Lake Oroville Update - July 24, 2026

The report is mandated by Senate Bill 955, the 2018 legislation that formed the Commission, and is an important record of the information presented before the Commission about Oroville Dam and flood management-related progress and plans made by DWR at the Oroville facilities. The report provides the following information:

• An overview of ongoing maintenance and improvements made at the dam and its site.

• A register of communications received from the department and other parties to the commission.

• Notice of upcoming plans made by the department for the dam and its site.

• An overview of flood management projects on the Feather River affecting public safety and flood risk reduction.

Public comments must be submitted by noon on Tuesday, Aug. 11. All comments received during the public comment period will be included in the report's register of communications and considered before the report is finalized. Comments may be submitted via an online form. If you require assistance with submitting a comment, please contact Samantha Arthur at [email protected].

Gravel Project Supporting Feather River Salmon Habitat

DWR is starting construction on a salmonid habitat improvement project in the Feather River between the Table Mountain Bridge and Bedrock Park in Oroville. Crews began mobilizing heavy equipment and supplies this week, with in-water work expected to begin the week of July 27.

The project consists of placing approximately 7,900 cubic yards of in-river spawning gravel to improve existing spawning habitat sites and will also aid accessibility to existing side channels by excavating and redistributing accumulated streambed material. Migratory fish species such as Chinook salmon and steelhead trout rely on Feather River spawning habitats along the low-flow channel, where most spawning activity occurs. Because gravel doesn't naturally flow downstream of Oroville Dam, gravel supplementation is necessary to provide sufficient spawning habitat to support existing salmonid populations. Female salmonids dig into gravel and lay their eggs in nests called "redds" using coarse sediment. Clean, rounded gravel approximately 1-4 inches in size is ideal as gravel that is too large is hard to move and gravel that is too small can suffocate eggs.

The $2.37 million project is primarily funded by a General Fund Local Assistance Grant for Habitat Restoration from the Facilitating Improvement of Systemwide Habitat (FISH) Program that is supported by Assembly Bill 179 (2022). DWR Feather River spawning restoration projects included the placement of 8,300 cubic yards of spawning gravel in 2014, 5,000 cubic yards in 2017, and 8,000 cubic yards in 2023.

Reclamation District 1500 in the Sutter Basin is the contractor for the project. In-river work for the project is expected to last through the end of August. Feather River users may encounter "traffic control" along the waterway during construction. Flaggers will be stationed in the river to alert water users of nearby heavy construction equipment and direct water traffic safely through the construction zone. River recreationists are encouraged to remain alert when passing through work zones.

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 July 20, 2026, are:

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 4 through June 30): 8,512

• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 989

• Steelhead: -14 (most likely kelts moving downstream)

• To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 847 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.67 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 78 percent of its total capacity and 110 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 7,650 cfs for a total Feather River release of 8,500 cfs downstream. WR 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 7/23/2026.