An aerial view shows high water conditions at Oroville Dam located at Lake Oroville in Butte County, California. Photo courtesy of California Department of Water Resources

OROVILLE, CA (MPG) - Lake Oroville Remains Full. With temperatures reaching triple digits this week, Lake Oroville continues to remain at full capacity, offering ample water recreation and cooling opportunities for visitors. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is adjusting water releases from the reservoir as needed to account for increasing or decreasing inflows while maintaining flood protection for downstream communities. Releases are closely coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other water operators and adjusted as needed to maintain balance throughout the water system. DWR continues to monitor Lake Oroville levels to optimize water storage while meeting environmental requirements and allowing for carryover storage into next year.  

With Lake Oroville at full capacity, windy periods are likely to cause water to splash onto and over the crest of the emergency spillway. This will result in minor surface wetting of the downstream side of the emergency spillway crest and the very upper sections of the splash pad. Visitors to Oroville Dam may also notice minor amounts of water flowing from drains built into the emergency spillway. Both conditions are normal and expected given the emergency spillway design. The dam and emergency spillway continue to operate as intended.

The information below reflects current reservoir level estimates. Forecasts can change quickly and may affect the estimates provided.

Current Oroville Reservoir Level: 899 feet elevation

Current Storage Capacity: 100 percent

Total Releases to the Feather River: 3,800 cubic feet per second (cfs)

Total releases to the Feather River amount to 3,800 cfs with 850 cfs being routed down the Low Flow Channel through the City of Oroville. An additional 2,950 cfs is being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet, located five miles downstream from Oroville. DWR continues to assess Feather River releases daily.

As the largest storage facility in the State Water Project, Lake Oroville helps provide water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland, while providing flood protection to downstream communities along with environmental and recreation benefits. Spring is an important time for water project operators to fill reservoirs like Lake Oroville ahead of dry months. It also is an important migration window for many native fish species. DWR is using the best available science to protect fish species. However, SWP operations have faced significant restrictions in the Delta this year that have impacted the ability in other areas of the state to capture and store the water needed if California sees a return to drought conditions.