State Water Project
Information About
Oroville Dam and Lake Oroville lie in the foothills on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, one mile downstream of the junction of the Feather River's major tributaries.
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The lake stores winter and spring runoff which is released into the Feather River to meet the Project's needs. It also provides pumped-storage capacity, 750,000 acre-feet of flood control storage, recreation, and freshwater releases to control salinity intrusion in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and for fish and wildlife protection.
Construction first began in 1957 to relocate what is now Highway 70 and the Union Pacific Railroad. Work on the dam site began in 1961. The embankment was topped out in 1967, and the official dedication ceremony was held the next year.
Oroville Dam
| Type | zoned earthfill |
| Embankment volume | 80,000,000 cubic yards |
| Height | 770 feet (highest in U.S.) |
| Crest length | 6,920 feet |
| Crest elevation | 922 feet |
| Crest width | 50.6 feet |
Lake Oroville
| Maximum Operating Storage (mos) | 3,537,580 acre-feet |
| Water Surface Elevation @ mos | 900 feet |
| Water Surface Area @ mos | 15,810 acres |
| Shoreline @ mos | 167 miles |