Oroville Dam

1968 establishments in CaliforniaBuildings and structures in Butte County, CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Water Resources damsCalifornia State Water ProjectDams completed in 1968 ... and 13 more

Dams in CaliforniaDams in the Feather River basinDams with fish laddersEarth-filled damsEnergy infrastructure completed in 1968Feather RiverHydroelectric power plants in CaliforniaOroville, CaliforniaUnderground power stationsUnited States Army Corps of Engineers damsUse American English from February 2017Use mdy dates from February 2017Water in California

Oroville Dam is an earthfill embankment dam on the Feather River east of the city of Oroville, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of the Sacramento Valley. At 770 feet (235 m) high, it is the tallest dam in the U.S. and serves mainly for water supply, hydroelectricity generation, and flood control. The dam impounds Lake Oroville, the second-largest reservoir in California, capable of storing more than 3.5 million acre-feet (1.1×10^12 US gal; 4.3×109 m3).Built by the California Department of Water Resources, Oroville Dam is one of the key features of the California State Water Project (SWP), one of two major projects passed that set up California's statewide water system. Construction was initiated in 1961, and despite numerous difficulties encountered during its construction, including multiple floods and a major train wreck on the rail line used to transport materials to the dam site, the embankment was topped out in 1967 and the entire project was ready for use in 1968. The dam began to generate electricity shortly afterwards with completion of the Edward Hyatt Power Plant, then the country's largest underground power station. Since its completion in 1968, the Oroville Dam has allocated the flow of the Feather River from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta into the SWP's California Aqueduct, which provides a major supply of water for irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as municipal and industrial water supplies to coastal Southern California, and has prevented large amounts of flood damage to the area—more than $1.3 billion between 1987 and 1999. The dam stops fish migration up the Feather River and the controlled flow of the river; as a result, the Oroville Dam has affected riparian habitat. Multiple attempts at trying to counter the dam's impacts on fish migration have included the construction of a salmon/steelhead fish hatchery on the river, which began shortly after the dam was completed. In February 2017, the main and emergency spillways threatened to fail, leading to the evacuation of 188,000 people living near the dam. After deterioration of the main spillway largely stabilized and the water level of the dam's reservoir dropped below the top of the emergency spillway, the evacuation order was lifted.The main spillway was reconstructed by November 1, 2018, and water releases were successfully tested, up to 25,000 cu ft/s (710 m3/s), during April 2019.

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Oroville Dam
Oroville Dam Road,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude	Longitude
N 39.538888888889 °	E -121.48555555556 °

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Address

Oroville Dam Road

Oroville Dam Road
95966
California, United States
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Lake Oroville

Lake Oroville is a reservoir formed by the Oroville Dam impounding the Feather River, located in Butte County, northern California. The lake is situated 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the city of Oroville, within the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Known as the second-largest reservoir in California, Lake Oroville is treated as a keystone facility within the California State Water Project by storing water, providing flood control, recreation, freshwater releases to assist in controlling the salinity intrusion into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and protecting fish and wildlife. The lake is a popular nationally renowned bass fishing location, while coho salmon are stocked from the Feather River Fish Hatchery. This hatchery is a main component of Lake Oroville.

Oroville Dam crisis

In February 2017, heavy rainfall damaged Oroville Dam's main and emergency spillways, prompting the evacuation of more than 180,000 people living downstream along the Feather River and the relocation of a fish hatchery. Heavy rainfall during the 2017 California floods damaged the main spillway on February 7, so the California Department of Water Resources stopped the spillway flow to assess the damage and contemplate its next steps. The rain eventually raised the lake level until it flowed over the emergency spillway, even after the damaged main spillway was reopened. As water flowed over the emergency spillway, headward erosion threatened to undermine and collapse the concrete weir, which could have sent a 30-foot (10 m) wall of water into the Feather River below and flooded communities downstream. No collapse occurred, but the water further damaged the main spillway and eroded the bare slope of the emergency spillway.

Kelly Ridge, California

Kelly Ridge is a census-designated place in Butte County, northern California.

Oroville East, California

Oroville East or Kelly Ridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 8,280 at the 2010 census, down from 8,680 at the 2000 census. Most citizens are dependent on the commerce of Oroville, and the vast majority of high school students in Kelly Ridge (Oroville East) attend Las Plumas High School. The community of Kelly Ridge sits at Lake Oroville and offers direct access to boating, camping, fishing and a variety of water sports.

Mother Orange Tree

The Mother Orange Tree is the oldest living orange tree in Northern California. The California Historical Landmark is located at 400 Glen Drive in Oroville, California.

Lake Oroville State Recreation Area

Lake Oroville State Recreation Area (LOSRA) is a state park unit of California, United States, surrounding Lake Oroville, a reservoir on the Feather River. It is located in Butte County outside Oroville, California. The 29,447-acre (11,917 ha) park was established in 1967. The recreation area "includes Lake Oroville and the surrounding lands and facilities within the project area as well as the land and waters in and around the Diversion Pool and Thermalito Forebay, downstream of Oroville Dam."

Neals Diggins, California

Neals Diggins (also, Neals Diggings; later, Adamstown, Adamsville, and Adams Bar) is a former settlement and mining camp in Butte County, California, United States. It was located on the Feather River upstream of Oroville, on the opposite bank from Long's Bar. It was founded by Sam Neal, a local rancher, in 1848. Later that year, George Adams re-established the place and named it for himself.

Bidwell's Bar, California

Bidwell's Bar (also known as Bidwell Bar, and Bidwells Bar) was a gold mining camp in Butte County, California, United States, which lay at the end of the California Trail. It was located 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east-northeast of Oroville, at an elevation of 902 feet (275 m).

KARC-LP

KARC-LP is a radio station broadcasting an educational religious format on 96.3 FM out of Oroville, California. It is licensed by Calvary Chapel Oroville and it went on the air on July 15, 2015. with a range of about a mile and one-fifth. In early 2017, its application as a low power FM station for an FCC license to cover construction was accepted. However, as of September, 2023, it was listed as active but delinquent because it had not maintained its registration with the state.

Thompson Fire

The Thompson Fire was a fast-moving wildfire burning near the community of Oroville in Butte County, California, during the 2024 California wildfire season.

Oroville Hospital

Oroville Hospital provides health coverage to the City of Oroville. It is the main hospital for the city of Oroville, California. The building is the City of Oroville in Butte County. It is also a Level III trauma care center. The hospital was founded in 1962 and has grown from a modest community hospital supported by a small staff of doctors into a 133-bed acute care facility specializing in a broad range of inpatient and outpatient services, including multiple physician practices. Oroville Hospital is a private, non-profit corporation serving the Oroville area and Butte County by OroHealth Corporation.

Oroville High School

Oroville High School is a public high school located in the rural north valley at the base of the Sierra Nevada foothills, about seventy miles north of Sacramento, California, United States. Founded in 1892, Oroville High School is the oldest high school in the district. The campus covers 4 acres (16,000 m2). Of the 46 classrooms on campus, five have full functioning computer labs. The campus also has two computer labs and a library. In 2003, a school bond for $8,523,932 was passed, allowing for the construction of a new library, a science wing, and an industrial technology center. These funds were intended to convert older buildings on campus to an art building, a center for performing arts, and a more modern gymnasium. Despite the money set aside, all of these projects were shelved due to the extreme financial situation of the school district.