HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.25.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Lake Oroville Community Update - September 25, 2026.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening
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From:Clerk of the Board
To:Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Dubose, Teri; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan;
Kimmelshue, Tod; Kitts, Melissa; Krater, Sharleen; Lee, Lewis; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Simmons, Katie;
Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth
Cc:Loeser, Kamie; Cannon, Jamie
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Lake Oroville Community Update - September 25, 2026
Date:Friday, September 25, 2026 4:33:24 PM
Attachments:image001.png
Please see Board Correspondence -
Lewis LeeAdministrative Technician - ConfidentialButte County Administration25 County Center Drive, Suite 200 • Oroville, CA 95965T: 530.552.3326www.buttecounty.ca.gov | lelee@buttecounty.ca.gov
From: Department of Water Resources <DWRMedia@public.govdelivery.com>
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2026 2:17 PM
To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.ca.gov>
Subject: Lake Oroville Community Update - September 25, 2026
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Lake Oroville Community Update
September 25, 2026
Hatchery Fish Ladder Open
Chinook salmon are completing their life cycle and returning home to the Feather River to
lay eggs for the next generation of salmon. With their return, spawning activities have
begun at the Feather River Fish Hatchery with the fish ladder now open.
Visitors to the Hatchery’s fish barrier dam overlook area can view salmon congregating
and jumping in the Feather River and see them up close through the underwater viewing
window as they swim up the fish ladder. The overlook is located off Table Mountain
Boulevard, east of the green bridge and across from the main hatchery facility. The fish
ladder is expected to remain open through June 2027 for viewing opportunities.
The Feather River Fish Hatchery’s spawning operations rear millions of Chinook salmon
to be released every spring in the waters of the Feather River, San Pablo Bay, and San
Francisco Bay to support Central Valley and Pacific Ocean fisheries. DWR owns and
maintains the facility and provides funding to the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife (CDFW) for its spawning, rearing, and stocking operations.
Oroville Salmon Festival
Join DWR at the Oroville Salmon Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26! Visit our booth at the
Feather River Fish Hatchery from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We will have educational materials on
water safety, a salmon gyotaku fish printing activity, and a photo opportunity. DWR Guides
will also be giving free tours of the Hatchery, where DWR and the California Department
of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) raise Chinook salmon and steelhead to improve fish
populations throughout the state.
Other Salmon Festival activities include the Motor Mania Car Show, Salmon Run, a food
and beer garden, Kid’s Zone, and numerous shopping opportunities and vendor booths in
downtown Oroville. DWR has also partnered with the Oroville State Theater to showcase
videos about efforts to support vital salmon habitat restoration, fish health, and population
growth.
View the full Salmon Festival schedule at Visit Oroville.
Feather River Floating Classroom
Feather River Floating Classroom raft tours are returning this fall! Sponsored and
developed by DWR, the Floating Classroom program guides participants through Feather
River spawning habitat while DWR and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
scientists describe Chinook salmon conservation efforts supported by the State Water
Project. Discussion topics include ongoing and planned research, restoration and
monitoring projects, and fisheries management activities.
Free floating classroom tours start Sunday, Sept. 27 during the Salmon Festival weekend,
followed by tours each Saturday between Oct. 3 and Nov. 7. Each weekend will have two
public tours with limited seats. Tickets will be released each Friday, approximately two
weeks in advance of each tour, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis with
up to four free tickets available per person each fall. Reserve your FREE floating
classroom ticket(s) on Eventbrite.
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 September 14, 2026, are:
Spring-run Chinook salmon (March 4 through June 30): 8,509
Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 9,573
Steelhead: 73
To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.
Current Lake Operations
Lake Oroville is at 761 feet elevation and storage is approximately 1.70 million acre-feet
(MAF), which is 50 percent of its total capacity and 88 percent of the historical average.
Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with
releases from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet at 7,350 cfs for a total Feather River
release of 8,000 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.”
All data as of 11:59 p.m. on 9/24/2026.
California Department of Water Resources
715 P Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Call our general information line at 916-820-8142
or email us at oroville@water.ca.gov
Contact Us
Stay Connected with the California Department of Water Resources
This email was sent to clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net from the California Natural Resources Agency
utilizing Granicus Communications Cloud. California Natural Resources Agency, 715 P Street, Sacramento,
CA 95814
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