Lake Oroville Water Releases Increased with Plans to Use Spillway Next Week
With major storms set to hit Northern California this weekend, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has begun increasing water releases from Lake Oroville to the Feather River to maintain flood control and protect downstream communities.
DWR is currently planning to start using Oroville Dam’s main spillway on Monday for additional flood control releases.
Lake Oroville, the largest reservoir in the State Water Project, is currently at 75% capacity, with a water elevation of 840 feet. Anticipating 50,000 to 120,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) of runoff into the reservoir early next week, DWR is planning to activate the main spillway on Monday for additional releases.
By Saturday, water releases will increase from 6,000 cfs to 12,000 cfs, with potential jumps to 35,000 cfs on Monday, depending on evolving forecasts.
Between October and April, DWR operates Lake Oroville under federal flood control guidelines, ensuring space is reserved for inflows from rain and snowmelt. While Southern California has remained dry, Northern California saw a boost in reservoir storage from a series of atmospheric river storms in November and December, raising the lake’s elevation by 64 feet.
DWR urges Feather River recreation users to be cautious as river flows will be swift and cold and may change with incoming storms. The agency is closely coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will provide an update on Monday, February 3 regarding future releases.
In February of 2017, the spillway capsized under water pressure, forcing the evacuations of 180,000 residents in the Butte County area. Since then, the spillway has gone through a $1 billion reconstruction.
