What River Feeds Lake Oroville

Oroville Dam and Lake Oroville lie in the foothills on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and are one mile downstream of the junction of the Feather River’s major tributaries. The lake stores winter and spring runoff that is released into the Feather River to meet the project’s needs.

Where does Lake Oroville get its water from?

Lake OrovillePrimary inflowsNorth Fork Feather River, Middle Fork Feather River, West Branch Feather River, South Fork Feather River, various other smaller streamsPrimary outflowsFeather RiverCatchment area3,950 square miles (10,200 km2)Basin countriesUnited States

What is causing Lake Oroville water level?

A recent series of storms that brought record-breaking amounts of snowfall to the Sierra Nevada boosted lake levels and provided colder water in the Lake Oroville reservoir, prompting the California Department of Water Resources to fire the facility back up for the first time in nearly five months.