The drought that hit the Northwest this year has done more than just raise electricity rates — it’s also brought some low water levels, potentially causing problems for those who like to raft, fish and kayak the local rivers and reservoirs.
But local rafting and fishing businesses aren’t worried about business suffering or a lack of interest from their loyal customers. Even with low water levels, there’s a lot to be gained, said Guy Santiago, owner of Oregon River Sports.
“This will be a great teaching year,” Santiago said. “It’s easier to work with students and beginners because the water’s not intimidating.”
Wade Stampe, the Army Corps of Engineers’ operations manager for the Willamette Valley project, said the McKenzie River is as high as it’s going to get right now. The engineers are responsible for building dams and then monitoring water levels to ensure water quality for fish and wildlife.
“Typically we would release 6,800 cubic feet per thousand of water from the reservoirs into the rivers,” Stampe said. “Due to the drought, we’ll only be able to release 5,000 cubic feet per thousand in order to conserve water for the entire summer.”
Stampe said the Army Corps will also have to keep the water at a certain level to meet state requirements for sewage discharge. This will most likely result in lower water levels in reservoirs, something Stampe said may drive reservoir boaters, swimmers and fishermen to use the rivers instead.
Summer Bryan, one of the coordinators for the University sailing team, said the team will be able to continue sailing in the Fern Ridge Reservoir because it uses dinghys, which don’t require high water levels, but the water is too low for those who use large keel boats.
“There’s a whole fleet of keel boats, which are 20 feet long, that won’t be able to sail in Fern Ridge because of the water level,” Bryan said. “There’s not even water up by the main docks.”
Water levels in the McKenzie and Willamette rivers will also be down, especially above some of the tributaries, said Dean Helfrich, owner of Dean Helfrich and Sons Guide Service.
“After the first or middle of July, there won’t be much for rafting above the Blue River Tributary,” Helfrich said.

Water levels that are too low will hinder the ability of rafts to flow smoothly through the water and could also result in a higher hazard level for rocks and logs, Santiago said. He said these hazards also increase a person’s chances of drowning.
“Because the water is shallow and people can see the bottom, they may think they can stand up,” Santiago said. “But the water is going faster than it seems, and people can get their feet stuck and get knocked over into the water.”
Both Santiago and Helfrich said life jackets are the most important safety item to have whenever rafting, especially with low river level conditions.
“There are drownings every year where, had the person been wearing a life jacket, they would have survived,” Santiago said.
Despite the increase in danger, Santiago said low water levels will probably not be a threat to business.
“The rapids will be shorter and more technical, which opens up great opportunities for learning,” Santiago said. This means a greater degree of skill is required to ride the rapids.
Helfrich said he’s already scheduled an 80- to 100-person rafting trip, and fishing will be just as good.
“We haven’t had a drought like this since 1977, and people survived,” Helfrich said. “Before 1950, there weren’t even dams, and the fish survived.”