HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.10.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - April 10, 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
Cc:Loeser, Kamie; Cannon, Jamie
Subject:FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - April 10, 2026
Date:Friday, April 10, 2026 4:13:47 PM
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2026 2:09 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - April 10, 2026
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Lake Oroville Community Update
April 10, 2026
DWR Increasing Releases for Flood Protection
With an incoming storm system expected in the Feather River watershed, the Department
of Water Resources (DWR) is increasing water releases from Oroville Dam
to maintain flood protection for downstream communities. Releases are currently being
made through the Hyatt Powerplant for power generation. DWR will
also resume using Oroville Dam’s main spillway for releases on Monday, April 13. DWR is
conserving as much water as possible in Lake Oroville while continuing to meet federal
guidelines for downstream flood protection and state environmental regulations.
Between mid-September and June, 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.
DWR coordinates releases to the Feather River closely with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and other downstream water operators. DWR advises Feather River recreation
users to remain alert as river flows are expected to be swift and cold and 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: 884 feet elevation
Current Storage: 93 percent of capacity
Total Releases to the Feather River: 5,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)
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 and allow for carryover storage into the
following year.
Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission
The California Natural Resources Agency hosted its 22nd Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory
Commission meeting on April 10. In addition to public comment, the commission received
presentations from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the City of Oroville’s levee
screening report and the Water Control Manual update process and an update from Yuba
Water Agency on New Bullards Bar operations and partner coordination.
The Citizens Advisory Commission is a forum for questions and feedback from
communities surrounding Oroville Dam. For information on the meeting, please visit
the Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission website. A transcript of the virtual
meeting will be available on the webpage in the coming weeks.
DWR Begins Vernal Pool Monitoring
Some grasslands, including areas around Butte County, have an underlying impervious
layer of rock or clay that causes rainwater to pond in the winter and spring, creating
seasonal wetlands called vernal pools. Although vernal pools are only a
small component of our local grasslands in terms of area, they support a remarkably high
diversity of plants and animals, including rare and endangered species and species that
are found only in California.
Vernal pool organisms and plants are highly specialized to their unique environment and
to the Mediterranean-type climate found in California. They have adapted to living in pools
that fill in the winter but are completely dry in the summer, as well as to the extreme
variabilities in temperature and rainfall that can occur year to year. They are important
targets for conservation because most vernal pools in California have been lost to
development, agriculture, and habitat degradation from invasive plants.
Vernal pools often support spectacular wildflowers that bloom from March to May. Each
spring, DWR environmental scientists from the Oroville Field Division monitor hundreds of
vernal pools throughout the Oroville area and assess how protection measures for these
valuable environmental resources are succeeding.
This year scientists are observing wildflowers blooming earlier, likely due to ongoing dry
conditions, which have also dried up vernal pools earlier than usual. Areas around
the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay are currently abundant with flowers, in part due to
annual prescribed burns to remove invasive grass buildup and other invasive plants.
These efforts are coordinated by DWR in partnership with CAL FIRE, the California
Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and the California Department of Fish
and Wildlife (CDFW) and demonstrate the benefit of invasive plant management within
the Thermalito area grasslands.
Golden Mussel Inspection Program
DWR has moved its invasive mussel inspection/decontamination facilities at the North
Thermalito Forebay to the paved RV parking lot near the entrance. Watercraft owners
should turn right once past the main entrance. Signage is posted to help direct
traffic. 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 5:30 p.m.
Sealed Vessel Launching
Lake Oroville
Ramp hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Spillway
Bidwell Canyon
Ramp hours: Daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Lime Saddle
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
DWR resumed operations of the Feather River fish monitoring station on March 4, 2026 to
capture the return of spring-run Chinook salmon. Monitoring was temporarily
suspended at the end of December 2025 due to anticipated high flows in the Feather
River. Upstream migrating fish totals between March 4 through April 7, 2026 are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon: 612
Steelhead: -6 (most likely kelts moving downstream)
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 884 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.18 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 93 percent of its total capacity and 124 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 650 cfs through the City of Oroville with releases from
the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet at 4,350 cfs for a total Feather River release
of 5,000 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 11:59 p.m. on 4/9/2026.
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
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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