USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 11406800

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	00054 Reservoir storage(Obs.,Obs.)

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Water year 2023: 2022-10-01 to 2023-09-30

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USGS Water-Year Summary 2023

11406800 Lake Oroville near Oroville, CA

LOCATION - Lat 39°32'06", long 121°28'25" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in NE 1/4 SW 1/4 sec.01, T.19 N., R.4 E., Butte County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 18020123, near intake structure, at left end of Oroville Dam on Feather River, 1.0 mi downstream from North Fork Feather River, and 4.2 mi east of Oroville.

DRAINAGE AREA - 3,607 mi².

REVISIONS HISTORY - WDR US-2007: 2006 (monthly total evaporation), WDR US-2013: 2012 (monthly total evaporation).

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - November 1967 to current year.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 0.47 ft above NGVD of 1929 (levels by California Department of Water Resources). Contents based on capacity table in use since Sept. 21, 1967.

COOPERATION - Records were collected by California Department of Water Resources, under general supervision of the U.S. Geological Survey, in connection with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission project no. 2100. Contents not rounded to U.S. Geological Survey standards.

REMARKS - Reservoir is formed by an earth-fill dam with concrete chute-type sidehill spillway completed May 13, 1968; storage began Nov. 14, 1967. Usable capacity, 2,685,385 acre-ft, between elevations 640.0 ft, minimum power pool, and 900.0 ft, normal maximum pool. Dead storage, 852,192 acre-ft. Total capacity at normal maximum pool, 3,537,577 acre-ft; temporary detention storage occurred at times during construction; maximum was 155,200 acre-ft, Dec. 23, 1964. Contents based on capacity table dated October 1968. Water is released to Edward Hyatt Powerplant through penstock in left abutment of dam and to Palermo Canal (station 11406810) through concrete tunnel also in left abutment of dam. Three of the six turbines in the Edward Hyatt Powerplant are reversible and during periods of low power demand water is pumped at times from the river back into Lake Oroville. Records, excluding extremes, represent total contents at 2400 hours. Maximum inflow of 266,000 ft³/s during a 2-hour period Feb. 17, 1986. Prior to 2007, diversion through Kelly Ridge Powerplant was published with Miners Ranch Canal (station 11396310). See schematic diagrams showing diversions and storage from Feather River at Lake Oroville and South Fork Feather River Basin available from the California Water Science Center.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Prior to Oct. 1, 2008, maximum contents at 2400 hours, 3,536,000 acre-ft, June 4, 1973, gage height, 899.88 ft; minimum since initial storage began, 882,395 acre-ft, Sept. 7, 1977, gage height, 645.11 ft. Since Oct. 1, 2008, maximum contents, 3,539,315 acre-ft, June 25, 26, 2011, gage height, 900.11 ft.