​Restaurant Week is in full swing in Butte County this week thanks to Explore Butte County. Head to your favorite local restaurants to try their delicious pairings. In Oroville, you can experience a delicious pairing at Miner's Alley Brewing Company and The Exchange. There is also the opportunity to win some gift cards.

For a full list of participating restaurants and event details, Click Here.

For more information on Oroville's signature events, head to VisitOroville.com.

January 17, 2020Lake Oroville Community UpdateDWR Completes Spillway-Release Siren Testing at Oroville Dam’s Main Spillway
On Wednesday, January 15, DWR completed its first scheduled testing of new spillway-release sirens near the Oroville Dam’s main spillway. The spillway-release sirens are not used to alert the community of an emergency. They indicate to nearby employees and visitors that releases down Oroville Dam’s main spillway are about to begin, which can cause water levels in the Diversion Pool to rise. Moving forward, the spillway-release sirens will be tested monthly.
DWR Installation of New Lighting on Main Spillway Is Successfully Completed
Oroville residents may have seen Oroville Dam’s main spillway lit up at night this week for the continuous 72-hour testing period required by the manufacturer. The lights are now fully functioning and will be used intermittently based on operational needs and any future testing requirements.
Oroville Field Division Successfully Removes over 20 Acres of Debris from Lake Oroville
Oroville Field Division (OFD) maintenance crews successfully completed a controlled burn project in a remote cove on the Feather River’s South Fork arm of Lake Oroville this week. Over 20 acres of logs, branches and other floating debris collected this past spring from the reservoir was gathered into small piles for burning. The effort to collect, transport and dispose of floating debris from the 15,810-acre reservoir (when full) is a yearly effort for OFD crews.
Current Lake Operations

The elevation of Oroville’s reservoir is about 794 feet and storage is about 2.1 million acre-feet. Daily average inflows to the lake have ranged between approximately 2,745 cfs (cubic feet per second) to 4,420 cfs over the past week.
Cloudy conditions are expected through the weekend with continued cloudy conditions and a chance of rain and snow Monday through Wednesday during the week of January 20. Currently, in the Northern Sierra Basin rainfall is below average, at 61 percent of normal, and snowpack is also below average, measuring 77 percent of normal for this time of year.
Water is being released from Lake Oroville at a rate of about 2,500 cfs. Water from the reservoir is being used locally for rice stubble decomposition and to support waterfowl habitat and is also being used to meet Feather River flow and environmental requirements in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Releases to the Feather River are 2,000 cfs, with about 800 cfs flowing through the City of Oroville and 1,200 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet. A slight reduction of total releases to Feather River, below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet, are projected during the week of January 20 for conservation purposes. 
All data as of midnight 1/16/20

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Know someone who would like to receive Community Updates? They can email their request to oroville@water.ca.gov.

