Articles - American Whitewater

American Whitewater Releases New River Guide App!

May 15, 2025

American Whitewater is excited to announce the release of our new mobile app, available for both ios and android devices! The new American Whitewater app shares crowdsourced information on over 6,000 whitewater runs, including easy driving directions, improved flow information, maps, descriptions, and photos. The new app is a volunteer-led project supported by American Whitewater staff and contractors. We hope you love it, and that it inspires you to explore our nation’s many awesome rivers and contribute to the app.

Congress Thinks You Don’t Care About Public Lands and Rivers

May 14, 2025

Last week, the US House Natural Resources Committee passed a budget-related bill that–if it becomes law–will sell off significant public lands and weaken our collective ability to have a say in public land management in unprecedented ways. This legislation will go through one more committee and merge with other bills to become one huge bill that can pass with a simple majority vote in the Senate through a process called reconciliation. Boaters are encouraged to speak up (and can do

California 2025 Recreational Releases Reminder & Updates

May 14, 2025

American Whitewater and California boaters are victims of our own success. As a result of over two decades of work from stewardship staff and dedicated community volunteers, negotiated recreational flows from hydropower projects abound in water years like 2025. It definitely can fill up your paddling calendar! Here are date reminders and updates for the California Wild & Scenic Mokelumne River, South Fork Silver Creek, North Fork Feather, and the Pit River. Mokelumne River The final May B120 Water Supply

Volunteers needed: Help keep Mokelumne Big Bar Launch open! (CA)

May 14, 2025

The Bureau of Land Management’s Big Bar Launch facility off of Highway 49 is the only legal boating takeout for the Electra Run on the California Wild & Scenic Mokelumne River. Due to circumstances beyond the BLM Mother Lode Field Office’s control, BLM recently announced the closure of Big Bar to vehicles through October 15 of this year (you can still walk in, but parking nearby is very limited). See the closure notice here. In order to reopen the facility for

Defending the Clean Water Act in the Northeast

May 13, 2025

With ongoing efforts to weaken federal environmental safeguards, American Whitewater and its partners from throughout the Northeast are defending the Clean Water Act in state legal challenges to hydropower dam permits. American Whitewater, represented by the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University law school, filed an appeal of the DEC water quality certification of the West Canada Creek Hydroelectric Project. State certification that hydropower dams meet water quality standards is required before the dams are licensed by the Federal Energy

Senator Murray & Representative Randall Reintroduce Wild Olympics Bill (WA)

May 13, 2025

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Emily Randall (D-WA-06) reintroduced the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, legislation that would permanently protect more than 126,500 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness and 19 rivers and their major tributaries—a total of 464 river miles—as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Designed through extensive community input to conserve ancient forests and pristine rivers, protect clean water and salmon habitat, and enhance outdoor recreation, the legislation would set

San Joaquin Horseshoe Bend Recreational Flow Forecast for 2025 (CA)

May 9, 2025

American Whitewater is excited to announce the 2025 forecast for recreational flows on the San Joaquin Horseshoe Bend reach. Southern California Edison (SCE) is providing boatable flows for a spill year and these flows are forecasted to begin on Friday, 5/16/2025 and last through Sunday, 5/18/2025. These flows are provided under the Big Creek 4 Hydropower Project Long-Term Operating Rules (LTOR). These rules were informed by nearly a decade of post-license studies and consultation with stakeholders, including American Whitewater and

New Mexico’s Rivers get Another Chance in Congress!

