A drone view of Oroville Dam and main spillway at Lake Oroville in Butte County, California. Photo taken March 11, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Department of Water Resources

OROVILLE, CA (MPG) - Ahead of forecasted storms continuing through the weekend, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has increased water releases to the Feather River from the Oroville-Thermalito Complex to maintain flood protection for downstream communities. With runoff into Lake Oroville projected to range between 50,000 to 70,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) by early next week, the Department of Water Resources also expects to start using Oroville dam’s main spillway on Jan. 5 for additional flood control releases.  

Between mid-September and May, the Department of Water Resources is required to operate Lake Oroville for flood control under federal Water Control Manual Guidelines set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These federal regulations establish a set storage space that is reserved to capture inflows from rain and future snowmelt, while protecting downstream communities from damaging flood events through coordinated releases. To maintain this storage space, the Department of Water Resources must increase releases from Lake Oroville. 

While weather conditions were largely dry in early December, northern California received a series of atmospheric river-driven storms in the past two weeks that boosted reservoir storage at Lake Oroville. Between Dec. 12 and Dec. 31, Lake Oroville’s elevation rose approximately 58 feet.  

Releases to the Feather River are coordinated closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other downstream water operators. Feather River recreation users are advised to remain alert as river flows are expected to be swift and cold and may change based on projected weather forecasts. 

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

Current Oroville Reservoir Level is 826 feet elevation, current storage is 70 percent of capacity and total releases to the Feather River is 15,000 cfs; potentially increasing to 25,000 cfs as of Monday.

The Lake Oroville reservoir is the largest storage facility in the State Water Project, providing flood protection while supporting environmental and water delivery needs to 27 million Californians. The Department of Water Resources continues to monitor lake levels, weather forecasts, and mountain snow levels to optimize water storage while allowing for carryover storage into next year. 

Current Lake Operations 

Lake Oroville is at 826 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.41 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 70 percent of its total capacity and 126 percent of the historical average.  

Feather River flows are at 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 12,000 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 15,000 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.”