COLOMA, Calif. — 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.
Rowers get splashed during a whitewater rafting trip down the South Fork of the American River near Placerville, Calif., on April 28, 2023. The state’s historic winter storms dumped a record amount of snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountains. As that snowpack begins to melt, it’s resulting in cascading volumes of water flowing into various rivers at rates not seen in years.
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.
“This is an epic whitewater rafting season,” said Deric Rothe, who owns Sierra Whitewater Inc. and has been rafting for decades. “The conditions are awesome. If you compare the rafting to a rollercoaster, it’s bigger, faster, more fun and more exciting. So, we’re loving it.”
A series of powerful storms dumped record amounts of rain and snow across California this winter, replenishing rivers and reservoirs and bringing an end — mostly — to the state’s three-year drought.
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Cascading volumes of water are now flowing into various rivers at rates not seen in years.
Even with the snowmelt only starting, the American River, which originates high in the Sierra Nevada just west of Lake Tahoe, is already seeing more than three times the volume of water rushing by per second compared to previous years, said Jessica Wallstrom of OARS, one of dozens of rafting companies offering trips on the river.
“It’s really fast,” she said. “Places that might seem mellow, there’s a lot of current going under the water at a very high speed, and you don’t really know that until you’re in it.”
Rowers get splashed during a whitewater rafting trip down the South Fork of the American River near Placerville, Calif., on April 28, 2023.
“This is an epic whitewater rafting season,” said Deric Rothe, who owns Sierra Whitewater Inc. and has been rafting for decades. “The conditions are awesome.”
On a recent day, an OARS guide barked instructions over the roaring waters for each side to row forward or backward. Then he suddenly yelled “Stop!” Rafters in life jackets and helmets pulled up their paddles and gripped the raft’s ropes, holding on before barreling down Satan’s Cesspool, a Class III+ rapids. The chilly water splashed as they whooped and cheered.
The conditions are a sharp contrast to recent years, which were among the driest on record. Guides relied on scheduled releases of water from upstream dams to be able to offer trips a few days a week, and the seasons often were short, ending in late summer. This year rafting companies are planning to operate seven days a week and well into the fall.
In 2022, only limited trips could be made on the river’s North Fork, which is mostly for expert rafters, because of the low water levels. This season the North Fork’s levels have already risen too high for some outfitters, but the flows change daily, and it’s expected to be among the best spots for experienced rafters, guides say.
But more water also means more risks. Rafting companies say their guides have undergone additional safety training and swift water rescue courses, and they have navigated areas to know which spots to avoid while monitoring the changing flows.
It’s not just the big, fast rapids that pose a danger, Wallstrom said.
“There’s a lot more trees in the water along the sides of the river, especially after four years of drought,” she said.
Conditions vary widely from river to river and even along the same river, like the American, with its South Fork being milder, offering places for even families with children to go.
One way rafting guides keep their clients safe is by looking for river eddies, which are spots where part of the river doubles back and slows down, offering an off-ramp from the surging current.
OARS guide Garret Thomason said he’ll use an eddy to “check in with my team, check in with my crew, maybe watch the rest of the boats go down the ramp and make sure they’re OK. Then we can pull back out, get in the current and continue downriver.”
In the Southern Sierra, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux on Thursday issued temporary closures for parts of the Kaweah, Kern and Tule rivers due to the cold, swift water, restricting access to rafting companies with experienced guides and proper safety equipment, as well as experienced rafters and kayakers. Officials in neighboring Kern County also warned people to not raft on their own on the county’s stretch of the Kern River but stopped short of issuing closures.
Last week, National Park officials temporarily closed a portion of the Yosemite Valley after forecasters warned of flooding from the Merced River, also popular for rafting.
Still, with so many rivers roaring to life, guides say there are plenty of spots to enjoy some of the best conditions in a long time.
“If people are sober, pay attention, listen to their guides and actively participate, they’ll be safe,” said Rothe of Sierra Whitewater Inc. “It’s going to be exciting. The best season ever.”
These dramatic before-and-after photos show how storms filled California's reservoirs
A car crosses Enterprise Bridge over Lake Oroville's dry banks on May 23, 2021, left, and the same location on March 26, 2023, in Butte County, Calif.
