Warning: Javascript must be enabled to use all the features on this page!


Page Loading - Please Wait...

Click to hideNews Bulletins

Water-Year Summary for Site 11406870

Click to hide Water-Year Summary instructions and information
  • Water-Year Summary reports summarize a year of hydrologic data in a printer-friendly format.
  • For water years 2014 onward, choose a water year and parameter and an on-demand Water-Year Summary report will be generated.
  • For water years 2006 through 2013, choose a water year and an Annual Water Data Report will be provided.
  • For water years 2005 and earlier, Annual Water Data Reports may be available in digital format.
  • Not all sites have reports available for every water year.
Available Parameters
00054 Reservoir storage(Obs.)  

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

Print this page
USGS Water-Year Summary 2023
11406870 Thermalito Afterbay near Oroville, CA
LOCATION - Lat 39°27'30", long 121°38'17" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in NE 1/4 SE 1/4 sec.33, T.19 N., R.3 E., Butte County, CA, Hydrologic Unit 18020106, at dam, 195 ft northeast of centerline of outlet structure, and 5.7 mi southwest of Oroville.
SURFACE-WATER RECORDS
PERIOD OF RECORD - October 1967 to current year.

WATER TEMPERATURE: Water year 1968.
GAGE - Water-stage recorder. Datum of gage is 100.47 ft above NGVD of 1929 (levels by California Department of Water Resources). Auxiliary water-stage recorder 90 ft southwest of centerline of Western Canal outlet and 7.2 mi west of Oroville.
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 completed in 1967. Diversion from the reservoir began Oct. 12, 1967. Usable capacity, 61,144 acre-ft, between gage heights 120.0 and 139.0 ft, extreme operating levels. Normal operating range is from 123 to 136.5 ft. Contents based on capacity table dated October 1968. Water is released to four canals (stations 11406880, 11406890, 11406900, and 11406910) and to the Feather River (station 11406920) from the reservoir. Total maximum release to the four canals is approximately 4,000 ft³/s. Water is pumped, at times, from Thermalito Afterbay back into Thermalito Forebay (station 11406840) during off-peak periods to be re-released through Thermalito Powerplant for power generation during peak-demand periods. On Nov. 22, 2012, fire destroyed the powerplant and it is now under restoration. Records, excluding extremes, represent total contents at 2400 hours. See schematic diagram showing diversions and storage from Feather River at Lake Oroville available from the California Water Science Center.
EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Prior to Oct. 1, 2008, maximum contents at 2400 hours, 57,300 acre-ft, May 24, 1969, gage height, 136.56 ft; minimum since initial operation began, 5,590 acre-ft, Mar. 1, 1968, gage height, 119.09 ft. Since Oct. 1, 2008, maximum contents, 55,160 acre-ft, Mar. 27, 2010, gage height 136.06.