Since World War II and a booming state population that
increasingly sought out the great outdoors to relax, the state’s
water-based recreational activities have continued to grow more
popular and diverse, occurring in a multitude of sources –
from swimming pools and spas to beaches, reservoirs, natural
lakes and rivers.
Public water supply projects, such as the State Water Project,
have helped to provide additional recreational opportunities for
Californians. In some cases, reservoir releases can contribute to
downstream recreation benefits by improving fisheries or by
creating whitewater rafting opportunities that would not be
possible in the absence of reservoir regulation. However, there
are conflicting values and needs for the same river system.
High water levels at California reservoirs and other waterways
could pose a threat to outdoor recreation this Memorial Day
weekend, prompting officials to warn against swimming or
boating in rivers teeming from winter’s heavy rainfall.
… Holiday travelers are being asked to avoid waterways
overflowing with melted snow from this year’s record-breaking
storm season. Adding to the risk, water managers
have begun diverting water from major reservoirs as
they approach capacity, and sending it into rivers across
the state. Placer officials have reason to urge caution:
several people have already been swept into the American River
that courses through the county, necessitating extensive search
and rescue missions.
Rafting is a Colorado sport that involves risk, just like
skiing or riding in the winter. Just like skiing or riding, it
also becomes riskier depending on conditions, but there are
ways to mitigate that risk and still enjoy one of the state’s
most prominent activities along our rivers. … The Garfield
County Sheriff’s Office has warned the Colorado River is seeing
levels three to four times as fast and full as they are used to
seeing, making rafting riskier going through Glenwood Canyon.
Still, that’s not the case for all Colorado rivers right now.
Ken Murphy with Adventure Outdoors and Lakota Guides rafting
company said it’s up to them to pick and choose the locations
that are safe to bring guests down, and which will not be a
good option.
Melissa Sevigny’s new book, published Tuesday, will make
readers yearn for the adventure and natural beauty of a
Colorado River rafting trip at the same time that it fires them
up over sexism in science and media. Drawing on the detailed
diaries of two botanists who became the first white women to
“Brave the Wild River,” as the book is titled, the
Flagstaff-based author guides us through the rough waters and
peaceful moments of a story about facing fears and bucking
norms to pursue scientific passions for the benefit of future
generations. At a time when the Colorado River is making
headlines like never before, due to drought conditions and
tense negotiations between states over dividing up the
fluctuating water supply, Sevigny takes us back.
A warm spell has hastened the melt-off from Yosemite National
Park’s nearly unprecedented snowpack and brought minor flooding
to Yosemite Valley. Over the past week, the Merced River has
periodically spilled onto the valley’s roads, trails and
campgrounds, and more on-and-off flooding is expected through
the Memorial Day weekend. Yosemite Valley closed for two days
in late April because of the flood risk, but park officials say
they don’t expect to go that route this time. They’re advising
visitors to be mindful of high water on roads and caution
against getting too close to rivers and creeks. Already, two
people caught in the swift currents of the Merced River had to
be plucked out by rescue crews.
Officials are warning the public to avoid contact with water
along Table Mountain following a report from the California
Department of Water Resources (DWR). According to Butte County
Public Health (BCPH), they had received notification from the
DWR about a potentially toxic cyanobacteria in the North Table
Mountain Ecological Reserve on Friday, May 19th. This, BCPH
suspects, has created a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB). Following
this notification, BCPH is advising anyone visiting the site to
avoid contact with the water at the reserve. The department
encourages the public to adhere by the following habits when
being out in the water during the summer…
Snow is the lifeblood of California rivers, and this year a
historic bounty fell in the high Sierra. In April, the
California Department of Water Resources reported the biggest
snowpack in 70 years — 237% of average in the Central Sierra.
The only comparable year is 1983, a mythical season at the dawn
of the commercial rafting industry that is still reverently, if
dimly, remembered in guide camps throughout the state and
around the world. Those tales tend to focus on epic runs and
high-water records, but the takeaway for regular folks planning
a whitewater adventure this season isn’t just about big water.
It’s also about an abundance of options. Free-flowing rivers
that rarely run past May will enjoy ample flows into midsummer,
while many dam-controlled rivers will be in through Labor Day.
