American, South Fork
5. Slab Creek Dam to Rock Creek Powerhouse(Slab Creek)
The new El Dorado tentative blasting date is 6/19. It has not been confirmed by El Dorado County.
Mosquito Rd Bridge is closed all day at the gate May 30-Aug 6 in support of the bridge replacement. Paddlers can park at the gate and walk up to it (approximately 1.5mi uphill), or continue past to a lower takeout. BLM will not have Rock Creek open during this period of opportunistic flows.
Additionally, El Dorado County indicates plans to do some short-duration blasting below Mosquito Road Bridge. Currently that work is tentatively scheduled for the morning of June 16th and should take a couple of hours. There is not an intention to put rock into the river but concern about fragments impacting river users. A flagger will be posted at the bridge. Once firmly scheduled this posting will be updated to reflect the final schedule of blasting.
Mosquito Road Bridge will be closed by the bridge replacement contractor the weekend days of May 6th and May 7th, 2023 for crane transport.
SMUD has informed AW that temperatures have reached a 7-day moving average of 12˚C which is a biological cue for Foothill Yellow Legged Frogs to begin laying eggs. As required by the hydropower license SMUD has cancelled scheduled recreational flows for Slab Creek.
Mar 24, 2026
The 2026 Slab Creek recreation season was set to kick off with six scheduled releases between late March and April under a Below Normal water year—flows that typically anchor California’s […]
Mar 23, 2026
Ahead of this season’s Slab Creek recreation releases, American Whitewater has been working with SMUD and the Eldorado National Forest to improve parking, staging, and overall efficiency at the West […]
Mar 4, 2026
Image: Slab Creek Run release flows. Photo by Darin McQuoid. Slab Creek & South Fork Silver Creek Each year, American Whitewater plays an active role in implementing the recreation provisions […]
Dec 18, 2025
American Whitewater just secured an important win for whitewater recreation on the Class IV+ Slab Creek Run of the South Fork American River in California. Following our sustained advocacy, the […]
Mar 2, 2023
Recently, American Whitewater participated in the 2023 hydropower license compliance meeting with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to coordinate recreational releases for the South Fork American River below Slab Creek […]
Oct 14, 2022
Please take the time to protect flows on the South Fork American River. Use this easy Action Alert here to tell the El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) Board that changing water […]
May 13, 2022
Annually, American Whitewater and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) coordinate required recreational flows on South Fork Silver Creek below Icehouse Reservoir and South Fork American River below Slab Creek Reservoir. […]
Jun 13, 2020
Last May American Whitewater and our colleagues at Friends of the River asked for your help to stop El Dorado Irrigation District’s (EID) proposed modification of Water Right Permit 21112. […]
Mar 4, 2020
American Whitewater participated in the Upper American River Project Consultation Meeting to set the scheduled recreational flows for Ice House and Slab Creek. We have mapped out the possible flows […]
Mar 20, 2019
Here are the 2019 scheduled recreational releases for hydropower projects American Whitewater negotiated across California. Stay tuned for more dates on other rivers. Also, remember dates are subject to change […]
May 10, 2017
News Release from the Chief Adminsitrative Office of El Dorado County: COUNTY AND COALITION OF RECREATION GROUPS AND LOCAL BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS REACH AGREEMENT ON MOSQUITO ROAD ACCESS (PLACERVILLE, CA) […]
Apr 7, 2017
Recently, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) made an unexpected move to advocate for policies that would undermine environmental protections in the Clean Water Act and the Federal Power Act. […]
Mar 4, 2017
Originally built in 1867 the “Swinging Bridge” a.k.a. Mosquito Road Bridge over the South Fork American River has long served as a crucial intersection for avid recreationalists. Paddlers use it […]
Jul 29, 2016
The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) recently took a step that sets the stage for increasing recreation flow days for the Class V Slab Creek reach on the […]
Mar 3, 2016
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), American Whitewater and other consultation group members including Jim Eicher, BLM Mother Lode Associate Field Manager, have scheduled the required 2016 recreational flows for […]
Mar 2, 2016
Hydropower License Implementation American Whitewater remains engaged during the implementation of a new hydropower license to insure elements that protect our river habitat, provide access and recreational flows are fully […]
Dec 16, 2015
In response to American Whitewater and community advocacy to follow CA Streets & Highway Code 991, the Transportation Division of the El Dorado County […]
Dec 2, 2014
Originally built in 1867 and reconstructed on the existing foundations in 1939, Mosquito Road Bridge is often called the “Swinging Bridge” in reference to the physical nature of the original […]
Feb 5, 2007
After years of planning, studying and down-to-the-wire negotiations, a settlement was signed on January 29th for the Upper American River Project and the Chili Bar Project. The settlement agreement signed […]
Nov 18, 2006
On Thursday November 16th the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) took a rather unprecedented step of changing the filing deadline of the agency terms and conditions on the Sacramento Municipal […]
Oct 6, 2005
And the winner is…Well, good news…the winners are Pikes Peak Whitewater Club and the Carolina Canoe Club. With a whopping 21 new and renewing members each! With all due respect […]
