Lake Oroville Update - September 13, 2024

Published: September 13, 2024

Feather River Floating Classrooms

Feather River Floating Classroom raft tours are returning this fall, and this year they are FREE! Sponsored and developed by DWR, the Floating Classroom program takes participants through Feather River spawning habitat while DWR and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission scientists provide information on Chinook salmon conservation efforts, ongoing and planned research, restoration and monitoring projects, and fisheries management activities supported by DWR's State Water Project.

Free rafting tours this fall are scheduled each Saturday starting October 5 through November 9. Each Saturday will have multiple floating classroom sessions with limited seats. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis with up to four free tickets available per unique registration. Participants must complete the online risk acknowledgment and liability release form within three days (72 hours) of reservation confirmation or tickets will be forfeited. Reserve your FREE floating classroom ticket on Eventbrite.

Hatchery Fish Ladder Opens

Chinook salmon are completing their life cycle and returning home to the Feather River to lay eggs for the next generation of salmon. The fish ladder opened today, Sept. 13, with spawning activities at the Feather River Fish Hatchery expected to begin Sept. 17 once Chinook salmon have traveled up the fish ladder.

Visitors to the Hatchery's fish barrier dam overlook viewing area can view salmon congregating and jumping in the Feather River and see them up close through the underwater viewing window as they swim up the fish ladder. The overlook is located off Table Mountain Boulevard, east of the green bridge and across from the main hatchery facility. The fish ladder is expected to remain open through June 2025 for viewing opportunities.

The Feather River Fish Hatchery's spawning operations rear millions of Chinook salmon to be released every spring in the waters of the Feather River, San Pablo Bay, and San Francisco Bay to support Central Valley and Pacific Ocean fisheries. DWR owns and maintains the facility and provides funding to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for its spawning, rearing, and stocking operations.

Loafer Point Stage II Ramp Reopens

The California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) reopened the Loafer Point Stage II boat ramp this week. Open for boat launch access between 680 feet and 805 feet elevation, Loafer Point Stage II offers three launch lanes, a boarding float, and is adjacent to the popular Loafer Creek Recreation Day Use Area and Campground.

The Loafer Point facilities, consisting of two separate launch ramps, were completed by DWR in 2020 as part of a multi-year construction project representing the largest single recreation facility build-out at Lake Oroville in the past 50 years. The Loafer Point facilities extend down to a much lower elevation than the original Loafer Creek area boat ramp, giving boaters access to Lake Oroville later in the season, when some of the most comfortable temperatures are experienced at the lake. Loafer Point's launch ramps also provide immediate access to the wide-open waters of Lake Oroville - there are no marina 'slow speed zones' to navigate. The popular location also provides nearby access to numerous State recreation hiking and biking trails, campgrounds, swimming beaches, equestrian facilities, and the nearby Bidwell Marina.

Oroville Recreation

DWR, State Parks, 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.

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.

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. 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.

Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between January 1 and September 10 are:

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 1 through June 30): 7,124
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 9,955
• Steelhead: 1,011

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 803 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.14 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 62 percent of its total capacity and 107 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 8,350 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 9,000 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 midnight 9/12/2024.

###

Know someone who would like to receive Community Updates? They can email their request to [email protected].