HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.12.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - June 12, 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:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 12, 2026
Date:Friday, June 12, 2026 4:11:38 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 12, 2026 3:05 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 12, 2026
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Lake Oroville Community Update
June 12, 2026
Explore the Thermalito Afterbay
The Thermalito Afterbay and surrounding Oroville Wildlife Area are managed for primitive
and immersive wildlife experiences and for the preservation and enhancement of wildlife
habitat areas. With 17 miles of shoreline and 4,300 surface acres of water, the Thermalito
Afterbay provides an expansive area for watercraft use, with numerous opportunities for
motorized and non-motorized vessels, swimming, fishing, picnicking, and hunting.
The Afterbay’s Monument Hill boat ramp and day use area provides a two-lane ramp with
a boarding dock, picnic tables, barbecues, restroom facilities, a fish cleaning station, and a
swimming beach. North of the Highway 162 bridge, a 5-mph motorized watercraft speed
limit provides opportunities for paddle sports, windsurfing, and fishing. The Wilbur Road
boat ramp on the northern side of the Afterbay and the Larkin Road car-top boat ramp on
the southern side of the Afterbay provide additional launching facilities for water
recreation, with vault restroom facilities at both locations.
Several trails in the Afterbay area – Toland Road Trailhead, Tres Vias Trailhead, and East
Hamilton Road Trailhead – connect with the popular Brad Freeman Trail for further
exploration of the Oroville Wildlife Area. The East Hamilton Trailhead is the only facility
with a picnic table and a small gravel parking area.
Located within the Oroville Wildlife Area, campsites near the Afterbay Outlet offer primitive
camping facilities with vault restrooms and trash receptacles. To check hunting and fishing
seasons and regulations, consult the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
Community Art Project at the Visitor Center
Lake Oroville Visitor Center staff invite members of the public to join an ongoing
community art project focused on the Feather River. Using a rainbow of tissue paper,
visitors can help create a stained-glass-like mural featuring vegetation, wildlife, and
scenery one might see along the Feather River. The mural will be displayed at the Visitor
Center through June 21.
The Lake Oroville Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Staffed by
knowledgeable guides, the 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.
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 June 5, 2026, are:
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
Spring-run Chinook salmon: 7,129
Steelhead: -27 (most likely kelts moving downstream)
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 890 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.28 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 96 percent of its total capacity and 118 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 3,350 cfs for a total Feather River
release of 4,000 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 6/11/2026.
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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