Articles

The Supreme Court today issued a decision that significantly narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act protection of wetlands adjacent to rivers. The Court ruled in a 5-4 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency that only wetlands that have a “continuous surface connection” to a river are subject to the Clean Water Act. The decision effectively prevents the EPA from requiring a permit for filling, dredging, or polluting wetlands that are next to a river and hydrologically connected. This

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission will consider public comments submitted by May 24th about a proposed change to regulations on use of state wildlife areas (SWA). The proposed changes would restrict the use of any vessel on state wildlife area property to ones being actively used for hunting or fishing. This would affect river access such as the Granite SWA property that includes access to Pine Creek on the Arkansas. Please provide your comments by signing up and submitting

On April 14, 2023, the Bureau of Reclamation released a three-alternative plan for the short-term management of the Colorado River at Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams, and in doing so, initiated a 45-day public comment period. This is the most important and impactful time to engage on the near-term future of the Colorado River between now and 2026. We need your voice to speak up for the Colorado River itself and ensure the river isn’t just treated as a system

American Whitewater has intervened in a legal appeal brought by Great Lakes Hydro (GLHA), a subsidiary of Brookfield Renewable, challenging state authority to protect rivers at Shawmut Hydroelectric Project in Maine. Under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, states must certify that hydropower dams meet state water quality standards before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issues a license to operate the project. Maine denied water quality certification at the Shawmut project due to incomplete information on the effect

American Whitewater, along with Colorado River Outfitters Association and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, filed an amicus brief to the Colorado Supreme Court on a case the State of Colorado asked the high court to weigh in on determining an angler’s ability to wade fish in a section of the Arkansas River. The case has wound its way through state and federal courts discussing the anglers ability, or standing, to bring the lawsuit against the landowners who harassed him by throwing

The following includes the information from the Dolores River Spill team and is posted on the Dolores Water Conservancy District’s website. They update their release page every Tuesday and Thursday during a release season with a lot of information on expected flows. American Whitewater will continue to share those posts when there are significant changes is flows from McPhee dam. Please note that the Dove Creek Pump Station road is open and is currently releasing 3400 cfs from McPhee dam.

SNOTEL sites within the Dolores River watershed have reached records and the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center is predicting a most probable scenario that would provide 515,000 acre feet (af) (202% of average) to McPhee Reservoir. The reservoir sits over 50 feet below a full pool, needing approximately 200,000 af to get there. Despite the low reservoir levels, simple math indicates there will be plenty of water to release downstream. That excess water will be released from McPhee Reservoir to

To better connect our community, American Whitewater is launching a Community Events calendar in the May/June Issue of the American Whitewater Journal. This will amplify community events to larger audiences. Events will be limited to festivals, races, clean ups, and kayaking/rafting/SUP/river surfing clinics all across the nation. If space becomes an issue, we will prioritize events hosted by our Affiliate Clubs and Partners. Use this form to submit your event.  If you want to highlight your event in the May/June Issue

As you might recall, the House put forth a resolution to dissolve a new river protecting Waters of the United States Rule, or WOTUS. Well, they voted to repeal it and in an unfortunate turn of events, last week the Senate followed suit by also voting to repeal these clean water protections. It seems like clean water would be a no-brainer, but apparently not for many of our lawmakers. WOTUS is the rule that determines which waters in our country

American Whitewater and its partners in the relicensing of the hydropower dam on the Connecticut River signed a landmark settlement agreement that will restore flows to a dewatered section of the river in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. This historic agreement will reverse more than a century of flow diversions that blocked fish passage, destroyed aquatic habitat, and eliminated virtually all opportunities to boat on this section of the Connecticut River. For more than a decade, American Whitewater was joined in this

In late March, American Whitewater, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and the Colorado River Outfitters Association filed an amicus brief in the Hill v. Warsewa stream access case that has the potential to clarify the public’s ability to affirm their rights to access Colorado’s streams and rivers. The case has bounced around between state and federal court all on the question of Roger Hill’s standing to bring the case. An appeals court agreed with Mr. Hill in his claims that having

Scheduled releases for the South Fork American River below Slab Creek for this weekend March 18th and 19th have been cancelled and will be rescheduled to April 15th and 16th. Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has informed American Whitewater that storm event modeling indicate impacts to their ability to physically control releases below Slab Creek Dam. Also, in anticipation of uncontrolled spill over the dam, SMUD elected to remove log booms from Slab Creek reservoir to protect them from high-water

Scheduled releases for the South Fork American River below Slab Creek for this weekend March 18th and 19th have been cancelled and will be rescheduled to April 15th and 16th. Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has informed American Whitewater that storm event modeling forecasts indicate impacts to their ability to physically control releases below Slab Creek Dam. Also, in anticipation of uncontrolled spill over the dam, SMUD elected to remove log booms from Slab Creek reservoir to protect them from

American Whitewater is proud to announce the continuation of our river safety films series, with two new releases available now! Tools of the Trade – Choosing Your Craft and Furthering Rescue and River Running Skills, offer short, up to date and easily digestible tips to help keep you and your friends safe on the water. Choosing the right vehicle for the right river is essential to safe river running, and we cover safety tips specific to individual crafts in our

The 2023 New York whitewater release schudule is official. From the Adirondacks to the Delaware River, the release schedule provides whitewater boating opportunities for paddlers from beginner to expert throughout the spring, summer, and fall. These releases have been brought to you by American Whitewater, affilliate clubs, and dedicated partners for more than 30 years. Below are the releases for the Moose, Beaver, Black, Raquette, Hudson, Salmon, and Mongaup Rivers. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++   2023 ADIRONDACK REGION RELEASE SCHEDULE Announcements: – SIGN

Last year, the Supreme Court of New Mexico unanimously upheld the state constitution by affirming the public’s right to access all rivers and streams for recreational purposes. Today, landowners who had been fighting for years to exclude the public – in many cases physically by installing barbed wire fences – from rivers that run through their property, had their petition to overturn the state court’s decision denied. These landowners are two of the original holders of non navigable water certificates