HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.28.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - August 28, 2026.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening
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From:Clerk of the Board
To:BOS
Cc:Loeser, Kamie; Cannon, Jamie
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - August 28, 2026
Date:Friday, August 28, 2026 4:59:39 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 28, 2026 2:50 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - August 28, 2026
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Lake Oroville Community Update
August 28, 2026
Dam Revegetation Project Ongoing
Construction work is ongoing on a DWR project to reestablish native vegetation in areas
adjacent to Oroville Dam’s main and emergency spillways. Work started in June 2026,
with the project revegetating approximately 70 acres with seed and replanting six acres of
woody vegetation surrounding Oroville Dam’s spillways. The project is designed to
improve the appearance of areas near trails and roadways while enhancing the view for
visitors and motorists traveling along Oroville Dam Boulevard East.
Maintaining a fire-resilient landscape within the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area was
also a top consideration during project development, with planting basins spaced apart to
prevent vegetation from acting as a fire ladder. In addition, the selected California-native
plants are fire-adapted species that can regenerate after fires.
Members of the public will continue to see construction equipment and grading work in
areas surrounding both spillways and along the Diversion Pool. Work in 2026 includes
grading and seeding areas of the hillside to establish native grasses, with completion of
the first phase expected by November. Project work will continue in 2027, with the
establishment of planting basins that include trees and shrubs. A five-year establishment
period has been incorporated into revegetation efforts, with temporary irrigation tanks
being installed to support initial vegetation growth. Following project completion, Oroville
Field Division’s Fuel Load Management Program will maintain native vegetation.
DWR’s revegetation project continues the Department’s commitment to mitigate impacts
to native habitats from the 2017 spillway incident. Following the incident, DWR mobilized
immediately and implemented a robust reconstruction plan resulting in impacts to native
vegetation surrounding the spillways. While project plans were initiated, developed, and
submitted during spillway reconstruction efforts, the Federal Regulatory Energy
Commission (FERC) gave DWR approval to move forward with revegetation efforts in
2023. Final revegetation plans were approved by FERC in July 2025. Empire Landscaping
Inc. of Davis, California, is the contractor for the project.
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.
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 23, 2026, are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 4 through June 30): 8,509
Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 4,017
This email was sent to clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net from the California Natural Resources Agency
utilizing Granicus Communications Cloud. California Natural Resources Agency, 715 P Street, Sacramento,
CA 95814
Steelhead: 18
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 794 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.04 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 60 percent of its total capacity and 97 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 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 8/27/2026.
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
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