Lake Oroville

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Lake Oroville

Location	Oroville, California (Northern California)
Coordinates	39.55° N 121.45° WCoordinates: 39.55° N 121.45° W
Lake type	Reservoir
Primary inflows	Feather River
Primary outflows	Feather River
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	15,810 acres (63.98 km²)
Water volume	3,537,580 acre feet (4.36 km³) maximum
Shore length¹	167 miles (269 km)
Surface elevation	900 ft (274 m)
Islands	Bloomer Island, Foreman Island
Settlements	Oroville
¹ Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Oroville is a large man-made reservoir lake in central Northern California in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

It is located east of the city of Oroville, California in Butte County. The lake has a capacity of 3,537,580 acre feet (4.36 km³) and is created by the Oroville Dam on the Feather River, only a mile (2 km) downstream of the meeting of the North, Middle and South forks. Completed in 1968, Oroville Dam is the tallest earthen dam located in the United States, measuring over 770 feet (235 m) high and 6,920 feet (2109 m) across. It was built by the California Department of Water Resources as part of the California State Water Project. The lake supplies water that is transported to the San Francisco Bay Area and southern portions of the state.

The dam houses the "Edward Hyatt Powerplant", an underground hydro-electric plant that was completed in 1967.^[1] Six generators are used to provide a maximum generating capacity of 819 mVA. The facility was named for Edward Hyatt, who was State Engineer (1927-1950) of the Division of Water Resources under the Department of Public Works.

The South Forebay of the lake is used by speed boats, personal water craft and hydroplanes. The North Forebay is reserved for non-motorized use only, such as sailing and windsurfing. The lake is a popular bass fishing destination, hosting several fishing tournaments each year.^[2]