Lake Oroville Update - November 14, 2025

Oroville Wildlife Area

The 11,800-acre Oroville Wildlife Area (OWA) is a forested upland and riparian habitat along the Feather River and around the Thermalito Afterbay. Managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in partnership with the Department of Water Resources (DWR,) the OWA offers outdoor recreation activities such as hunting, river- and pond-oriented fishing and boating, and wildlife observation and photography.

Several trails cross throughout the OWA, providing opportunities for hiking and biking. The Feather River runs through the center of the OWA and several locations provide unpaved boat ramp access that accommodate both car-top and trailer launching. The OWA also provides anglers with walk-in access to 10 miles of the Feather River.

The OWA is a "Type C" wildlife area (hunting pass not required) and is open for hunting seven days a week with entry hours limited from 1.5 hours before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Some game species currently available for harvesting include dove, quail, squirrel, rabbit, turkey, and pheasant. No rifles or pistols may be used or possessed on the wildlife area except at the designated shooting range (Rabe Rd. Shooting Range off Larkin Rd.; open seven days a week from sunrise to sunset). Lead ammunition cannot be used while hunting in California.

Paving and Sealing Work Ongoing

DWR continues work on a paving and sealing project to rehabilitate several locations owned and maintained by the department that are heavily used by maintenance staff and members of the public. While improvements in most public areas have been completed, portions of the Thermalito Afterbay Dam Crest Road remain closed for ongoing pavement work. Vintage Paving Company, Inc. of Winters, California is the project contractor.

Upcoming construction work will require closures to the following public areas and roads:

• Aug. 18 - Nov. 30: Afterbay Dam Crest Road/Brad Freeman Trail south of State Route 162 to the East Hamilton Road Trail Access
• Nov. 21: Canyon Drive from the four-way intersection at Oroville Dam Blvd. E./Royal Oaks Drive to Royal Oaks Drive near the Upper Overlook will have one-way traffic control from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for striping work.
• Nov. 21: The main Feather River Fish Hatchery facility will be closed to the public. The lower parking lot will remain open for public access to the fish viewing window and fish barrier dam viewing platform.

Additional locations for future paving and sealing work include:

• Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant

• Oroville Field Division Operations and Maintenance Center at Glen Drive

DWR will provide more details about scheduled work and potential public access impacts in future newsletters. Work schedules are subject to change based on weather and the availability of equipment and materials.

Spillway Maintenance Activities

In early October, DWR completed routine annual cleaning and inspections of Oroville Dam's main spillway chute to assess the condition of the spillway's concrete slabs, walls, joint sealant, and dentates (energy dissipators at the base of the spillway structure). Following inspections, minor concrete repairs, slab epoxy coating, and joint sealant work were identified in localized areas of the spillway. Identified maintenance work is ongoing with activities extended through Dec. 15 as weather conditions permit.

While the main spillway continues to perform well and operate as designed, periodic concrete and sealant repairs of the spillway are expected due to seasonal temperature variations, spillway releases, and sun exposure. The spillway was rebuilt to the highest engineering and safety standards with oversight and guidance by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD), and an independent board of consultants. DWR performed a significant amount of inspection and testing throughout construction to verify compliance with project specifications. DWR also provides regular updates to the Oroville Dam Citizens Advisory Commission, a public forum for discussing operations, maintenance, and public safety activities at Oroville Dam and its facilities.

Golden Mussel Inspection Program

DWR is reminding the public that boat ramps at Lake Oroville are no longer open 24/7. Watercraft must be out of the water by ramp closing time or they will be locked into the facility overnight. Please plan ahead. More details about DWR's mussel inspection program are available at water.ca.gov/mussels.

Watercraft Inspection Location/Decontamination Services

North Thermalito Forebay at Garden Drive and HWY 70 in Oroville

Hours of operation: Daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sealed Vessel Launching

Lake Oroville

Ramp hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Spillway

Ramp hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Bidwell Canyon

Ramp hours: Monday-Thursday 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Lime Saddle

Ramp hours: Daily from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Loafer Creek/Loafer Point

Thermalito Afterbay

Ramp hours: Daily from 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset

• Monument Hill

Thermalito Forebay

Ramp Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to sunset

• North Forebay (Non-motorized vessels only)

Feather River Fish Monitoring Station

Between Jan. 30 and April 20, high flows in the Feather River required the temporary removal of fish monitoring equipment resulting in lower spring-run estimates. Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between Jan. 1 and Nov. 10, 2025 are:

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (April 16 through June 30): 17,712
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 41,492
• Steelhead: 1,249
• To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 768 feet elevation and storage is approximately 1.77 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 52 percent of its total capacity and 99 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 1,800 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 2,450 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 11:59 p.m. on 11/13/2025.