April 25, 2025

On April 18th, bill champions Senator Heinrich and Representative Vasquez reintroduced the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act. The bill, reintroduced for the 4th time since 2020, is set to protect nearly 450 miles in the Gila and San Francisco watersheds in southwest New Mexico. The reintroduced bill in the 119th Congress is identical to the bill introduced in the last congress where it made significant progress through the capitol’s numerous hurdles. After being introduced

Lawmakers Pull Back Bad Bridge Access Legislation in NC

April 22, 2025

Earlier this year, North Carolina legislators introduced a bill that would have made using public bridges over rivers as put-ins and take-outs illegal. Thankfully, the language criminalizing river access was recently removed from the bill, SB 220, and is no longer a threat. We’d like to thank the many boaters that reached out to your state legislators on this issue, and the legislators that changed course. Boater outreach helped inform the legislature to step back from a bill that would

Accident Summary for July–December 2024: Available online now

April 15, 2025

The American Whitewater Accident Summary for July–December 2024 is now available online. Since our inception, American Whitewater been a vigorous promoter of river safety information, and accident reporting has become integral to this task. Charlie Walbridge has used reports submitted by our membership to compile regular summaries of fatalities and close calls for our Journal since 1986. American Whitewater has catalogued over 2400 incidents on whitewater rivers dating back to 1972, which you can find and analyze for yourself in

Extended South Yuba (CA) Flows Continue

April 15, 2025

Flows on the South Yuba River (CA) will continue to be closer to natural flows for a second year as Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) works to repair diversion and hydropower infrastructure connected to Lake Spaulding. Although PG&E typically makes deliveries to water users below Lake Spaulding through its powerhouses and low-level outlets, repair delays continue to prevent them from diverting water. While there are clear negative impacts to irrigators and other downstream water users, domestic water supply should not

Limited Edition River Inspired AW Gear–Only Available Until April 20!

April 15, 2025

Show your support for American Whitewater with limited edition river inspired gear! American Whitewater has partnered again with FLOAT to bring you these tees, tanks, and hoodies, but only for a limited time! Celebrate the beauty of rivers and that ever important ingredient–flowing water! Purchasing these items directly supports American Whitewater’s stewardship efforts! We have several t-shirt and hoodie styles available and for every item sold FLOAT donates $8 to our program protecting, restoring and ensuring safe access and enjoyment

Boat passage at Poudre River Diversion Dam (CO) Moves Forward

April 10, 2025

After multiple years of advocacy by American Whitewater, the local outfitting community led by Rocky Mountain Adventures, and our nonprofit partners, the City of Fort Collins has agreed to improvements that will allow for boat and fish passage at the Gateway Diversion Dam in the lower Cache la Poudre River canyon. These dam modifications will restore aquatic connectivity and nearly double the length of the Filter Plant run, one of the river’s most popular reaches and one of the few

Southeast Rivers 6 Months After Hurricane Helene

April 10, 2025

It’s been a busy and often hard time in Western North Carolina in the six months since Hurricane Helene. While many rivers in the region were unaffected by the storm, American Whitewater and many other groups and individuals have been working hard on the more impacted rivers. Here is a quick run-down of some of what we’ve been up to and where things stand. Pigeon Dries American Whitewater is going to work hard to secure releases in the

Support the West Virginia Bridge Access Bill

April 10, 2025

The West Virginia Public Waterway Access Act would require that significant bridge construction projects include river access if it is safe and practical to do so. This common-sense bill would efficiently protect and improve river access across the state over time, and would benefit countless communities by providing simple close-to home paddling and fishing opportunities. In a state where boating is big business, this proposed law makes a ton of sense. Paddlers know the story too well: a bridge

Klickitat River Hatchery River Access Closure (WA)

April 10, 2025

Major upgrades are currently underway to modernize the 75-year-old Klickitat Hatchery in southern Washington state, funded by a $35 million project from the Bonneville Power Administration. The hatchery is closed to the public during this time, including parking, all river access, and portage around the low-head dam at the hatchery. Due to the closure, boating from Parrots Crossing to Summit Creek or Leidl is not recommended, particularly due to hazards associated with the low-head dam. Experienced boaters familiar with the

Opportunity to Comment on Need for Improved Access to Row River (OR)

April 4, 2025

The Army Corps of Engineers is currently updating their Master Plan for Cottage Grove and Dorena Lakes in the Willamette River Basin, Lane County, Oregon, and American Whitewater is encouraging the local paddling community to provide comments on the need for parking for day use and a trail to the river that is accessible to the public for hand-carry craft during the winter paddling season. This Master Plan identifies Future Management Needs for Recreation and references a need to “improve