For more information on local recreation, head to LakeOroville.net

January 3, 2020Lake Oroville Community UpdateNew Recreation Improvement Project Begins at Lake Oroville's Loafer Point
The first of two projects to improve recreation and public access at Lake Oroville’s Loafer Creek State Recreation Area began last week at Loafer Point near the Loafer Creek Day Use Area. The $5 million Loafer Point Boat Ramp Facility Stage One project will include construction of a 92-stall parking area with lighting, a new restroom facility, three new boat launch lanes and one boarding float lane. The boat launch lanes will provide access to Lake Oroville at lake elevations of 900 feet to 800 feet. The project is anticipated to be completed by August 2020. A project to construct a second stage parking lot and boat ramp, for launching at lower water levels, is also being planned.
For public safety, the Day Use Area at Loafer Creek will be closed until approximately mid-April, depending on weather. The public is advised to be aware of construction equipment and activities and abide by all restricted-area signage.
Donate Your Christmas Tree for Lake Oroville Fish Habitat
The Oroville Boy Scouts Troop 29 will be collecting Christmas trees this Saturday, January 4, at 1426 Safford Street in Oroville. The trees will be recycled into prime habitat for fish and other wildlife at Lake Oroville and the Thermalito Afterbay through a partnership between DWR, area Boy Scouts troops, Recology and the California Conservation Corps. The Chico Boy Scouts Troop 2 will begin their collection on January 11. All trees must have all ornaments removed and flocked trees are not able to be accepted. DWR’s over 25 years of work with local groups to construct fish habitat structures at Lake Oroville is one of the longest continuously running fish habitat improvement programs in the State of California.
New Traffic Calming Devices Installed at Spillway Boat Ramp Access Road
Motorists returning to Lake Oroville’s Spillway Boat Ramp area will notice the temporary rubber traffic calming devices, or speed bumps, near the security kiosks have been replaced. The new, permanent speed bumps will maintain traffic safety while providing improved travel, particularly for visitors towing boats or trailers. Motorists are encouraged to be alert and abide by all speed limit restrictions.
Oroville Field Division Continues Controlled Burns in Lake Oroville Cove
Oroville Field Division (OFD) maintenance crews are currently conducting controlled burning in a remote cove on the Feather River’s South Fork arm of Lake Oroville. Throughout the year, OFD crews collect logs, branches and other floating debris carried into Lake Oroville from the three forks of the Feather River to the remote cove. After the first rains of the season, crews gather the logs into small piles for burning. The public is advised to use caution if visiting the area. These controlled burns will continue until all of the debris is removed.
DWR Installation of New Lighting on Main Spillway to Occur in 2020
Following manufacturer’s instructions, new lighting installed on Oroville Dam’s main spillway will remain on for a continuous 72-hour period as part of activation testing. It’s anticipated this testing period will take place in mid-January. The public’s patience is appreciated as DWR complies with the lights’ activation requirements. After testing is complete, the lights will then be used intermittently based on operational needs.
Current Lake Operations
The elevation of Oroville reservoir is about 790 feet and storage is just over 2 million acre-feet. Daily average inflows to the lake have ranged between approximately 3,732 cfs (cubic feet per second) to 4,140 cfs over the past week.
Extremely light amounts of rain and snow are forecasted through the weekend and chances of additional light amounts of rain and snow during the week of Jan. 6 are also possible.
Water is being released from Lake Oroville at a rate of about 2,500 cfs. Water from the reservoir is being used locally for rice stubble decomposition and to support waterfowl habitat and is also being used to meet Feather River flow and environmental requirements in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Releases to the Feather River were decreased from 2,300 cfs to 2,000 cfs last week for conservation of storage, with 800 cfs flowing through the City of Oroville and 1,200 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet.
*all reservoir data as of midnight 1/2/20

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Know someone who would like to receive Community Updates? They can email their request to oroville@water.ca.gov.

For more information on local recreation, head to LakeOroville.net

FRRPD WILDFLOWER & NATURE FESTIVAL 2020
 
Feather River Recreation and Park District is happy to announce the return of our annual Wildflower & Nature Festival! This year’s festival is on Saturday, April 4th. The event runs from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM and will be held at Riverbend Park in Oroville. Booth registration has already started! Last year we had over 3 thousand people in attendance and we expect this year to be even better! This is a rain or shine event.
 
The Wildflower & Nature Festival shines a spotlight on our local beauty. This event is centered around the nature of Butte County. The festival will be free admission and will have tons of fun activities to offer for all ages. We will have children’s craft and game area, live music, and more! Local businesses and organizations may reserve booth space to sell handmade and natural items or provide appropriate information and materials to guests. We will also have a Food Truck Alley for food vendors. This year we are partnering with United Way of Northern California who will be holding a 5k Color Run the morning of the event. The race will begin at 10:00 AM to kick off the festival!
 
If you are interested in participating as a vendor, you can download the application here:
https://www.frrpd.com/wildflower-and-nature-festival or print out the application attached to this email. You can mail in your application and payment or come down and visit us at the Activity Center at 1875 Feather River Blvd. in Oroville. Booth space is limited so turn in your application as quickly as possible.
 
If you have any questions or concerns regarding whether or not you would be a good fit please feel free to contact me directly so we can go over your products and values. For more festival information visit our website at www.FRRPD.com. We look forward to partnering with you and holding an amazing event!


For more information on Oroville's signature community events, head to VisitOroville.com