Lake Oroville Update - January 23, 2026

DWR Conserving Water Storage at Lake Oroville

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has reduced water releases from Oroville Dam as dry conditions continue throughout January in the Feather River watershed. DWR is conserving as much water as possible while continuing to meet federal guidelines for downstream flood protection. Between Dec. 20, 2025 and Jan. 22, 2026 Lake Oroville rose 87 feet in elevation and gained approximately 1 million acre-feet of water thanks to a series of strong storms in December.

Between mid-September and May, DWR is required to operate Lake Oroville for flood control under federal Water Control Manual Guidelines set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These federal regulations establish a set storage space that is reserved to capture inflows from rain and future snowmelt, while protecting downstream communities from damaging flood events through coordinated releases. To maintain this storage space, DWR conducts flood protection releases from Lake Oroville. Some of the water released from Oroville for flood control is captured downstream for beneficial uses by local landowners, communities, and the State Water Project. Releases from Oroville Dam also support Feather River habitat for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and other river species.

Releases to the Feather River are coordinated closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other downstream water operators. Feather River recreational users are advised to remain alert as river flows may change based on projected weather forecasts. 

The information below reflects current reservoir level estimates. Forecasts can change quickly and may affect the estimates provided. 

• Current Oroville Reservoir Level: 854 feet elevation 
• Current Storage: 81 percent of capacity
• Total Releases to the Feather River: 1,900 cubic feet per second (cfs); decreasing to 1,750 cfs on Saturday

The Lake Oroville reservoir is the largest storage facility in the State Water Project, providing flood protection while supporting environmental and water delivery needs to 27 million Californians. DWR continues to monitor lake levels, weather forecasts, and mountain snow levels to optimize water storage while allowing for carryover storage into next year. 

Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee

The Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee (ORAC) will hold a meeting on Friday, Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. at the Oroville Southside Community Center located at 2959 Lower Wyandotte Road, Oroville, CA, 95966.

ORAC was established by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review and provide recreation plan recommendations for Oroville Facilities owned by DWR. The 13-member committee is made up of representatives from state and local government, recreation groups, and business and community organizations.

Snow Goose Festival

Celebrate one of the greatest migratory bird pathways in the world at the Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway happening Jan. 22-25. The festival features a variety of activities throughout the four-day event, including guided field trips to view the waterfowl, raptors, and Snow Geese that migrate through the Northern Sacramento Valley during the winter months.

DWR’s Lake Oroville Visitor Center Guides will host a free educational booth featuring kids’ activities between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24 and Sunday, Jan. 25 at the Patrick Ranch Museum in Durham. Join festival attendees with visits to the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay, and Oroville Wildlife Area offering possible sightings of rough-legged hawks, ferruginous hawks, merlin, bald eagles, golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, burrowing owls, ducks, grebes, and other deep-water birds. Check out the Snow Goose Festival website for more details about activities, an avian art exhibit, and guided field trips during the four-day event.

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

With ongoing fluctuations in river flows due to required flood control releases from Oroville Dam, DWR has suspended operations of the Feather River fish monitoring station. Operation of the monitoring weir is expected to resume in early March to coincide with the return of spring-run Chinook salmon. To see fish count data from previous years, visit CalFish.org.

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 854 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.76 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 81 percent of its total capacity and 138 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 650 cfs through the City of Oroville with 1,250 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet for a total Feather River release of 1,900 cfs downstream. On Saturday, Jan. 24, releases from the Outlet will be reduced to 1,100 cfs for a total Feather River release of 1,750 cfs.  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 1/22/2026.