The California Fish and Game Commission acted unanimously to
enact a full closure of California’s recreational salmon
fishing season in the Klamath River Basin and Central Valley
rivers through its annual process for adjusting seasons and bag
limits on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. In a separate
emergency action, the Commission voted to close recreational
salmon fisheries in the Smith River and Eel River, and the
summer season in the Klamath and Trinity rivers. Additionally,
in the same emergency action, the Commission voted to allow
federally recognized tribes that currently or historically used
the river segments affected by the recreational fishing
closures, to continue fishing under existing inland sport
fishing regulations. The regulations are expected to take
effect no later than July 1, 2023, following approval by the
Office of Administrative Law.
It is still too cold to swim in Northern California rivers,
officials warned Thursday. Temperatures are in the 90s in
Sacramento — but don’t give into the temptation to take a dip
in local waterways. The record Sierra snowpack is melting,
causing fast and cold currents longer than even regulars are
used to. … Water flowing out of the Nimbus Dam into the
American River is anticipated to be flowing “six times higher”
than normal for the summer months at 12,000 cubic feet per
second, the news release stated. Not only are rivers flowing
fast, the water is cold, too.
The historic 2023 California snowpack is melting.
Billions of gallons of icy water are running off the mountains,
causing treacherous conditions across the state’s rivers and
taking numerous lives, as some areas brace for more flooding in
the coming days. This winter saw an incredible 677
inches of snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, the second most
in California’s recorded history. And
despite repeated warnings from authorities,
several swimmers and rafters have drowned in the rushing, cold
waters. Reported deaths and disappearances in the past month
include: On April 19, a teenage boy was found dead on a
remote stretch of the South Yuba River in Nevada County.
…
Two men are still missing after disappearing over the weekend
in California rivers, the latest to be swept away amid warnings
about high, fast-flowing water in the Sierra foothills and the
Central Valley. • Billy Moore, 38, was last seen around 8:30
p.m. Saturday in the Tule River in the area of Springville, the
Tulare County sheriff’s office said. He had been riding down
the river on a flotation device. A segment of the Tule is
closed to recreation because of high water flows, but the
restriction ends about 5 miles upstream of Springville, which
is at the west edge of the Sierra Nevada foothills. • An
unidentified man disappeared after jumping or falling into the
North Fork of the American River near Yankee Jim’s Bridge
around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the Placer County sheriff’s office
said.
California’s Yosemite National Park has issued a warning of the
“extremely dangerous” effects of flooding as the Merced River
continues to rise. In a statement posted on May 15, the park
reiterated that it remains under a flood warning as the river
reaches flood stage. It is expected to stay at that level for
the next few days. A record amount of snowpack accumulated in
California over the winter months and into early March, as
storms battered the state. That snowpack is now melting as
temperatures start to rise, causing higher-than-average water
flows at the park.
For 170 years, the gold deposits along Sierra streambeds have
been so poked and prodded that easy supplies of the precious
metal have grown scarce and are a challenge to find. This
spring’s raging rivers are regifting them. … [G]litter
suddenly illuminated the inky black sand. A half bucket of
material yielded 12 showy specks — nearly a tenth of a gram of
gold, worth about $7 — about double the typical haul in
previous years. Prospectors call it “flood gold” — fine-sized
flakes carried by alluvial waters and then deposited as flow
recedes.
Temperatures are expected to rise this Mother’s Day weekend,
and Sonoma County officials are urging caution as they expect
swells along the Sonoma Coast. They say along the Russian
River, water flows are now faster than what we usually see in
the summer due to our recent wet weather. Pure beauty in
Guerneville but don’t be fooled this weekend – the Russian
River is flowing. “Way faster current and a lot more water,”
said Andrew Liput with Johnson’s Beach Rentals. The river’s
flow rate at the Hacienda Bridge is 450% higher than just a
year ago, according to the county.
As temperatures reached the 80s and people flocked to the shore
for beach cleanups on Earth Day last month, an order to stay
out of the water dampened what could have been a very busy
beach weekend after months of wet weather in Long Beach. The
beach closure was prompted by the second sewage spill of 2023
that resulted in 250,000 gallons of raw sewage entering the Los
Angeles River near Downey and making its way toward Long Beach
where the river’s mouth dumps its contents into the
ocean. The spill was attributed to a temporary blockage
from maintenance crews from the Los Angeles County Sanitation
District.
There is always something growing inside the gated courtyard
of the L.A. Catholic Worker Hospitality Kitchen, the Skid
Row food distribution center better known as the “Hippie
Kitchen.” … Magenta explosions of bougainvillea frothed
over the kitchen’s gates and the cinder-block walls of the
vacant lot next door. The Indian coral tree’s fire-colored
blossoms popped against green leaves. There was even a calla
lily blooming from a patch of dirt everyone at the kitchen
thought had gone barren. … Those 31 atmospheric
rivers delivered steady, nourishing rainfall from October
to March. Regional temperatures remained moderate as
well, without any sudden early-spring heat waves to kill off
fragile baby plants.
