River guide cheers while whitewater crashes all around the raft

2016 Water Year for the South Fork of the American River

tl;dr: Daily raftable water through Labor Day.

SFAR Water Year Forecast 2016

The May Water Report was released late Monday May 9th, with the Water-Year forecast staying in the Above Normal range. Specifically it’s forecasting the American River below Folsom at 2,850 thousand acre-feet, with 2,600-3,500 being Above Normal. It’s a very slight drop from the April forecast of 2,880. But what really matters is that the May forecast is used to set the rest of the water year plus the month of October.  So barring a literal act of Congress (federal) the below is all locked in.

church youth group white water rafting in CaliforniaMay Flows

  • Monday – Friday: 1,300 cfs 9am-12pm
  • Saturday & Sunday: 1,750 cfs 8am-12pm
  • Minimum Fish Flow: 300 cfs April, 350 cfs May

Summer Flows – May 28th through September 5th

  • Monday – Friday: 1,500 cfs 9am-12pm
  • Saturday & Sunday: 1,750 cfs 7am-1pm
  • Minimum Fish Flow: 350 cfs May & June, 300 cfs July & August, 250 cfs September

September Flows – September 6-30

  • Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1,500 cfs 9am-12pm
  • Minimum Fish Flow: 250 cfs
  • No guaranteed raftable flows Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

October Flows

  • Mondays & Fridays: 1,300 cfs 9am-12pm
  • Saturdays & Sundays: 1,500 cfs 9am-12pm
  • Minimum Fish Flow: 250 cfs
  • No guaranteed raftable flows Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Note: The water year type for the months of November 2016 through January 2017 and the first part of February 2017 will be based on the Actual readings for the Oct ’15 – Sept ’16 water year based on the Full Natural Flow (FNF) as recorded at the American River at Folsom.

Related Links and References