Oroville >> The state Department of Water Resources will be keeping Lake Oroville’s levels higher than initially planned to accommodate the area’s peak recreation period.

Setting the reservoir levels must be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Kevin Dossey, civil engineer for DWR, said Friday the agency had accepted DWR’s revised proposal, after residents and politicians voiced concerns about the impacts to locals’ lifestyles and also the economic impact on the city and county that would result from limited recreation on the lake.

Dossey told the Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee he would continue to lobby for maintaining higher lake levels, dropping off later in the season.

The schedule for now is as follows:

• July 1 – above 810 feet

• Aug. 1 – 785 feet

• Sept. 1 – 740 feet

• Oct. 1 – 690 feet

• Nov. 1 – 670 feet

Laura Page with the office of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, said the congressman had been working with FERC officials to keep lake levels higher during the summer and was told the scaling down process was up to DWR, as long as the lake got to 700 feet by Nov. 1.

As of Friday afternoon, the reservoir was at 813 feet of its 901 feet capacity.