HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.05.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - June 5, 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:Cannon, Jamie; Loeser, Kamie
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 5, 2026
Date:Friday, June 5, 2026 2:03:26 PM
Attachments:image001.png
Please see Board Correspondence -
Lewis LeeAdministrative Technician - ConfidentialButte County Administration25 County Center Drive, Suite 200 • Oroville, CA 95965T: 530.552.3326www.buttecounty.ca.gov | lelee@buttecounty.ca.gov
From: California Natural Resources Agency <CNRA@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, June 5, 2026 2:00 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 5, 2026
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Lake Oroville Community Update
June 5, 2026
Spend the Day at the Thermalito Forebay
The Thermalito Forebay provides a unique recreation experience compared to other
geographic areas of the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area. Its relatively stable water
elevation level, proximity to City of Oroville amenities, and developed day-use facilities
provide an experience that is much different from Lake Oroville.
The North Thermalito Forebay boat ramp and day use area covers roughly half of the
Forebay’s 630 surface acres and hosts non-motorized boating, along with a swim beach,
a large picnic area with barbecue grills, and abundant shade trees. This area
also offers restroom facilities, including showers, and drinking fountains.
Also at the North Forebay, the Feather River and Forebay Aquatic Centers promote
education, recreation, boating, water safety, competitive water sports, and tourism. The
Aquatic Center offers a wide range of rental equipment, from kayaks and canoes to
hydrobikes and pedal boats, which can be rented by the hour or day. The North Forebay
is also home to the Butte Sailing Club, which offers sailing lessons by certified instructors
and memberships offering rental access to their fleet of sail boats.
At the South Thermalito Forebay day-use area, a two-lane boat ramp provides motorized
boating access for recreation and fishing. It has a shaded picnic area with barbecue
facilities, a sandy swim beach, and a vault restroom facility.
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 and May 31, 2026, are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon: 6,934
Steelhead: -30 (most likely kelts moving downstream)
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 893 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.32 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 97 percent of its total capacity and 119 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with
releases from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet at 2,350 cfs for a total Feather River
release of 3,000 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 6/4/2026.
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
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
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