Lake Oroville Community Update - September 29

New Spillway Day Use Area Hours

With the end of summer and shorter daylight hours approaching, the Spillway Day Use Area will have reduced hours. Beginning Sunday, Oct. 1, the Spillway Day Use Area and Boat Ramp will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. These reduced hours will remain in effect through April 30, 2024. Vehicles may remain in the parking lot overnight but will be prohibited from exiting. 

All vehicles and trailers heading to the Spillway Day Use Area are subject to inspection by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for security purposes. There are three other boat ramps at Lake Oroville that are open 24 hours a day and do not entail CHP inspections: Bidwell Canyon, Loafer Point, and Lime Saddle.

Oroville Salmon Festival

DWR had a great time supporting the City of Oroville’s Salmon Festival celebrating the migration of native Chinook salmon in the Feather River. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our educational booth and took a free tour of the Feather River Fish Hatchery. DWR staff estimated that approximately 600 children and adults participated in DWR-led tours of the Hatchery, where Chinook salmon and steelhead are raised to improve fisheries populations throughout the state.

DWR also partnered with the Oroville State Theater to showcase videos about efforts to support vital salmon habitat restoration, fisheries health, and population growth. Many also saw salmon up close as they paddled down the river with rafting tours featuring DWR biologists who shared information about the salmonid life cycle and Feather River. Tickets for this unique experience are still available. Reserve your Floating Classroom Tour Tickets on Eventbrite.

To learn more about what DWR is doing year-round to support Feather River fish populations, visit our Storymap webpage.

Maintenance Work on Main Spillway Underway

DWR is performing routine concrete and sealant repair work on localized areas of the spillway identified during annual inspections. 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. In 2023, Oroville Dam’s main spillway has passed over 2,370,000 acre-feet of water – approximately 67 percent of the capacity of Lake Oroville – with flows up to 36,000 cubic feet per second this spring.

Construction work is expected to continue through Nov. 15, but is dependent on weather and Oroville Dam operations. DWR will monitor reservoir levels and weather forecasts closely and will complete repair work early if spillway releases are required for flood control.

Approximately 500 square-feet of total concrete repairs are anticipated, representing less than 0.1 percent of the spillway’s surface. DWR will also replace joint sealant at select chute slab and wall joints that wear over time due to the spillway’s environment and inspect 51,000 feet of piping that supports the spillway’s improved drainage system.

The spillway was rebuilt to the highest engineering and safety standards with oversight and guidance by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), 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.

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