Snowmelt thrills whitewater rafters, but California sheriffs closing some rivers to recreation for now

Massive snowmelt is making for an epic whitewater season, but some local authorities are closing rivers for now out of safety concerns.

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.

“I thought I would get wet — but, like, not that wet!” Moreno, 14, said afterward. “I didn’t expect it to be so many, like, big waves.”

But the powerful rushing waters are raising anxiety among sheriffs departments and public safety officials around the state, who fear for the safety of those tempted by the warming weather to venture into the deceptively dangerous river waters on their own. In several California counties — though generally not where most whitewater trips run — authorities have closed rivers to recreation within their boundaries until further notice.

The Placer County Sheriff issued a warning April 28 for people to avoid rivers in the county, which stretches from the Gold Country to Lake Tahoe. The next day, the sheriff’s office said a group visiting the American River in Auburn reported one of their friends on the outing had been swept away. The man remains missing.

“Please let this incident serve as an example of why we are warning the public to stay out of the river,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said last week.

The Merced County Sheriff on April 13 closed the Merced River and the San Joaquin River for recreational use until further notice.

“I know that the weather’s warming up, we all want to get wet because that’s our favorite thing to do, but do it in a swimming pool,” Merced Sheriff Vern Warnke said in a public safety Facebook video. “Stay out of the rivers, please. It’s fast, dangerous, and ice cold.”

Merced Sheriff’s Deputy Alexandra Britton said so far, they haven’t had to cite any violators or rescue anyone.

“It’s mostly a concern with people going in on their own and not having the experience and us having to go in and rescue them, to prevent anyone drowning or getting hurt, or our swift-water team getting hurt rescuing someone,” Britton said.

The warnings are chiefly aimed at those who might take a dip, swim or float downstream on an inner tube on their own — not at organized whitewater trips with professional guides. But the notices have caused some tension. Zephyr Whitewater Expeditions, which offers guided rafting tours down the Merced River as it flows out of Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County, took issue with the closure in neighboring Merced County.

“The rivers are going to be extraordinarily high, the water’s fast and cold, and recreational swimming is going to be dangerous,” said Adam Ferguson, Zephyr’s operations manager. “That being said, the area we’re rafting on is not closed, and going rafting with professional whitewater outfitters and equipment is very fun. It’s not only legal, but this is a great year for it.”

Ferguson said Zephyr is taking more precautions than usual, screening rafters, raising its minimum age, requiring participants to take a swimming test and advising the inexperienced to consider trips later in the summer when water flows calm down.

The Tulare County sheriff closed the Kings and St. John’s rivers to recreation indefinitely in late March, and the Fresno County sheriff closed the San Joaquin River below the Millerton Dam and the Kings River below the Pine Flat dam.

“Right now, the San Joaquin has 9,200 cubic feet per second flowing into it, the Kings is at 13,000,” said Fresno County Sheriff Information Officer Tony Botti. “Anything over 5,000 makes the situation more dangerous than usual. As you can see, we are more than double, and it is expected to increase even more as we approach summer. The water is also about 52 degrees.”

Delton Johnson, executive director of Healing Waters, which provides whitewater rafting on the American River, and sea kayaking and camping trips for people with chronic illnesses, said he fears there will be more drownings this year as the weather heats up and untrained people head into the water on their own.

“Everyone who’s not a skilled boater wants to get on the water, and it’s dangerous,” Johnson said. “I’m expecting, unfortunately, a lot of deaths.”

American Whitewater Expeditions in Coloma runs rafting trips along the American River’s South and Middle forks, where flows are regulated by upstream dams, and the free-flowing North Fork, which is considered more challenging.

Even on the popular, dam-controlled South Fork, water flows are much higher this year, American Whitewater Expeditions owner Arnie Chandola said. During recent drought years, the stretch they raft would see water flows of about 1,500 cubic feet per second for a few hours a day. Now, it’s running 4,000 cubic feet per second all day and night.

“People who’ve rafted the South Fork for the last couple of years will see a definite difference,” Chandola said. “The waves are bigger, there’s more splashing, more fun.”

Chandola’s company uses larger rafts with stern frames that allow the guide to control the vessel with a pair of oars while the guests hang on, and this year they are using additional guides paddling alongside in kayaks to pull to safety any rider who tumbles out of the raft.

Amanda Parker, the Golden Valley Charter School teacher who brought her 8th-grade class on last week’s trip, said “there was a little bit of pushback from parents.” But she assured them that expert guide would make safety a priority for the kids, who took turns in the splashiest seats up front and laughed their way downstream as they tumbled to the boat floor.

“They love the challenge,” Parker said, “and it shows in their smiles leaving the freezing cold water.”

It was 14-year-old Liam Holman’s first whitewater trip. He said he was “pretty nervous” getting on the raft, and spent much of the trip thinking to himself “don’t fall off.” But afterward, he was all for it.

“I’d do it again,” he declared. “It was really fun.”