A river whose twists and turns have earned names like
“Troublemaker,” “Satan’s Cesspool” and “Dead Man’s Drop”
warrants respect — even when years of drought have tamed its
rushing waters. This, of course, is not such a year. A winter
that drenched the Golden State with torrential rains and
blanketed its mountains with massive, now-melting snow has
swelled California’s rivers like the American to levels not
seen for years, even generations. That’s making for an epic,
adrenalin-fueled season for whitewater thrill-seekers. Andres
Moreno, whose 8th-grade class at Golden Valley Charter School
near Folsom took a trip last week down the South Fork of the
American River with American Whitewater Expeditions, had been
rafting before, but that was nothing like it is now.
Triple Threat. Deadman’s Drop. Satan’s Cesspool. After years of
drought, the rapids along California’s American River are truly
living up to their names. As a historic snowpack starts to
melt, the spring runoff is fueling conditions for some of the
best whitewater in years on the American River and its forks,
which course through the Sierra Nevada northeast of
Sacramento.
Every day, more than 300,000 cars and trucks thunder across the
wide concrete bridge which carries Interstate 15 over Lake
Hodges south of Escondido. Perhaps just a handful of these
daily commuters or big rig drivers are fully aware of what lies
below. Under this bridge, an aluminum boat and fisherman could
be bobbing among the treetops. On another day, it might be the
peaceful scene of a mule deer lying perfectly still on dry
ground among the reeds. Whether full or not, Lake Hodges is a
diverse treasure of wildlife habitat, world class bass fishing,
biking trails, birdwatching, hiking trails, and a
sophisticated, lifesaving water storage and conservation
project for our arid region. But there are some trolls under
this bridge as well.
Pilot Gary Kraft has flown over the Great Salt Lake at 15,000
feet, but this week was a different experience. At an altitude
of 1,500 feet, Kraft and his guests were treated to a closer
look at the many facets of the largest saline lake in the
Western Hemisphere and the eighth largest in the world. This
article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative,
a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education
and media organizations to help inform people about the plight
of the Great Salt Lake — and what can be done to make a
difference before it is too late. … On Wednesday, the lake
was a kaleidoscope of colors. Bright red in the north arm,
patches of barren-looking playas, a brilliant blue bouncing off
the clear sky and shimmering white squares denoting evaporation
ponds. From the air, you could see the causeway berm that
separates the saline-filled north arm from the south arm.
This year’s California wildflower superbloom is a historic
phenomenon, brought on by an unprecedented wet winter. Miles of
golden-orange poppies, purple desert sand-verbena and pink
filaree are visible from space. This time of year it seems that
everywhere from remote corners of the desert to drab highway
medians are bursting with color. The spectacle draws thousands
of visitors every spring, who flock to enjoy the view and take
photos of the unique natural spectacle – as people have done
for generations. But the crowds also can make their own
paths through sensitive areas, causing damage and threatening
the future of the phenomenon.
As young Native Americans took the leap from the cliff next to
Pumpkin Springs into the cold waters of the Colorado River,
Amber Benally knew the trip had been special. It was the summer
of 2022 and the last full day on the river as part of the Grand
Canyon Trust’s Rising Leaders Program. Throughout the journey,
the 14 Native Americans had navigated through more than just
the white water. … Now, Benally said, the Grand Canyon
Trust, collaborating with the Grand Canyon Youth, are
organizing another trip as part of the Regional Intertribal
Intergenerational Stewardship Expedition (RIISE). Benally
said they are currently taking applications for the free trip
from Native Americans aged 16 to 20 years old and associated
with one of the 11 tribes with connections to the Grand Canyon.
Garrett Binder showed up for opening day of the rafting season
relieved his companion was a black Labrador retriever, a breed
long known to innately thrive in the water. … Coming out of a
record winter with water runoff that caused flooding over much
of California, the Russian River, like many waterways in the
state, was transformed into a fast and wide torrent — prompting
concern from North Bay agencies tasked with river safety. In
April, the Russian River — a favorite floating go-to for the
masses — ran at a rate of 1,800 cubic feet per second. To put
the flow into perspective, imagine Golden State Warriors Point
Guard Steph Curry passing 1,800 basketballs to a certain point
all at once.