Image of Recreational Flows provided by Sacramento Municipal Utility District for Slab Creek (CA)

2025 Recreational Flows for Slab Creek & Ice House (CA)

March 11, 2025

American Whitewater has negotiated 2025 recreational flow dates for the Upper American River Hydroelectric Project operated by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, including the Slab Creek and Ice House runs. Thus far, California’s snowpack and rainfall sets up excellent whitewater opportunities for the South Fork American River below Slab Creek Dam and South Fork Silver Creek below Ice House Dam. The forecasted water year for the watershed will give us six days of scheduled flows for Slab Creek and four days

Help Stop New Access Fee and Bridge Access Ban in NC

March 10, 2025

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is proposing an annual $30 license to use the river access sites they manage, and at the same time legislators are proposing legislation that would make it illegal to put in or take out almost anywhere else, namely at public bridges and right-of-ways. Together these proposals squeeze boaters onto relatively few rivers where they must pay a fee. Together these proposals squeeze boaters onto relatively few rivers where they must pay a fee.

NF American River’s (CA) Yankee Jim’s Bridge Closing on March 24th

March 5, 2025

Placer County Public Works is moving forward with the replacement of Yankee Jim’s Bridge over the North Fork American River after several delays. Hard closure of the board on both sides is likely to begin March 24th although perhaps a week or two later. This closure will impact folks that want to paddle the Class 2 section of the North Fork American between Yankee Jim’s and Ponderosa/Upper Clementine most significantly. Chamberlain Falls paddlers will need to paddle down through that

Stewarding Our Public Lands and Waters Requires a Workforce

February 24, 2025

During his first term, President Trump signed two major conservation laws. In 2019, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act protected 1.3 million acres as Wilderness, designated ten new Wild and Scenic River segments, and expanded three national parks. The following year, he supported the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, which directed $9.5 billion to address the National Park Service’s maintenance backlog and ensured a permanent annual allocation of $900 million to the Land and

Grant Funding Freeze Creates Uncertainty for River Projects

February 12, 2025

Federal grants play an important role in amplifying the membership contributions and donations that sustain American Whitewater’s mission. These grants account for a significant portion of our budget, supporting important projects that protect and enhance river access and recreation opportunities across the country. An example of recent success is the creation of our revised river safety code, open source river signage toolbox, and river safety video series, all produced under grant funding from the United States Coast Guard. We have

Protect America’s Outdoor Heritage

February 12, 2025

The American system for preserving public lands and supporting its citizens’ access to them has been the envy of the world, but it’s currently under attack. Use our easy-action form to ask your lawmakers to support a new bipartisan bill introduced by Congressman Zinke (MT-1) and Congressman Vasquez (NM-2) that helps keep public lands and waters in public hands by requiring congressional approval for the large-scale transfer or disposal of public lands and waters. Reaching out your representatives will also

Support Colorado River Access with a Night of Films

February 10, 2025

Join American Whitewater and the Roaring Fork Kayak Club for a night of river films, including, River of Sorrows, on February 20th in Glenwood Springs at the Vaudeville Theater. Doors will open at 5:30 and films begin at 6. We are fundraising for incredibly important work to defend and expand legal access to rivers in Colorado. Access is foundational in our ability to enjoy, restore and protect our rivers. Rig to Flip is creating a new and exciting film to

Comment Period Extended – Weigh in on Grand Canyon Fees and Management Today!

January 28, 2025

Update! In response to efforts from American Whitewater and our partners, Grand Canyon National Park has extended the public comment period until February 15th. We appreciate the extension and we encourage you to submit your comments to the Park on this issue before the deadline. American Whitewater is formally commenting on the drastic proposed fee increases for the Grand Canyon and you should too. At the start of the year, the National Park Service proposed a 244% increase for non-commercial