Articles

Low-Head Dams dot rivers and creeks of all sizes across the country, creating hazards to paddlers and other river users. American Whitewater and our partners have been working to include an authorization of a nationwide inventory of low head dams in the 2022 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Help us in asking the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to include the inventory in their 2022 WRDA bill.   Last week, the Senate committee on Environment and Public Works unanimously advanced

The aridification of the Colorado River basin is taking a toll on the water supply of the region. This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the Colorado River Compact, the document that dictates the distribution of water across the seven states and Mexico who rely on it. In the time since the signing of the Compact, large reservoirs have been built to supply water to growing farms, ranches and towns. Those reservoirs are at critically low levels. Cooperative and flexible

We’re so relieved and excited to announce that American Whitewater’s Biggest Public Outreach Event is back on the schedule for 2022! Started in 1983 to celebrate the derailment of a hydro-electric project that would have disrupted the flows on the Gauley River, Gauley Fest has grown to become the largest paddling festival in the world. The festival is a showcase for American Whitewater and the top whitewater vendors in the boating community.  The 2022 Festival will take place from September 15th through

Regular summertime whitewater releases will finally be coming to the Connecticut River in Massachusetts, thanks to years of negotiations during the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s relicensing of the Turners Falls hydropower dam.   This Spring, American Whitewater, Appalachian Mountain Club, New England FLOW and rafting outfitters signed a whitewater agreement that is now being finalized through a comprehensive settlement agreement and ultimately a new 50-year FERC license, guaranteeing reliable whitewater releases in the popular river reach below Turners Falls dam,

Montgomery County Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington DC, does a strange thing. The County prohibits paddling without a permit in county parks, and does not offer any permits. So through a bureaucratic sleight of hand, paddling is banned on the rivers flowing through public lands. On paper, these closures affect popular sections of the Potomac, but they’ve also had real impacts on preventing and criminalizing paddling on smaller streams like Seneca, Cabin John, and Sligo creeks. We make it

Edit 04/29/2022–AW is no longer accepting applications for the Executive Director position. American Whitewater seeks to hire a new Executive Director to lead our organization in fulfilling its mission and goals. The Executive Director is charged with managing and building the organization – through fundraising, enhancing credibility and visibility with the public and the media, financial oversight and budget expansion, and cultivating new and existing organizational opportunities. The Executive Director will provide oversight for staff, empower staff to work effectively,

A proposed reservoir upstream of the Wild and Scenic East Fork of the Virgin River is undergoing environmental review and we need paddlers to speak up in opposition!    We reported on this project last in early 2021, when we received good news that the proposed Cove Reservoir Project would require a full-scale environmental review with robust opportunities for public input instead of streamlined approval. That outcome was largely due to comments submitted by American Whitewater and our partners.   

On April 6th, the Supreme Court reversed a 9th Circuit decision that limited the ability of states to protect rivers fron the harmful effects of hydropower dams under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The rules adopted by the prior adminstation limited information available to the states, the time for review, and the scope of conditions that states can require in the licensing of hydropower dams by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). American Whitewater, along with a coalition

64th Annual Mother’s Day Races are Back in Person! Pilar, NM – May 6-8, 2022 This Mother’s Day weekend, American Whitewater’s affiliate club, the Adobe Whitewater Club of New Mexico, is hosting the 64th annual Mother’s Day Races in beautiful Pilar, NM, May 6-8. This year’s event will include down river races, slalom competition, and a freestyle or downriver rodeo and river surf competition (depending on water levels) on the 6 mile Class III whitewater section of the Rio Grande

Glenwood Springs, CO – The City of Glenwood Springs is excited to announce news that water court approved a Recreational In-Channel Diversion (RICD) recreational water right on the Colorado River for the city, enabled through agreements with Front Range cities and others. The water rights are a significant step in the right direction for protecting the river and will contribute to Glenwood Springs’ thriving outdoor economy. This is the second-ever recreational water right for the mainstem Colorado River. This news was

American Whitewater seeks to hire a new Executive Director to lead our organization in fulfilling its mission and goals. The Executive Director is charged with managing and building the organization – through fundraising, enhancing credibility and visibility with the public and the media, financial oversight and budget expansion, and cultivating new and existing organizational opportunities. The Executive Director will provide oversight for staff, empower staff to work effectively, and support a positive work environment. In recent years, American Whitewater has

American Whitewater has been actively working on the new Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest’s management plan for almost a decade. The plan covers 1.1 million acres of public lands in Western North Carolina and some of the finest whitewater paddling anywhere. Our goals for the new plan were to increase river protections, improve recreational management, and build broad support for future Congressional Wild and Scenic River designations. Along the way we made a lot of friends, including many Forest Service staff and

Our 2022 March/April AW Journal is hot off the press and will land in your mailboxes soon! You can check it out online under the ‘Library’ tab on our website.  Some article highlights include: The Returning Rapids Program on the Colorado River Recently acquired land in the Columbia River Gorge was purchased for conservation Many miles of rivers in northern California were re-opened for recreation AW Member Hank Klausman writes about the circle of life on the Chattooga River Read

American Whitewater and Freeflow Institute are offering competitive $1000 scholarships for up to THREE emerging outdoor communicators in 2022. Applicants may be students or educators, aspiring storytellers in any medium, or professional journalists or environmental communicators. Past recipients have deeply valued the experiences of these river-trip based writing and storytelling workshops tought by leading professionals in the field.     The winning applicant(s) will demonstrate capacity to research and craft an excellent story. The story should be developed to meet

Duke Energy has announced that they can only generate power and release water from the powerhouse at 50% of their normal capacity on the Nantahala River due to the failure of a transformer. The powerhouse is now capable of releasing 315 cfs versus the typical 630 cfs, and these conditions are likely to persist through May, and possibly considerably longer. Duke Energy will be releasing flows from the dam into the Upper Nantahala, which is normally bypassed by a tunnel