HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.21.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - August 21, 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; 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 - August 21, 2026
Date:Friday, August 21, 2026 4:45:44 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: Department of Water Resources <DWRMedia@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, August 21, 2026 2:31 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - August 21, 2026
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Lake Oroville Community Update
August 21, 2026
Toddler Time at the Lake Oroville Visitor Center
DWR is offering free toddler time events this summer for children ages 2-5 at the Lake
Oroville Visitor Center. Join us Tuesday, August 25 from 10 to 11 a.m. for free crafts and
toddler-friendly activities. August’s event will feature DWR’s newest water safety film,
Albert and Einstein’s Water Safety Adventure, a trip to the viewing tower, and a lazy river
craft activity.
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.
Lakeside Access Road Now Open
Lake Oroville’s water elevation has lowered enough to allow DWR to reopen the Lakeside
Access Road, providing daily access to the Spillway Boat Ramp and Day Use Area
around the clock. Construction of the Lakeside Access Road was completed in 2022 and
provides a direct route to the Spillway Day Use Area from Oroville Dam Crest Road
without requiring visitors to pass through vehicle or watercraft screenings. The screening
kiosk is now closed with Lakeside Access Road's reopening.
PHOTO COLLECTION: Gravel Project Supports Feather River
Fish Habitat
8/6/2026 – A DWR salmonid habitat improvement project placed approximately 8,000
cubic yards of salmon spawning gravel in the most heavily utilized spawning locations in
the lower Feather River in Oroville. View the photo gallery on Pixel.
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 August 17, 2026, are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 4 through June 30): 8,509
Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 2,971
Steelhead: 2 (Low count is due to kelts moving downstream earlier in the year)
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 804 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.17 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 63 percent of its total capacity and 99 percent of the historical average.
This email was sent to clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net from the California Natural Resources Agencyutilizing govDelivery. California Natural Resources Agency, 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
with releases from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet at 7,150 cfs for a total Feather
River release of 8,000 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 8/20/2026.
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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