HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.19.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - June 19, 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 19, 2026
Date:Monday, June 22, 2026 8:55:27 AM
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 19, 2026 2:38 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - June 19, 2026
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Lake Oroville Community Update
June 19, 2026
Trails Reopen Along Diversion Pool
The California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) and the Department of
Water Resources (DWR) have temporarily reopened the Lakeland Boulevard Trailhead,
Powerhouse Road Trailhead, and portions of the Brad Freeman and Dan Beebe trails that
run along the south side of the Diversion Pool between the Fish Barrier Dam and Oro
Powerhouse Road. The trails and trailhead have been closed since June 2025 for a DWR
construction project that is replacing power and fiber-optic communication lines that
support the Hyatt Powerplant, Feather River Fish Hatchery, and Thermalito Diversion
Dam facilities. The project is temporarily on hiatus, with the second phase
of construction to resume at a later date.
Prior to the start of DWR’s fiber optic and communication line project, numerous trails and
trailheads along the Diversion Pool and in Potter’s Ravine were closed due to extensive
damage from the July 2024 Thompson Fire. State Parks trail crews have worked diligently
to reopen many of these, and the Brad Freeman and Dan Beebe trails have been cleared
enough to temporarily reopen to the public. Recreation users should use caution when
using trails along the Diversion Pool, as crews will still be working in the area for the next
two months. Signs have been placed to notify users of temporary re-routes for the minimal
areas that remain closed.
This past winter and spring, State Parks trail crews made significant progress on
rehabilitating trails in Potter’s Ravine and the Brad Freeman on the north side of the
Diversion Pool and above Hyatt following the Thompson Fire. Crews cleared fallen debris,
graded trails to address erosion, and rebuilt wooden foot bridges.
DWR, State Parks, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (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, multiuse), is available on
the Lake Oroville Recreation webpage. A paper trail map is available at various locations,
including most entrance kiosks and the Lake Oroville Visitor Center.
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. Visitors can watch 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 15, 2026, are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon: 7,812
Steelhead: -24 (most likely kelts moving downstream)
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 886 feet elevation and storage is approximately 3.22 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 94 percent of its total capacity and 118 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 850 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with
releases from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet at 4,150 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 6/18/2026.
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
Stay Connected with the California Department of Water Resources
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