Lake Oroville Update - August 21, 2026

DWR is offering free toddler time events this summer for children ages 2-5 at the Lake Oroville Visitor Center. Join us Tuesday, August 25 from 10 to 11 a.m. for free crafts and toddler-friendly activities. August’s event will feature DWR’s newest water safety film, Albert and Einstein’s Water Safety Adventure, a trip to the viewing tower, and a lazy river craft activity. 

The Lake Oroville Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Staffed by knowledgeable guides, the Visitor Center features interpretive displays on Oroville Dam, area geology, wildlife and habitat, hydroelectric power, and cultural and historical artifacts. Visitors can watch videos in the theater about the construction of Oroville Dam, walk or hike along nearby trails, and visit the 47-foot-tall observation tower that provides unsurpassed panoramic views of surrounding areas. Free guided tours for school and community groups are available by reservation. Parking and admission to the Visitor Center are free.  

Lakeside Access Road Now Open

Lake Oroville’s water elevation has lowered enough to allow DWR to reopen the Lakeside Access Road, providing daily access to the Spillway Boat Ramp and Day Use Area around the clock. Construction of the Lakeside Access Road was completed in 2022 and provides a direct route to the Spillway Day Use Area from Oroville Dam Crest Road without requiring visitors to pass through vehicle or watercraft screenings. The screening kiosk is now closed with Lakeside Access Road’s reopening.

PHOTO COLLECTION: Gravel Project Supports Feather River Fish Habitat

8/6/2026 – A DWR salmonid habitat improvement project placed approximately 8,000 cubic yards of salmon spawning gravel in the most heavily utilized spawning locations in the lower Feather River in Oroville. View the photo gallery on Pixel.

Feather River Fish Monitoring Station 

DWR resumed operations of the Feather River fish monitoring station on March 4, 2026, to capture the return of spring-run Chinook salmon. Monitoring was temporarily suspended at the end of December 2025 due to anticipated high flows in the Feather River. Upstream migrating fish totals between March 4 and August 17, 2026, are:   

Lake Oroville is at 804 feet elevation and storage is approximately 2.17 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 63 percent of its total capacity and 99 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 850 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with releases from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet at 7,150 cfs for a total Feather River release of 8,000 cfs downstream. 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 8/20/2026.