HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.22.26 For Immediate Release - Butte County Celebrates Earth Day by Highlighting One of the Most Important Resources_ WaterFrom:Olio, Kristi
To:BOS
Subject:For Immediate Release - Butte County Celebrates Earth Day by Highlighting One of the Most Important
Resources: Water
Date:Wednesday, April 22, 2026 3:31:50 PM
Attachments:For Immediate Release - Butte County Celebrates Earth Day by Highlighting One of the Most Important
Resources, Water.pdf
Good afternoon, Members of the Board -
The following press release will be issued to the media shortly. Please reach out with anyquestions or concerns.
Kind regards,Kristi
---
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 22, 2026 BUTTE COUNTY CELEBRATES EARTH DAY BY HIGHLIGHTING ONE OF THE MOST
VITAL RESOURCES: WATER
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. — This Earth Day, Butte County is highlighting one of the most
important resources on our planet: water. Water is so fundamental to everyday life that we
often take its availability for granted. However, behind every drop of water in California lies
a complex network of infrastructure, environmental considerations, and community
impacts that enable its delivery from Butte County to the southern arid municipalities and
industries of the State.
In an effort to provide broader education on the topic, Butte County has launched a new
informational website, ourwatertheirpower.org, to provide the public with a clear,
transparent overview of the Oroville Dam, including the massive benefits it provides to the
State of California, and the heavy burden it has placed on Butte County.
The Oroville Dam is the cornerstone of California’s State Water Project (SWP), which
captures water from the Feather River, stores it in Lake Oroville, and sends it hundreds of
miles south to provide water to 27 million Southern Californians and irrigate 750,000 acres
of farmland in the Central Valley. The Dam also generates approximately 2.2 billion
kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power annually, enough to power hundreds of thousands
of homes. While this water fueled California's rise to the 4th-largest economy in the world
and the most populous State in the nation, Butte County faces an estimated annual loss of
over $20 million due to the Dam.
When proposing the Dam, the State offered Butte County a vision of mutual gain. They
proposed a recreation plan that would transform Lake Oroville into a recreational
wonderland akin to Lake Tahoe, complete with campgrounds, marinas, a 250-seat
restaurant, a snack bar, a visitor center with gift shop, two auditoriums for audio-visual
presentations, a monorail, trackless train, steam train, tours of the powerplant through an
open 40-seat bus, 5 beaches, day-use areas, picnic facilities, walking trails, and shoreline
access would attract visitors from across California. The State touted that the robust
shoreline development would transform the lake into one of the greatest recreation areas
in the nation, thereby presenting the reservoir as the economic engine that would replace
what the Dam had taken away.
Fast forward to today, the State still has not completed the promised recreation
development, and as a result, Lake Oroville receives less than one-sixth of the visitors the
State had projected. The State has used the lack of tourism as justification for not building
the very recreation facilities intended to attract tourists. This has left Butte County with the
financial burdens, while the water and the prosperity continue to flow to the Central Valley
and Southern California.
“Earth Day is a reminder to think about the systems that make modern life possible. This
website sheds light on the complexities around one of those systems,” says Butte County
Board of Supervisors Chair, Bill Connelly. “The Oroville Dam generates enormous value for
California, and also places an enormous burden on Butte County. Our goal is to ensure
that the full picture is understood so future decisions can be more balanced and
sustainable.”
The website compiles historical records and planning documents to tell the story that many
residents may not be aware of: the story of our water and how it’s used to power
California. Residents are encouraged to visit the website to learn more and explore the
history and context of California’s most significant water infrastructure projects.
Visit www.ourwatertheirpower.org.
###