 percent of capacity
Total Releases to the Feather River: 1,900 cubic feet per second (cfs);
decreasing to 1,750 cfs on Saturday
The Lake Oroville reservoir is the largest storage facility in the State Water Project,
providing flood protection while supporting environmental and water delivery needs to 27
million Californians. DWR continues to monitor lake levels, weather forecasts, and
mountain snow levels to optimize water storage while allowing for carryover storage into
next year.
Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee
The Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee (ORAC) will hold a meeting on Friday, Feb.
6 at 10 a.m. at the Oroville Southside Community Center located at 2959 Lower
Wyandotte Road, Oroville, CA, 95966.
ORAC was established by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review
and provide recreation plan recommendations for Oroville Facilities owned by DWR. The
13-member committee is made up of representatives from state and local government,
recreation groups, and business and community organizations.
Snow Goose Festival
Celebrate one of the greatest migratory bird pathways in the world at the Snow Goose
Festival of the Pacific Flyway happening Jan. 22-25. The festival features a variety of
activities throughout the four-day event, including guided field trips to view the waterfowl,
raptors, and Snow Geese that migrate through the Northern Sacramento Valley during the
winter months.
DWR’s Lake Oroville Visitor Center Guides will host a free educational booth featuring
kids’ activities between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24 and Sunday, Jan. 25 at the
Patrick Ranch Museum in Durham. Join festival attendees with visits to
the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay, and Oroville Wildlife Area offering possible
sightings of rough-legged hawks, ferruginous hawks, merlin, bald eagles, golden eagles,
red-tailed hawks, burrowing owls, ducks, grebes, and other deep-water birds. Check out
the Snow Goose Festival website for more details about activities, an avian art exhibit,
and guided field trips during the four-day event.
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
With ongoing fluctuations in river flows due to required flood control releases from Oroville
Dam, DWR has suspended operations of the Feather River fish monitoring station.
Operation of the monitoring weir is expected to resume in early March to coincide with the
return of spring-run Chinook salmon. To see fish count data from previous years,
visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 854 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.76 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 81 percent of its total capacity and 138 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 650 cfs through the City of Oroville with 1,250 cfs being
released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet for a total Feather River release
of 1,900 cfs downstream. On Saturday, Jan. 24, releases from the Outlet will be reduced
to 1,100 cfs for a total Feather River release of 1,750 cfs. 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 1/22/2026.
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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