OROVILLE — With the next couple of days looking rainy, releases from Lake Oroville could be adjusted pending weather conditions.
Currently, releases from Lake Oroville into the Feather River total at 10,000 cubic feet per second, said California Department of Water Resources spokesperson Raquel Borrayo, but could be adjusted.
“Releases from Oroville Dam’s main spillway range between 6,000-10,000 cfs, depending on the availability of Hyatt Powerplant for additional water release,” Borrayo said. “Total Feather River releases from the Oroville-Thermalito Complex remain at 10,000 cfs.”
Borrayo added that inflows into the lake, as of Tuesday, were between 12,000 and 16,000 cfs.
“Releases are coordinated closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other water operators and are adjusted as needed to account for continuing runoff,” Borrayo said. “Storage at Lake Oroville has increased by approximately 700,000 acre-feet since Jan. 1. DWR continues to monitor lake levels, weather forecasts, and mountain snow levels to optimize water storage at Lake Oroville and meet environmental requirements while allowing for carryover storage into next year.”
What started off as a rocky year for the California snowpack has seen a turnaround over the past month with the most recent reports, from Tuesday, showing that the snowpack is above average for the second season in a row.
DWR announced Tuesday that a survey conducted at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevadas showed 64 inches of snow, or a snow-water equivalent of 27.5 inches. According to a press release issued Tuesday by DWR, that’s 113% of the average for Phillips Station for this time of year.
“The focus now shifts to forecasting spring snowmelt runoff and capturing as much of that water as possible for future use,” the release said.
It is possible that future snow runoff could lead to increased outflows from the spillway.
As of Tuesday, Lake Oroville is at roughly 872 feet.
Weather ahead
A cold storm was forecasted to begin Wednesday evening and last through Friday.
Katrina Hand, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office, said the system will bring some rain to Northern California.
“We do have a late season storm system that is colder moving through this evening and continuing into Friday with some lower snow levels,” Hand said on Wednesday.
Hand said rain totals for Chico and surrounding valley areas are expected to be up to a quarter of an inch to half an inch with that chance being higher moving up into the foothills. Red Bluff is forecasted to get about three-tenths to half an inch, while Orland and Willows are potentially looking at .25-.35 inch of rain.
Additionally, the snow level could drop as low as 2,500 feet, with areas higher than Magalia seeing up to four inches of snow.
Hand said thunderstorms are also likely Thursday afternoon and evening, though wind likely won’t be a major factor with gusts only reaching about 25 miles per hour.