![The California Department of Water Resources begins the first 2024 water release from the Lake Oroville flood control gates down the main spillway in Butte County, California. Main spillway releases will continue to manage lake levels in anticipation of rain and snowmelt. Photo taken January 31, 2024.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Oroville/2024_01_31_AN_080322_Oroville_Spillway.jpg?mw=200&hash=7F4B949385B202A35B374A645C37854B)
DWR Updates
![The California Department of Water Resources begins the first 2024 water release from the Lake Oroville flood control gates down the main spillway in Butte County, California. Main spillway releases will continue to manage lake levels in anticipation of rain and snowmelt. Photo taken January 31, 2024.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Oroville/2024_01_31_AN_080322_Oroville_Spillway.jpg?mw=200&hash=7F4B949385B202A35B374A645C37854B)
![A drone view of the California Conservation Corps (CCC) constructing fish habitat structures which will provide juvenile fish safe refuge at Lake Oroville, California using recycled Christmas trees near Bidwell Canyon Marina on January 30, 2024.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Oroville/2024_01_30_AN_0009_Christmas_Trees_Oroville_DRONE.jpg?mw=200&hash=F337A5752093E29D320E61F8ECA6F51F)
Set into the banks of the Sacramento River as it winds its way south from its Mount Shasta headwaters are six large concrete structures which, despite their size, go largely unnoticed until the rains come and the river rises, threatening floods.
![Glen Gordon, engineering geologist with the California Department of Water Resources, measures groundwater levels at a designated monitoring well in Colusa County on March 17, 2016.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Groundwater/KG_GW_well_measure_42084.jpg?mw=200&hash=E356EC00D934A673B00C05E50860516B)
California’s historic effort to bring sustainability to the state’s critically important groundwater basins revealed an increased need for new and easily accessible groundwater data and tools to help local agencies better understand and manage their groundwater basins.
The Department of Water Resources, along with its Tribal, state, and federal partners, are testing a pilot project that will help with the reintroduction of juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon, an endangered species, to the McCloud River.
![A drone provides an aerial view of the California Department of Water Resources first 2024 water release from the Lake Oroville flood control gates down the 3,000-foot main spillway in Butte County, California. Main spillway releases will continue to manage lake levels in anticipation of rain and snowmelt. Photo taken January 31, 2024.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Oroville/2023_01_31_XM_101252_Oroville_Spillway.jpg?mw=200&hash=BE85DEE0F09882711C90950217639702)
The Department of Water Resources began releasing water from Oroville Dam’s main spillway at 8 a.m. today.
![Lake Oroville water levels on January 30, 2024.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Blogs/Images/01302024-Lake-Oroville-Water-Level.jpg?mw=200&hash=F4CBCA39191C4464A716E6507D8647D8)
Ahead of forecasted winter storms this week, DWR began increasing water releases to the Feather River today from the Oroville-Thermalito Complex.
![](/-/media/DWR-Images/Oroville/2023_10_02_FG_0072_Drone_Lake_Levels.jpg?mw=200&hash=B3B71DEFA58C2CF56D3D9EEBBBCC9BD0)
![Graphic displaying Go Golden project information in California in 2023](/-/media/DWR-Images/Data-graphic/Go-Golden-2023-EOY-Graphics_GG-Overview_X.png?mw=200&hash=D07B2BF9F6A405119E756FF37268EC9D)
In February 2023, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) launched the Go Golden Initiative to highlight partnerships between the State and local organizations and water agencies to fund bold and innovative projects that strengthen California’s water infrastructure and build community resilience.