Oroville–Thermalito Complex

Oroville-Thermalito Complex
--Location--
Region:	Northern California
Nearest City(s):	Oroville & Thermalito, CA
--Details--
Main Source:	Lake Oroville
Other Sources:	Feather River, Ground Run-off
Opened/Operations Began:	1968-1969

Overview

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The Oroville-Thermalito Complex is a group of facilities and structures located in and around the city of Oroville, California. The complex serves as the headwaters for, and therefore is the most vital facility, of the California Department of Water Resources' State Water Project, the world's largest publicly built and operated water and power development and conveyance system.

The Oroville-Thermalito Complex was designed as an efficient water and power system. It stores about 3.5 million acre-feet and generates power from releases made through Hyatt Powerplant and two other Thermalito generating plants. A special fish barrier dam was built to lead salmon and steelhead, returning to spawn, into the Feather River Fish Hatchery.

Water released from Lake Oroville is used to produce electricity by Hyatt Powerplant, located in the bedrock beneath Oroville Dam. Water can either enter the Feather River or be diverted by the Thermalito Diversion Dam. Water diverted is used to generate power by the one-unit Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant.

From there the water enters the Thermalito Power Canal and flows into Thermalito Forebay. At the end of the forebay, water enters the Thermalito Afterbay and is used by the Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant to produce electricity. The plant can also pump water back to the lake to be reused for power generation at Hyatt Powerplant.

Facilities

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• Lake Oroville
• Oroville Dam
  • Edward Hyatt Power Plant
  • Oroville Dam Spillway
• Thermalito Diversion Pool
• Thermalito Diversion Dam
  • Thermalito Power Canal
  • Thermalito Forebay
  • Forebay Pumping-Generating Power Plant
  • Thermalito Afterbay
• Fish Barrier Dam
• Feather River Fish Hatchery
• Feather River