Posted on August 28, 2026
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. — Nearly eight years after the Camp Fire, sediment continues to reduce storage capacity at Concow Reservoir, prompting the Thermalito Water and Sewer District to seek state funding for a major dredging project estimated to cost $50 million to $55 million.
The reservoir is the primary drinking water source for about 12,200 residents in the Thermalito community.
“As a lot of people know, after the Camp Fire, about eighty-five percent of Concow Reservoir’s watershed burned, and we’ve seen significant sediment coming into our reservoir, erosion during rainstorms and things like that,” said Chris Heindel, district engineer for the Thermalito Water and Sewer District.
“As the reservoir fills up with sediment, it’s displacing our ability to store that water,” he said.
The district is proposing to remove about 900,000 cubic yards of sediment. Heindel said that represents roughly 2,000 acre-feet of water storage capacity that has been displaced since the Camp Fire, though he said removing the sediment would not restore all of the reservoir’s historical capacity.
“We’re proposing to remove about 900,000 cubic yards of sediment. That won’t be the full 2,000 acre feet that we’ve lost. We’re just trying to remove the impact that we’ve had since the Camp Fire,” Heindel said.
The reservoir has been in place since 1923, and some sediment buildup predates the Camp Fire.
The district is working through permitting and regulatory requirements to make the project “shovel-ready” while seeking funding through Proposition 4. Heindel said the district has been working with Sen. Megan Dahle, Assemblyman James Gallagher and members of the Senate Budget Committee to emphasize the project’s importance and seek funding for rural California.
Heindel said the district has performed annual maintenance by lowering the reservoir’s water level and removing as much sediment as possible from the outer portions, but a larger dredging effort is now needed. He said delaying action could make the problem more difficult and expensive.
The longer we go without addressing this project, it can, it’ll continue to displace more water as more sediment comes in,” Heindel said.
Heindel said reduced storage capacity could affect the district’s ability to fight fires, maintain drought resilience and provide drinking water, though he emphasized the sediment buildup is not currently preventing the district from delivering water.
“It’s not like something that is preventing us from providing water right now, but it is just gonna get worse and worse and more expensive as the years go on without addressing it,” he said.
The district does not have a specific deadline for completing the project, and Heindel said efforts to secure funding are ongoing. The district is also considering other funding sources, including potentially using local rates if outside funding cannot be secured.
“It could, yeah, if we can’t secure long-term funding,” Heindel said when asked whether raising rates could become necessary.
The Butte County Board of Supervisors and the Oroville City Council have both ratified letters of support urging the state to prioritize funding to restore the reservoir’s storage capacity.
