Friday May 1, 2026
Action News Now —
The California Department of Water Resources says it is ending its invasive mussel inspection program at Lake Oroville, the Thermalito Forebay and the Thermalito Afterbay.
Effective Wednesday, DWR says watercraft inspections, decontamination services and seal checking at the Oroville facilities are no longer required. Blue Oroville seals are no longer required to launch watercraft and owners have permission to remove seals themselves, as inspectors will no longer be stationed at launch ramps.
DWR says they will also reopen facilities that were closed to trailered launching including those at the Thermalito Forebay and Thermalito Afterbay and launching access at Lake Oroville will once again be available 24 hours a day, every day.
At locations requiring the removal of physical barriers, additional time will be required for crews to fully reopen facilities.
The decision to implement an invasive mussel boat inspection program at DWR’s Oroville facilities in May 2025 was based on available information about how best to protect DWR infrastructure from golden mussel establishment.