Oroville Dam is the centerpiece and largest water storage
facility of the State Water Project. Located about 70 miles north
of Sacramento at the Feather River confluence, Oroville Dam
creates a reservoir that can hold 3.5 million acre-feet of water.
Features such as a fish barrier dam and pool at Oroville Dam made
the SWP one of the first major water projects built with
environmental protections as a major consideration.
Besides storing water, the dam also protects downstream residents
from the floodprone Feather River—the main feeder of the SWP— and
provides major water recreation facilities such as boating,
fishing and camping.
After sitting near capacity for almost a month, Lake Oroville
is beginning to slowly creep back down in water elevation as
the California Department of Water Resources steadily increases
outflows. Lake Oroville was reported at 896.35 feet in
elevation Monday and will likely lower more in the weeks to
come. DWR spokesperson Raquel Borrayo said the lake was once
again bolstered by a wet and snowy winter. “Thanks to
above-average precipitation and average snowpack levels in the
northern Sierra for the last three years, water levels at Lake
Oroville have been peaking in May and June and then slowly
declining to their low point around November,” Borrayo said.
Borrayo said the higher releases are sent into the Feather
River, though some of the water remains local. … On
Monday, inflows into Lake Oroville were estimated at 3,000
cubic feet per second.
Other reservoir and snowpack news around the West:
California’s second-largest reservoir (Lake
Oroville) reached full capacity for the third
year in a row Thursday, the first time it’s hit such a
record in its 57-year history. … Its latest
milestone comes as warming temperatures and snowmelt runoff
made its way into the Feather River watershed. … Water levels
are at 121% of the reservoir’s historical average for this time
of year, which is a similar trend among nearly all if the
state’s major reservoirs. With the exception of the San Luis
Reservoir, which is sitting at 94% of its historical capacity,
every major reservoir is above its average. The past wet
winter in California has bolstered snowpack accumulation and
cut detrimental drought conditions that have been persistent in
previous years.
California’s second-largest reservoir, Lake
Oroville, reached capacity Friday, hitting the high
water mark for the third straight year — a first for the
57-year-old reservoir. The milestone comes after a moderately
wet winter in California, with enough snow in the mountains,
particularly in the north, to melt and flush substantial water
into state reservoirs. This week, water storage in California’s
major reservoirs stood at a comfortable 116% of average for the
time of year, ensuring decent supplies for the rest of
2025. At Lake Oroville, about 70 miles north of Sacramento
in Butte County, water levels rose Friday morning to within
inches of the 900-foot elevation mark that state water managers
deem full pool, prompting notice that the reservoir had hit
capacity. At capacity, the lake holds 3.4 million acre-feet of
water, enough to supply more than 7 million households for a
year.
California’s snowpack is dwindling, and climate scientists
believe another record-breaking hot summer could be in the
cards, ramping up the possibility of an early fire season. The
state’s snowpack is at 14% of average peak snowpack, down from
96% on April 1 — the date snow scientists consider the height
of the snowpack, according to the state. The snowpack is
melting a little faster than usual, but state scientists said
the rate of snowmelt isn’t entirely abnormal. However, climate
scientists believe early snowmelt this year could be partly due
to human-caused climate change. Andy Reising, manager of the
California Department of Water Resources’ snow surveys and
water supply forecasting unit, said it’s important to
understand that snow is not melting uniformly across all
watersheds.
A boat going through the inspection process at the Thermalito
Forebay (at Lake Oroville) on Wednesday was
deemed positive for the golden mussel, an invasive species that
the California Department of Water Resources is trying to keep
away from local waterways. Inspections began on Monday at the
Forebay where boaters must go through a checkpoint where
workers thoroughly check the watercraft for standing water and
signs of the mussel. DWR issued a statement on Thursday that
said the mussel was found on a pontoon boat. According to the
statement, the boat was purchased on Wednesday morning by
residents of the Oroville area. The statement said the
watercraft had been away from the waters in the delta for “an
unknown period.” “Staff immediately contacted the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife for further inspection and
decontamination,” the release from DWR said.
Starting Monday, May 19, the Department of Water Resources
(DWR) will require mandatory watercraft inspections at the
Oroville Facilities to combat the invasive golden mussel. The
inspections aim to protect the State Water Project (SWP)
infrastructure. Watercraft inspections will take place at the
North Thermalito Forebay. The inspections are crucial for
maintaining the SWP, which serves 27 million Californians and
supports 750,000 acres of farmland annually. DWR
emphasizes the need to preserve local recreation and will not
close the reservoir. Lake Oroville will remain open, and DWR
encourages early inspections to avoid Memorial Day congestion.
The inspection program will require all trailered vessels and
personal watercraft to have a blue Oroville launch seal. This
seal ensures that the watercraft has not been in infested
waters since inspection.
With an uncertain future and a concerned public, new changes to
the state’s water control manual made their way before the
Butte County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday with the hope of
garnering favor for public safety. Oroville Mayor David Pittman
was joined by Oroville Dam Advisory Commissioner Robert Bateman
as they presented the proposed changes by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers to the board as well as their concerns about
potential flooding. As it stands, the spillway is graded to
handle flows up to 350,000 cubic feet per second, but that
doesn’t necessarily mean the levees downstream can sustain that
kind of force. “In 1997, we had a flow of 160,000 cubic feet
per second,” Pittman said. “At the Bedrock Park point, we had
leakage through the levee that were able to successfully flood
fight, but we don’t know how many times we can do that again.”
