Lake Oroville Update - October 25, 2024

Published: October 25, 2024

Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee

The Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee (ORAC) will hold a meeting on Friday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Southside Oroville Community Center located at 2959 Lower Wyandotte Road, Oroville, CA, 95966.

ORAC was established by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review and provide recreation plan recommendations for Oroville Facilities owned by the Department of Water Resources (DWR). The 13-member committee is made up of representatives from State and local government, recreation groups, and business and community organizations.

Flood Preparedness Week

After two consecutive years with major flood events across the state, DWR is using California Flood Preparedness Week, which runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 26, to encourage all Californians to prepare for flood season.

With California just experiencing one of the hottest summers on record, it might be hard to think about dangerous, extreme flooding. But a warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, increasing the power of atmospheric river storms that hit the state and cause widespread flooding. Research increasingly shows that California's climate will become hotter and drier, but the precipitation the state does receive will arrive in more powerful storms that can lead to bigger and more frequent flood flows.

More than seven million California residents are at risk of flooding, and many don't realize it. Flooding can occur throughout the state, from rural to urban areas, in valley and desert communities, in mountain regions, and along the coast. Communities that are downslope of recent wildfires are also especially prone to flash floods and debris slides, with landscapes impacted by wildfires taking up to five years to recover.

To prepare for flooding, all Californians should follow three basic steps:

• Be aware of your risk - know whether your home is downslope of a burn area or in a floodplain; pay attention to weather forecasts; listen to local authorities.
• Be prepared - always have an emergency evacuation kit ready; be prepared to evacuate early; have a plan for where you will go in an emergency and what to do with your pets.
• Take action - subscribe to your local emergency providers to get updated information. Visit the National Weather Service webpage to get updated weather information for your community. If local authorities issue an evacuation order, do not delay, follow local guidelines for evacuation and never attempt to drive through a flooded roadway.

For more information on finding your flood risk, visit https://myhazards.caloes.ca.gov/

For information on obtaining flood insurance, visit https://www.floodsmart.gov/

For information on how you can prepare your household for flood emergencies, visit https://www.ready.gov/kit

Vegetation Management Activities

This week, CAL FIRE, the California Conservation Corps (CCC), the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and Butte County Sheriff's Office crews successfully conducted a 160-acre prescribed burning throughout Loafer Creek Recreation Area and along Highway162 (Oro Quincy Highway). The controlled burn is part of an ongoing Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) aimed at reducing hazardous fuels to protect local communities, infrastructure, and natural resources. Fuel reduction activities such as thinning and chipping are expected to continue for several weeks.

Crews have been working onsite for the past two months preparing for the burn. During this period, vegetation and trees were trimmed and scattered across the units to create a low intensity burn environment and fire control lines were set up to divide the burn area into smaller, manageable sections, minimizing risk to nearby residents and infrastructure.

Vegetation management activities will require the intermittent closure of several trails within the Loafer Creek Recreation Area. Trail users should be cautious when entering work areas and obey all posted trail signage.

In 2023, DWR was awarded Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds totaling $900,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to complete a 220-acre hazardous fuels reduction project in the Lake Oroville area. Fuel reduction locations include DWR property along Oro Dam Blvd. East, the Bidwell Canyon/Kelly Ridge area, and the Loafer Creek State Recreation Area. This multi-year project is reducing hazardous fuels and the risk of catastrophic wildfire by thinning vegetation using hand and mechanical methods, accompanied by chipping. By proactively reducing ground fuels, thinning overgrown vegetation, and removing dead and dying vegetation, firefighters have a better chance at suppressing a wildfire.

DWR's Fuel Load Management Plan works to reduce wildfire risk, increase public safety, and enhance forest health around the Lake Oroville area. Ongoing vegetation management of this critical area remains a high priority for DWR and its partners at CAL FIRE, Butte County Fire Department, Butte County Sheriff's Office, the CCC, State Parks, and the Butte County Fire Safe Council.

Oroville Recreation

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, multi), is available on DWR's Lake Oroville Recreation webpage. A paper trail map is available at various locations, including most entrance kiosks and the Lake Oroville Visitor Center.

Lake Oroville is one of the State Water Project's premier recreational destinations and one of California's best fishing spots. The lake provides both warm-water and cold-water fisheries. Below the Oroville Dam, the Thermalito Forebay, Thermalito Afterbay, and the Feather River offer additional excellent fishing opportunities for Chinook salmon and steelhead. Be sure to check CDFW fishing regulations before you go out fishing. The marinas at Bidwell Canyon and Lime Saddle are open daily and provide a variety of services including a convenience store, gas, boat rentals, and more.

Staffed by knowledgeable guides, the Lake Oroville 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.

Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between Jan. 1 and Oct. 1 are:

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 1 through June 30): 7,152
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 16,064
• Steelhead: 1,188

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 766 feet elevation and storage is approximately 1.75 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 51 percent of its total capacity and 95 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 800 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 1,650 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 2,450 cfs downstream. Total Feather River releases will be reduced to 1,750 cfs the week of Oct. 28. 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 midnight 10/24/2024.

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