Tuesday May 7, 2024
KRCR —
Lake Oroville has reached full capacity! The California Department of Water Resources (CA DWR) broke the news on their social media Monday, saying, “this is great news for ensuring water supply for millions of Californians.”
As of midnight on Sunday, May 5, CA DWR’s California Data Exchange Center says Lake Oroville is sitting at 899.01 feet, with 3.52 million acre-feet (AF) of storage—772,564 AF over its historical average for this time of year. Comparatively, at this same time last year, Lake Oroville sat at 55% of its total capacity, with 1.93 million AF of water.
“Throughout April, DWR decreased total releases from Lake Oroville to account for reduced inflows into the reservoir, while optimizing storage for the benefit of water supply, recreation, and fish and wildlife enhancement,” the CA DWR wrote in their press release on Friday. “DWR coordinates releases closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other water operators and adjusts releases as needed to maintain balance throughout the water system.