The California Department of Water Resources is telling boaters
to expect an invasive mussel inspection program in effect at
Lake Oroville by Memorial Day weekend. DWR said Friday that it
is still finalizing the details of the mandatory inspection
program for Lake Oroville, Thermalito Forebay and Thermalito
Afterbay. But staff have already begun placing concrete blocks
around Thermalito Afterbay to block access to unauthorized
launch areas and direct launching to Monument
Hill. … DWR said it is working with other lake
managers on a reciprocity program to allow boat owners to use
other lakes without the need for reinspection. The agency added
that it is working with Yuba Water Agency to put a similar plan
to Lake Oroville in place at New Bullards Bar in June.
… Contemplated for decades and gaining traction among
Republican lawmakers, the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation’s proposed Shasta Dam and Reservoir
Enlargement Project would boost the capacity of California’s
largest reservoir. Since President Donald Trump took office for
his second term, the federal government has not mounted any
public effort to raise the dam. But Trump has taken several
steps in that direction, including signing executive orders
instructing federal officials to waive environmental rules and
deliver more water to California growers. Last week, the dam
project appeared to get a push in the House Natural Resources
Committee’s budget reconciliation bill, with a designation of
$2 billion “for construction and associated activities that
increase the capacity of existing Bureau of Reclamation surface
water storage facilities.” Though the budget language does not
name Shasta Dam, experts say it’s precisely crafted to
facilitate the project.
Explore the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape while learning about the issues
associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
Water Education Foundation
2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205
Sacramento, CA 95833
Land and waterway managers labored
hard over the course of a century to control California’s unruly
rivers by building dams and levees to slow and contain their
water. Now, farmers, environmentalists and agencies are undoing
some of that work as part of an accelerating campaign to restore
the state’s major floodplains.
This tour guided participants on a virtual exploration of the Sacramento River and its tributaries and learn about the issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project.
The deadliest and most destructive
wildfire in California history had a severe impact on the water
system in the town of Paradise. Participants on our Oct. 2-4
Northern California
Tour will hear from Kevin Phillips, general manager of
Paradise Irrigation District, on the scope of the damages, the
obstacles to recovery and the future of the water district.
The Camp Fire destroyed 90 percent of the structures in Paradise,
and 90 percent of the irrigation district’s ratepayer base. The
fire did not destroy the irrigation district’s water storage or
treatment facilities, but it did melt plastic pipes, releasing
contaminants into parts of the system and prompting do-not-drink
advisories to water customers.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of Oroville Dam spillway
repairs.
This tour explored the Sacramento River and its tributaries
through a scenic landscape as participants learned about the
issues associated with a key source for the state’s water supply.
All together, the river and its tributaries supply 35 percent of
California’s water and feed into two major projects: the State
Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. Tour
participants got an on-site update of repair efforts on the
Oroville Dam spillway.
In 2017, it is likely that no other water story grabbed as many
headlines in California and across the country as the flood
incident at Oroville Dam, the centerpiece of the State Water Project and
its largest water storage facility.
On our upcoming Northern California
Tour, we will spend time at the Oroville Dam visitor’s
center and meet with California Department of Water Resources
staff. You’ll see drone footage from February’s flood
incident, learn the engineering background on what led to it, and
hear about plans to stabilize the spillway before the next winter
storms and to finalize repairs by 2018.
One of the wettest years in California history that ended a
record five-year drought has rejuvenated the call for new storage
to be built above and below ground.
In a state that depends on large surface water reservoirs to help
store water before moving it hundreds of miles to where it is
used, a wet year after a long drought has some people yearning
for a place to sock away some of those flood flows for when they
are needed.
California Natural Resources Agency Secretary John Laird said
Tuesday that the February crisis with the broken spillway at
Oroville Dam offers an “important opportunity” to assess the
safety of the more than 1,400 dams in the state.
“We really want to use the focus on this to look at the issue of
dam safety in California,” he said during a hearing of the Senate
Natural Resources and Water Committee. “We have the best
inspection program of the 50 states but it is clear we can do
better.”
Work crews repairing Oroville Dam’s damaged emergency spillway
are dumping 1,200 tons of rock each hour and using shotcrete to
stabilize the hillside slope, an official with the Department of
Water Resources told the California Water Commission today.
The pace of work is “round the clock,” said Kasey Schimke,
assistant director of DWR’s legislative affairs office.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch
poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural
hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants,
rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation.
Excellent for elementary school classroom use.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the State Water Project provides
an overview of the California-funded and constructed State Water
Project.
The State Water Project is best known for the 444-mile-long
aqueduct that provides water from the Delta to San Joaquin Valley
agriculture and southern California cities. The guide contains
information about the project’s history and facilities.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to California Water provides an
excellent overview of the history of water development and use in
California. It includes sections on flood management; the state,
federal and Colorado River delivery systems; Delta issues; water
rights; environmental issues; water quality; and options for
stretching the water supply such as water marketing and
conjunctive use. New in this 10th edition of the guide is a
section on the human need for water.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36-inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
Oroville Dam is the tallest in the
United States and impounds the largest reservoir in
California’s State Water
Project, which brings water to 27 million residents and
750,000 acres of farmland.
Completed in 1968, the 770-foot earthfill embankment impounds the
northern Sierra Nevada’s Feather River, creating a reservoir that
can hold 3.5 million acre-feet
of water.
This printed copy of Western Water examines California’s drought
– its impact on water users in the urban and agricultural sector
and the steps being taken to prepare for another dry year should
it arrive.
