HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.13.2024 FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - September 13, 2024.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening
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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:FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - September 13, 2024
Date:Monday, September 16, 2024 11:21:37 AM
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, September 13, 2024 3:14 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - September 13, 2024
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Lake Oroville Community Update
September 13, 2024
Feather River Floating Classrooms
Feather River Floating Classroom raft tours are returning this fall, and this year they are
FREE! Sponsored and developed by DWR, the Floating Classroom program takes
participants through Feather River spawning habitat while DWR and Pacific States Marine
Fisheries Commission scientists provide information on Chinook salmon conservation
efforts, ongoing and planned research, restoration and monitoring projects, and fisheries
management activities supported by DWR’s State Water Project.
Free rafting tours this fall are scheduled each Saturday starting October 5 through
November 9. Each Saturday will have multiple floating classroom sessions with limited
available per unique registration. Participants must complete the online risk
acknowledgment and liability release form within three days (72 hours) of reservation
confirmation or tickets will be forfeited. Reserve your FREE floating classroom ticket on
Eventbrite.
Hatchery Fish Ladder Opens
Chinook salmon are completing their life cycle and returning home to the Feather River to
lay eggs for the next generation of salmon. The fish ladder opened today, Sept. 13, with
spawning activities at the Feather River Fish Hatchery expected to begin Sept. 17 once
Chinook salmon have traveled up the fish ladder.
Visitors to the Hatchery’s fish barrier dam overlook viewing area can view salmon
congregating and jumping in the Feather River and see them up close through the
underwater viewing window as they swim up the fish ladder. The overlook is located off
Table Mountain Boulevard, east of the green bridge and across from the main hatchery
facility. The fish ladder is expected to remain open through June 2025 for viewing
opportunities.
The Feather River Fish Hatchery’s spawning operations rear millions of Chinook salmon
to be released every spring in the waters of the Feather River, San Pablo Bay, and San
Francisco Bay to support Central Valley and Pacific Ocean fisheries. DWR owns and
maintains the facility and provides funding to the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife (CDFW) for its spawning, rearing, and stocking operations.
Loafer Point Stage II Ramp Reopens
The California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) reopened the Loafer
Point Stage II boat ramp this week. Open for boat launch access between 680 feet and
805 feet elevation, Loafer Point Stage II offers three launch lanes, a boarding float, and is
adjacent to the popular Loafer Creek Recreation Day Use Area and Campground.
The Loafer Point facilities, consisting of two separate launch ramps, were completed by
DWR in 2020 as part of a multi-year construction project representing the largest single
recreation facility build-out at Lake Oroville in the past 50 years. The Loafer Point facilities
extend down to a much lower elevation than the original Loafer Creek area boat ramp,
giving boaters access to Lake Oroville later in the season, when some of the most
comfortable temperatures are experienced at the lake. Loafer Point’s launch ramps also
provide immediate access to the wide-open waters of Lake Oroville – there are no marina
‘slow speed zones’ to navigate. The popular location also provides nearby access to
numerous State recreation hiking and biking trails, campgrounds, swimming beaches,
equestrian facilities, and the nearby Bidwell Marina.
Oroville Recreation
DWR, State Parks, 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.
Staffed by knowledgeable guides, the Lake Oroville 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 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. Below the Oroville Dam, the Thermalito Forebay, Thermalito Afterbay and the
Feather River offer additional excellent fishing opportunities for Chinook salmon and
steelhead. The marinas at Bidwell Canyon and Lime Saddle are open daily and provide a
variety of services including a convenience store, gas, boat rentals, and more.
Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between
January 1 and September 10 are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 1 through June 30): 7,124
Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 9,955
Steelhead: 1,011
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 803 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.14 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 62 percent of its total capacity and 107 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with
8,350 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total
Feather River release of 9,000 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 9/12/2024.
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
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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