Lake Oroville levels reach historic low, impacting recreation
In a year already plagued by pandemic and wildfires, Californians are also entangled with the crippling effect of drought. “Every year, there seems to be a disaster and issues,” lamented California State Parks Public Safety Chief Aaron Wright, who responded to help Oroville through the Camp Fire and many other crises. In 2017, hundreds of thousands of lives were threatened when massive flooding damaged the Oroville Dam. Today, changing weather conditions have created a stark contrast from years ago: Hot temperatures and low rainfall have left miles of dusty, cracked shorelines exposed. “It’s just sad, it’s hard for the communities,” Wright said. “The park visitors keep getting impacted.”Dozens of empty boats sit high and dry on stacks of wood in a storage yard adjacent to the lake. The once-bustling landscape of Lake Oroville, dotted with fishermen, families and kayakers, now diminished to a few dozen houseboats drifting quietly on the water. “What we are seeing is people who have houseboats, have trouble going out and checking on them, and utilizing their investments,” Wright said. “These houseboats range from $50,000 to $1,000,000. Those are investments you want to access on the water.”People trying to get their houseboats on Lake Oroville can no longer do so on their own, as all boat launch areas are now closed due to low water levels. Staff at the Bidwell Canyon Marina built a small makeshift dock to pick up passengers and shuttle them to their houseboats. All lake recreation must end by sunset. Before, there was 24-hour access. “I’ve been in California my whole life and I’ve never seen it that low,” said Mark Russell, who drove to visit Oroville Dam with his family from Fairfield.He remembers a very different Lake Oroville from ten years ago.”The water was actually all the way in the parking lot and I had to go on my knees to get to the boat ramp,” he said. Anyone visiting now would see quite the opposite. “Droughts are unfortunately becoming more and more the norm,” Russell said. “It’s sad, you know.”The low lake levels are also affecting local wildlife. Wright observed that animals like the deer are having to travel much further down from the shelter of the treeline to find water, making them more vulnerable to predators. The hotter water temperatures are also expected to affect the endangered salmon population.The lake is at its lowest level since September 1977.
In a year already plagued by pandemic and wildfires, Californians are also entangled with the crippling effect of drought.
“Every year, there seems to be a disaster and issues,” lamented California State Parks Public Safety Chief Aaron Wright, who responded to help Oroville through the Camp Fire and many other crises.
In 2017, hundreds of thousands of lives were threatened when massive flooding damaged the Oroville Dam. Today, changing weather conditions have created a stark contrast from years ago: Hot temperatures and low rainfall have left miles of dusty, cracked shorelines exposed.
“It’s just sad, it’s hard for the communities,” Wright said. “The park visitors keep getting impacted.”
Dozens of empty boats sit high and dry on stacks of wood in a storage yard adjacent to the lake. The once-bustling landscape of Lake Oroville, dotted with fishermen, families and kayakers, now diminished to a few dozen houseboats drifting quietly on the water.
“What we are seeing is people who have houseboats, have trouble going out and checking on them, and utilizing their investments,” Wright said. “These houseboats range from $50,000 to $1,000,000. Those are investments you want to access on the water.”
People trying to get their houseboats on Lake Oroville can no longer do so on their own, as all boat launch areas are now closed due to low water levels. Staff at the Bidwell Canyon Marina built a small makeshift dock to pick up passengers and shuttle them to their houseboats.
All lake recreation must end by sunset. Before, there was 24-hour access.
“I’ve been in California my whole life and I’ve never seen it that low,” said Mark Russell, who drove to visit Oroville Dam with his family from Fairfield.
He remembers a very different Lake Oroville from ten years ago.
“The water was actually all the way in the parking lot and I had to go on my knees to get to the boat ramp,” he said.
Anyone visiting now would see quite the opposite.
“Droughts are unfortunately becoming more and more the norm,” Russell said. “It’s sad, you know.”
The low lake levels are also affecting local wildlife. Wright observed that animals like the deer are having to travel much further down from the shelter of the treeline to find water, making them more vulnerable to predators. The hotter water temperatures are also expected to affect the endangered salmon population.
The lake is at its lowest level since September 1977.