Scientists at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi
School of Engineering (USC Viterbi) are using robotics to spot
toxic algae blooms. Students programmed aquatic robots to
track down prime locations for toxic algae. Their programming
instructs the robots to detect harmful agal blooms (HAB) in
lakes and other bodies of water from exploding and polluting
our water supply. … According to the Centers for Disease
Control in 2020, 13 states reported 227 harmful algal
blooms (HAB). 95 people have gotten sick from them and one
person died associated with paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Even as the spring heat wave that’s thawed California’s record
Sierra Nevada snowpack comes to a close, communities across the
Central Valley and the state’s northeastern mountains are
continuing to prepare for potentially dangerous flooding.
Already, near-overflowing rivers triggered the closure of much
of Yosemite National Park on Friday. The Yosemite Valley, home
to many of the famous cliffs and waterfalls in the park, was
expected to reopen for day-use only on Sunday morning before a
full opening Monday morning, when a flood warning for the area
was set to expire. Indefinite flood warnings were also in
effect for areas near rushing rivers in parts of Fresno, Kings
and Tulare counties, where some 60,000 acres of farmland are
under about 3 feet of water brought by last month’s powerful
atmospheric river storms.
This month’s swirling flow in the Dolores River is mostly
snowmelt from the Disappointment Creek basin that drains almost
350 square miles of the western San Juans before joining the
meandering Dolores through miles of dramatic Wingate Sandstone
canyon. … Hard times are common for the Dolores River,
where dwindling water supplies in a warming climate offer only
feeble leftovers for almost 200 miles of river canyon below
McPhee Reservoir. But this winter’s bountiful snowpack is
expected to float thousands of boats on the river that rarely
sees navigable flows. … There are two pieces of
legislation from Colorado’s federal lawmakers — an unlikely
pairing of Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert and
Democratic U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John
Hickenlooper — vying to establish a new conservation area
on the upper section of the river.
There’s a new nugget to this winter’s historic storms in
California: All the runoff is exposing more gold, CBS
Sacramento’s Steve Large reports. Albert Fausel is a
third-generation owner of the Placerville Hardware store, which
opened in 1852. “We do a lot of different gold supplies in
here,” Fausel said. The store is in the heart of gold
country. “So now, instead of selling dynamite, I’m selling
metal detectors,” Fausel said. Fausel says he’s is
getting ready for a new gold rush. “I haven’t seen this
in my life,” Fausel said. Mark Dayton is a metal detector
expert. “[There's] $750 worth of gold right here,” Dayton said,
speaking about a bowl with gold nuggets on it.
Most of Yosemite Valley will close to the public this Friday,
through at least Wednesday of next week, because of the
potential for flooding along the Merced River. The
extraordinary snowpack in California’s Sierra Nevada this year
is beginning to melt with the warm weather this week, swelling
rivers with runoff and creating the likelihood of high water in
mountain creeks and rivers, including those in
Yosemite. The shutdown at the park will affect
campgrounds, hotels, shops and visitor centers in the valley,
the most popular part of Yosemite. Park officials warn that the
closure will likely mean other parts of Yosemite see much
heavier traffic. Officials say visitors should prepare for
limited parking throughout the park.
San Diego’s plan to transform much of recreation-rich northeast
Mission Bay into marshland is facing a powerful backlash this
spring from tennis players, golfers, boating clubs, campers and
supporters of youth sports. They say the city’s plan to
replace some recreational areas with hundreds of acres of
climate-friendly marshland threatens vital local institutions
that have been part of San Diego’s civic fiber for more than 50
years. Those institutions include Campland by the Bay,
the Mission Bay Golf Course, the Pacific Beach Tennis Club, Bob
McEvoy Youth Fields and the Mission Bay Boat & Ski Club.
New plans for a proposed surf and water park south of Phoenix
show the project will be significantly smaller than what was
first proposed. Mesa-based PHX Surf LLC submitted plans in
February 2023 for a now 30-acre site located at Loma and Green
roads near State Route 238 in the city of Maricopa, about an
hour south of downtown Phoenix. The new plans include a 10-acre
wave pool and surf center encompassed by a villa resort,
amenities such as pickleball courts, a spa, retail and
restaurant spaces and parking. This is a big change from the
planned area development that Maricopa City Council approved
last fall. Original plans called for a 71-acre development with
two 5-acre surf lagoons, a sprawling water park with multiple
pools and a lazy river and surf center and academy.
