Oroville Dam and State Water Project

operational

Butte County has launched a new website to educate the public about the impact of the Oroville Dam and the State Water Project. The project involves capturing water from the Feather River, storing it in Lake Oroville, and sending it hundreds of miles south to support millions of people and farmland. The dam delivers water to 27 million Southern Californians, irrigates 750,000 acres of farmland in the Central Valley, and generates about 2.2 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power annually. The website also highlights economic challenges faced by local communities, including an estimated annual loss of more than $20 million tied to the dam, and a long-running dispute over incomplete recreation development around Lake Oroville.