Lake Oroville Update - January 10, 2025

Published: January 10, 2025

Floating Classroom Program Highlights Chinook Salmon Lifecycle

During the autumn months, the Feather River in Oroville is home to adult Chinook salmon that have returned to their natural spawning grounds to complete their lifecycle and start the next generation. This infusion of thousands of salmon offers a prime opportunity for public education, with classes held on the river instead of within the four walls of a school. Through the Department of Water Resources' (DWR) Feather River Floating Classroom Program, people of all ages are learning about the salmon lifecycle and critical ongoing conservation efforts and research in the Feather River.

Developed by environmental scientists within DWR's Division of Integrated Science and Engineering (DISE), the Feather River Floating Classroom Program has held various forms over the last decade. For many years public tours were offered solely during the City of Oroville's Salmon Festival, celebrating the return of Chinook salmon. With the program's growing popularity, DWR is now supporting dozens of free tours for local schools and public members during the fall spawning season.

"The floating classroom program is so important because it gives people an opportunity to have a connection to their local environment," said Michelle Pepping, environmental scientist with DISE. "We're building that bridge from the environment directly to the community and sharing information about the salmon's life history and the work DWR does on the river to benefit salmon."

The 2024 fall-run spawning season marked the first year in which DWR sponsored dozens of free tours to local schools and members of the public, with support from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Thermalito Union Elementary School District. While the Feather River Floating Classroom program has concluded for the season, DWR's efforts continue year-round to study salmon and enhance the Feather River habitat and help Chinook Salmon populations thrive. The Feather River Floating Classroom program will resume with the return of fall-run Chinook salmon.

Read more about the Feather River Floating Classroom program on DWR's website and watch our YouTube video.

First Snow Survey of the Season

DWR conducted the first snow survey of the season on Jan. 2 at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 24 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 9 inches, which is 91 percent of average for this location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR's water supply forecast. In the Feather River basin, snowpack is 131 percent of average as of Jan. 1.

Recent years in California have been marked by extremely hot and dry conditions broken up by periods of intense rain and snow. So far, this water year has been no different. A record-breaking hot and dry summer continued well into the fall, but a powerful atmospheric river in November broke several rainfall records in Northern California. A series of storms in late December provided another boost.

"While our snowpack looks good now, we have a long way until April when our water supply picture will be more complete," said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. "Extreme shifts between dry and wet conditions are continuing this winter and if the past several years are any indication, anything could happen between now and April and we need to be prepared."

More information about the first snow survey of 2025 can be found in DWR's press release.

Oroville Recreation

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, with excellent bass fishing opportunities during the fall and winter months. Be sure to check California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) fishing regulations before 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.

DWR, the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and 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.

Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between Jan. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2024 are:

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 1 through June 30): 7,144
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 40,317
• Steelhead: 1,980

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 830 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.46 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 72 percent of its total capacity and 129 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 1,100 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 1,750 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 1/9/2025.

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