There’s a fever in California’s gold country these days, the
kind that comes with the realization that nature is unlocking
another stash of precious metal. California’s prodigious winter
rainfall blasted torrents of water through mountain streams and
rivers. And as the warmer weather melts the massive banks of
snow — one research station in the Sierra recorded 60 feet for
the season — the rushing waters are detaching and carrying gold
deposits along the way. The immense wildfires of recent years
also loosened the soil, helping to push downstream what some
here are calling flood gold.
About 250,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Los Angeles
River Thursday after equipment used by sanitation crews
malfunctioned, officials said. According to the Los
Angeles County Sanitation District, the malfunction happened
around 9 a.m.. and caused temporary blockage in the
sewer. Sewage then overflowed into the street at Burns
Avenue and Rives Avenue in Downey, officials said. The
county said sanitation crews cleared the blockage at 11:20 a.m.
and have since been focusing on cleaning up the streets.
Even for a state where a certain amount of weather-related
chaos is normal, this winter in California felt relentless.
There were catastrophic floods, mudslides, walls of snow,
destructive waves, downed trees and, now, potholes left behind
by the storms. So it was a genuine pleasure to report this week
on a colorful reprieve from all this gloom: Wildflowers are
bursting into view, painting the landscape with vibrant shades
of orange, yellow and purple. The “super bloom” is the result
of sustained precipitation across much of the state; every
shower made it possible for a wider array of wildflowers, which
each thrive in subtly different conditions, to germinate and
bloom. The lush displays unfurling across California’s public
lands have received most of the attention.
This tour explored the lower Colorado River firsthand where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to some 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
The lower Colorado River has virtually every drop allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas At Silverton Village
8380 Dean Martin Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89139
This event explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs was the focus of this tour.
Deep, throaty cadenced calls —
sounding like an off-key bassoon — echo over the grasslands,
farmers’ fields and wetlands starting in late September of each
year. They mark the annual return of sandhill cranes to the
Cosumnes River Preserve,
46,000 acres located 20 miles south of Sacramento on the edge of
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
This tour explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial needs is the focus of this tour.
Silverton Hotel
3333 Blue Diamond Road
Las Vegas, NV 89139
Deep, throaty cadenced calls —
sounding like an off-key bassoon — echo over the grasslands,
farmers’ fields and wetlands starting in late September of each
year. They mark the annual return of sandhill cranes to the
Cosumnes River Preserve,
46,000 acres located 20 miles south of Sacramento on the edge of
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
We explored the lower Colorado River where virtually every drop
of the river is allocated, yet demand is growing from myriad
sources — increasing population, declining habitat, drought and
climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs was the focus of this tour.
Hampton Inn Tropicana
4975 Dean Martin Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89118
This three-day, two-night tour explored the lower Colorado River
where virtually every drop of the river is allocated, yet demand
is growing from myriad sources — increasing population,
declining habitat, drought and climate change.
The 1,450-mile river is a lifeline to 40 million people in
the Southwest across seven states and Mexico. How the Lower Basin
states – Arizona, California and Nevada – use and manage this
water to meet agricultural, urban, environmental and industrial
needs is the focus of this tour.
Best Western McCarran Inn
4970 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Water truly has shaped California into the great state it is
today. And if it is water that made California great, it’s the
fight over – and with – water that also makes it so critically
important. In efforts to remap California’s circulatory system,
there have been some critical events that had a profound impact
on California’s water history. These turning points not only
forced a re-evaluation of water, but continue to impact the lives
of every Californian. This 2005 PBS documentary offers a
historical and current look at the major water issues that shaped
the state we know today. Includes a 12-page viewer’s guide with
background information, historic timeline and a teacher’s lesson.
A companion to the Truckee River Basin Map poster, this 24×36
inch poster, suitable for framing, explores the Carson River, and
its link to the Truckee River. The map includes Lahontan Dam and
Reservoir, the Carson Sink, and the farming areas in the basin.
Map text discusses the region’s hydrology and geography, the
Newlands Project, land and water use within the basin and
wetlands. Development of the map was funded by a grant from the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, Lahontan Basin
Area Office.
This 24×36 inch poster, suitable for framing, explains how
non-native invasive animals can alter the natural ecosystem,
leading to the demise of native animals. “Unwelcome Visitors”
features photos and information on four such species – including
the zerbra mussel – and explains the environmental and economic
threats posed by these species.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