Read the full story at the end of the gallery.
Houseboats rest in a channel at Lake Oroville State Recreation Area on March 26, 2023, left, and the same location on Aug. 14, 2021, in Butte County, Calif.
A car crosses Enterprise Bridge over Lake Oroville on March 26, 2023, left, and the same location on May 23, 2021, in Butte County, Calif.
A dock floats in the Browns Ravine Cove area of Folsom Lake, March 26, 2023, left, and the same location on dry land on May 22, 2021, in Folsom, Calif.
Docks float in the Browns Ravine Cove area of Folsom Lake on March 26, 2023, left, and the same location on May 22, 2021, boat docks sit on dry land in Folsom, Calif., on May 22, 2021.
A trailer stands at a property that was scorched in the 2020 North Complex Fire above Lake Oroville on March 26, 2023, and the same location on May 23, 2021, in Oroville, Calif.
BEFORE: A vehicle is parked on a newly revealed piece of land due to receding waters at the drought-stricken Folsom Lake in Granite Bay, Calif., on Saturday, May 22, 2021.
AFTER: In an aerial view, a boat floats in the Granite Bay area of Folsom Lake, in Granite Bay, Calif., on Sunday, March 26, 2023.
BEFORE: A boat crosses Lake Oroville below trees scorched in the 2020 North Complex Fire on May 23, 2021, in Oroville, Calif.
AFTER: A boat crosses Lake Oroville on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Butte County, Calif.
BEFORE: Dry hillsides surround Lake Oroville on May 22, 2021, in Oroville, Calif.
AFTER: The Oroville Dam, top right, holds back water at Lake Oroville on Saturday, March 25, 2023, in Butte County, Calif.
BEFORE: Houseboats float on Lake Oroville on Oct. 25, 2021, in Oroville, Calif.
AFTER: Houseboats float near Lake Oroville's Bidwell Bar Bridge at on Sunday, March 26 2023, in Butte County, Calif.
BEFORE: Empty boat dock sit on dry land at the Browns Ravine Cove area of drought-stricken Folsom Lake in Folsom, Calif., on May 22, 2021.
AFTER: A sign stands in the Browns Ravine Cove area of Folsom Lake, in Folsom, Calif., on Sunday, March 26, 2023.
BEFORE: Houseboats rest in a channel at Lake Oroville State Recreation Area in Butte County, Calif., on Aug. 14, 2021. Months of winter storms have replenished California's key reservoirs after three years of punishing drought.
AFTER: Houseboats float at Lake Oroville State Recreation Area on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Butte County, Calif. Months of winter storms have replenished California's key reservoirs after three years of punishing drought.
BEFORE: A car crosses Enterprise Bridge over Lake Oroville's dry banks on May 23, 2021, in Oroville, Calif. Months of winter storms have replenished California's key reservoirs after three years of punishing drought.
AFTER: A car crosses Enterprise Bridge over Lake Oroville on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Butte County, Calif. Months of winter storms have replenished California's key reservoirs after three years of punishing drought.
BEFORE: Boat docks sit on dry land at the Browns Ravine Cove area of drought-stricken Folsom Lake, in Folsom, Calif., on May 22, 2021. Months of winter storms have replenished California's key reservoirs after three years of punishing drought.
AFTER: Docks float in the Browns Ravine Cove area of Folsom Lake in Folsom, Calif., on Sunday, March 26, 2023. Months of winter storms have replenished California's key reservoirs after three years of punishing drought.
BEFORE: A car crosses Enterprise Bridge over Lake Oroville's dry banks on May 23, 2021, in Oroville, Calif.
AFTER: A car crosses Enterprise Bridge over Lake Oroville on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Butte County, Calif.
BEFORE: An empty boat dock sits on dry land at the Browns Ravine Cove area of drought-stricken Folsom Lake, in Folsom, Calif., on May 22, 2021.
AFTER: A dock floats in the Browns Ravine Cove area of Folsom Lake in Folsom, Calif., on Sunday, March 26, 2023.
BEFORE: People walk near boat docks as they sit on dry land at the Browns Ravine Cove area of drought-stricken Folsom Lake in Folsom, Calif., on May 22, 2021.
