California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The Spillway Boat Ramp and parking lots are now open to the public on a limited basis the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced last week. The ramp and parking lots will be open Friday through Sunday from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. and will be closed Monday through Thursday to accommodate ongoing construction.
DWR plans to open the Spillway Boat Ramp seven days a week this fall once major construction activities are completed, although access may be restricted again once construction ramps back up in spring 2020.
“We are thrilled to announce the reopening of the largest boat ramp facility at Lake Oroville,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “We want to thank the public for their patience during the Oroville spillways reconstruction as well as thank our partners, the California Highway Patrol, California State Parks and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, for their partnership to safely reopen this area.”
In addition to restoring access to the Spillway Boat Ramp and the Oroville Dam Crest Road, DWR is investing more than $30 million on a number of recreation improvement projects to enhance visitor access and experiences at the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area. Recreation improvement projects include permanent increases in parking, boat launching capacity and enhanced trailhead facilities.
New security measures have been implemented in coordination with local and state law enforcement agencies including the California Highway Patrol, Butte County Sheriff’s Office, California State Parks and Cal OES to ensure public safety at the Oroville facilities by reducing access to areas that may not be safe for the public due to ongoing construction work. Specific security upgrades include security cameras, fencing, pop-up gates and two security kiosks to ensure public safety and protect the public from areas off-limits for ongoing construction work. Vehicles may be subject to screenings or inspections by the CHP.
“We are honored to partner closely with DWR and other local and state agencies to restore public access to the Spillways Boat Launch Ramp,” said CHP Lieutenant Marc Stokes. “Over the coming weeks and beyond we are committed to ensuring the public receives the highest level of safety, service and security at these Lake Oroville State Recreation Area facilities.”
Lake Oroville has abundance of recreation areas for hiking, biking, boat launching and camping including Bidwell Canyon, Lime Saddle, Loafer Creek and more. A full list of recreation spots at Lake Oroville is available at https://water.ca.gov/What-We-Do/Recreation/Lake-Oroville-Recreation.
