Recreational Releases

Flow Schedule

During the summer recreation season, PCWA releases flow to support whitewater boating in the Middle Fork American River below Ralston Afterbay. Releases are made from Oxbow Powerhouse according to a schedule that varies based on water year type. The 2025 Recreational Release Schedule is based on a below normal water year type and is available here.

PCWA generally provides whitewater boating releases from Memorial Day weekend through September. During wetter years, Oxbow Powerhouse usually runs for more hours than required, meaning whitewater boating flows may be available for longer than shown on the schedule.

Special Flow Releases

PCWA provides early releases on Saturdays throughout the boating season to support afternoon boating of the Class II whitewater run (Confluence to Folsom Reservoir). In 2025, early Class II boating releases will be provided on the following dates:

• May 24
• May 31
• June 7
• June 21
• July 5
• July 19
• August 2
• August 16
• September 20

In addition, PCWA modifies flow releases to support two annual endurance events, the Western States 100 and the Tevis Cup. In 2025, these events will occur on the following dates:

• June 28 - Western States 100
• July 12 - Tevis Cup

Additional information about these two endurance events can be found here:

• Western States Endurance Run
• The Tevis Cup - 100 Miles - One Day Western States Trail Ride - 100 Miles - 1 Day - Trail Ride

Oxbow Powerhouse Day-Ahead Schedule

To allow recreation visitors and boaters to better plan their outings, PCWA provides a preliminary day-ahead schedule for Oxbow Powerhouse.

It is important to note the Oxbow Powerhouse day-ahead schedule is preliminary and could change depending upon the following factors:

• Electrical demand and market conditions;
• Changes in inflow to Ralston Afterbay due to project operations;
• Extreme weather conditions;
• Protocols or operating instructions issued by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO); and
• Unforeseen events that affect energy production or energy dispatch planning.

Real Time Flow Data

PCWA collects real time flow data from numerous gages throughout the watershed and makes those data available to the public. Real time flow data for the Middle Fork American River downstream of Oxbow Powerhouse (R-11) is available here.

Links to real time flow data collected at the other gages in the watershed are available on the same page, along with maps showing the gage locations. Please see the important safety information regarding flow data at the bottom of this page.

Hydro Release Travel Times

Water released from Oxbow Powerhouse takes time to travel downstream. The rate water travels downstream depends upon several factors, including for example: the amount of water already in the river channel (base flow), the magnitude of the flow released from the powerhouse, and ramping rate (the amount of water released over a set amount of time). To help whitewater boaters and other recreational visitors know when flows will reach specific downstream locations, PCWA developed a Whitewater Release Travel Time Matrix. This matrix assumes a base flow of 200 cfs (cubic feet per second) at Oxbow Powerhouse, ramping up to a peak flow of 1,000 cfs over an approximate two-hour period.

Whitewater Release Travel Time Matrix