AFTER: Docks float in the Browns Ravine Cove area of Folsom Lake in Folsom, Calif., Sunday, March 26, 2023.
BEFORE: A home scorched in the 2020 North Complex Fire rests above Lake Oroville on May 23, 2021, in Oroville, Calif.
AFTER: A trailer stands at a property scorched in the 2020 North Complex Fire above Lake Oroville on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Butte County, Calif.
Dramatic photos show how storms filled California reservoirs
FOLSOM, Calif. (AP) — Water levels fell so low in key reservoirs during the depth of California's drought that boat docks sat on dry, cracked land and cars drove into the center of what should have been Folsom Lake.
Those scenes are no more after a series of powerful storms dumped record amounts of rain and snow across California, replenishing reservoirs and bringing an end — mostly — to the state's three-year drought.
Now, 12 of California's 17 major reservoirs are filled above their historical averages for the start of spring. That includes Folsom Lake, which controls water flows along the American River, as well as Lake Oroville, the state's second largest reservoir and home to the nation's tallest dam.
It's a stunning turnaround of water availability in the nation's most populous state. Late last year nearly all of California was in drought, including at extreme and exceptional levels. Wells ran dry, farmers fallowed fields and cities restricted watering grass.
The water picture changed dramatically starting in December, when the first of a dozen " atmospheric rivers " hit, causing widespread flooding and damaging homes and infrastructure, and dumping as many as 700 inches (17.8 meters) of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
"California went from the three driest years on record to the three wettest weeks on record when we were catapulted into our rainy season in January," said Karla Nemeth, director of California Department of Water Resources. "So, hydrologically, California is no longer in a drought except for very small portions of the state."
All the rain and snow, while drought-busting, may bring new challenges. Some reservoirs are so full that water is being released to make room for storm runoff and snowmelt that could cause flooding this spring and summer, a new problem for weary water managers and emergency responders.
The storms have created one of the biggest snowpacks on record in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The snowpack's water content is 239% of its normal average and nearly triple in the southern Sierra, according to state data. Now as the weather warms up, water managers are preparing for all that snow to melt, unleashing a torrent of water that's expected to cause flooding in the Sierra foothills and Central Valley.
"We know there will be flooding as a result of the snowmelt," Nemeth said. "There's just too much snowmelt to be accommodated in our rivers and channels and keeping things between levees."
Managers are now releasing water from the Oroville Dam spillway, which was rebuilt after it broke apart during heavy rains in February 2017 and forced the evacuation of more than 180,000 people downstream along the Feather River.
The reservoir is 16% above its historic average. That's compared to 2021, when water levels dropped so low that its hydroelectric dams stopped generating power.
That year the Bidwell Canyon and Lime Saddle marinas had to pull most recreational boats out of Lake Oroville and shut down their boat rental business because water levels were too low and it was too hard to get to the marinas, said Jared Rael, who manages the marinas.
In late March, the water at Lake Oroville rose to 859 feet (262 meters) above sea level, about 230 feet (70 meters) higher than its low point in 2021, according to state data.
"The public is going to benefit with the water being higher. Everything is easier to get to. They can just jump on the lake and have fun," Rael said. "Right now we have tons of water. We have a high lake with a bunch of snowpack. We're going to have a great year."
The abundant precipitation has prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to lift some of the state's water restrictions and stop asking people to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15%.
Newsom has not declared the drought over because there are still water shortages along the California-Oregon border and parts of Southern California that rely on the struggling Colorado River.
Cities and irrigation districts that provide water to farms will receive a big boost in water supplies from the State Water Project and Central Valley Project, networks of reservoirs and canals that supply water across California. Some farmers are using the stormwater to replenish underground aquifers that had become depleted after years of pumping and drought left wells dry.
State officials are warning residents not to let the current abundance let them revert to wasting water. In the era of climate change, one extremely wet year could be followed by several dry years, returning the state to drought.
"Given weather whiplash, we know the return of dry conditions and the intensity of the dry conditions that are likely to return means we have to be using water more efficiently," Nemeth said. "We have to be adopting conservation as a way of life."
