On June 1st and 2nd 1600 cfs spilled into the Cresta and Rock Creek reaches of the North Fork Feather River in northern California. This release resulted from five years of challenging negotiations by American Whitewater staff and volunteers to develop the terms and conditions of a new Pacific Gas and Electric hydropower license.
“Being here for the initial release was both physically and emotionally exhilarating,” exclaimed John Gangemi, American Whitewater Conservation Director. “I fell in love with the North Fork Feather when I first set my eyes on the river channel back in the mid-nineties. I knew the public large would do the same if we could restore flows, and I poured my heart and soul into the effort. Witnessing the grins of countless paddlers validated the work: the North Fork Feather is back on the whitewater paddlers’ radar!”
On Saturday, June 1, boaters paddled the five mile Class IV ‘Cresta’ reach. On Sunday, June 2, water ran through the nine mile reach below Rock Creek Dam, a 4.5-mile Class III ‘Rogers Flat’ reach followed by the 4.5-mile Class V ‘Tobin’ section. Over 250 boaters paddled this restored river on this historic weekend.
At the end of the day Saturday, AW held its first-ever ‘Nealy Lives!’ event: boaters lined up for a downriver race whose rules were not revealed until it started. The only rule: boats needed to be upside down! The resultant mass-start spectacle ended with Willie Kern beating the pack with a cheshire smile. The first place award was an original drawing by William, as will continue with all subsequent Nealy Lives! events held at first releases, inauguration of new access points, etc.
The previous license dewatered the reaches below Rock Creek and Cresta dams, leaving few opportunities for whitewater recreation. American Whitewater, working closely with resource agencies, other non-profit groups and the PG&E, forged a comprehensive agreement that restores instream flows for aquatic integrity and provides both recreational opportunities and continued power generation. This landmark agreement will remain in effect for the next 30 years.
Whitewater releases on scheduled for the first weekend of each month June through October. Boaters can access real-time flow information as well as check the long-term schedule for whitewater releases on the American Whitewater Feather flow information pages Rock Creek and Cresta StreamKeeper pages rock creek
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/196/
cresta
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/197/
(river reach websites constructed and maintained by AW volunteers) or call the toll-free phone line: 1-877-708-8829.
During your visit to the North Fork Feather please respect other river recreationists and the fact that there will be limited parking and no trash receptacles. Park at the take-out for each run to get on the American Whitewater-sponsored shuttle to the put-in. Do not drive your own shuttle.
There will be periodic monitoring of these whitewater releases to get counts on whitewater use, behavior and biological effects of flows on the river environment. Be courteous to the individuals conducting the monitoring future releases are dependent on use and biological monitoring.
Lastly, if you are not an American Whitewater member please consider joining. Your membership dues provide the necessary funding for American Whitewater staff to work on restoring river reaches like the North Fork Feather. In California alone, American Whitewater is working on 22 hydropower relicensings, many of which involve multiple reaches with whitewater opportunities. Two of those hydropower projects are upstream and downstream of the Rock Creek and Cresta reaches. If you are a member of American Whitewater, thank you for your support. Enjoy the Feather!