South Fork of the American River
January 1997 Flood Update

Photo right by Barbara Thomas shows water lapping at the Chili Bar bridge (Hwy 193) late Thursday morning, 1/2/97.
(Larger picture.)

January 6 updates: We have two corrections to the report of the kayaker in the tree. Though the overall rescue may have taken a couple of hours, the boater was actually in the tree for only around 15-20 minutes. Also, it should be noted that Search and Rescue were called by kayakers from another party, and were not requested by the stranded kayaker or members of her party.

Also, the river remains closed due to bacterial contamination. The Sheriff's department and others are removing animal carcasses and making sure that all compromised sewage systems are contained; they are making every effort to get this done as quickly as possible, and will notify The River Store as soon as it is reopened.

Original report of 1/4/97 follows:

We have been receiving many phone calls from curious boaters, wondering what the conditions are here on the South Fork. We are also beginning to hear rumors expanding to include inaccurate information.

Our intent with this page is to give you information that we feel is the most accurate to date. No one has yet been able to provide confirmed flow data, but we will pass on what we feel are the most accurate estimates available.

The South Fork of the American River peaked early Thursday morning, January 2, somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), depending on where the readings were taken. Our best guess is that the flows were over 60,000 cfs at Chili Bar, over 70,000 in Lotus, and close to 100,000 at Salmon Falls. Again, if we obtain more accurate information we will pass it on to you.

On January 1, the Chili Bar Flow Phone was still operating. We posted the flows by the hour. At 8:30 a.m. the flow was 16,000 cfs. By 11:30 a.m. the flow was 36,000 cfs. By noon the flow phone was no longer in operation. By 2:00 p.m. we estimated the flows to be around 45,000 cfs, with estimates that it would reach 60,000 by the end of the day.

On January 1, The River Store was open. Several boaters came through the store, intending to kayak the river that day. A few boaters ran the Coloma-Lotus stretch early on, at around 35,000 cfs. They returned to the store after their quick runs, all safe and sound.

There were also several groups of kayakers who boated the Chili Bar run. There were swimmers on that run, with one woman clutching desperately to a tree below Maya for a couple of hours. Some of her companions boated out and called Search and Rescue. Other kayakers stayed with her and were able to get her back to dry land safely. She was not injured, and hiked out of the canyon via the Lotus ditch that runs along river left, so fortunately Search and Rescue did not have to get on the river. However, this did leave S and R with concerns about adding stranded boaters to their already busy and difficult day.

There were also kayakers and rafters on the lower stretch that day. Several rafts reportedly flipped at Fowler's Rock, leaving 12 people swimming. The rafts continued downstream while all the swimmers managed to make it to shore. We don't have any details of this trip except that there were also no deaths on the lower run.

Late Thursday, January 2, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department announced that the South Fork would be closed to all boating at least through Sunday the 5th. The decision is based more on health than safety factors. There are dead animals along the river, as well as open sewage systems from flooded homes, all emptying into the river. The bacteria level of the river is very high, so for your own safety they have closed it for recreational uses. They have promised to keep us informed as they monitor the river, and we will inform you as soon as it is safe for boating again. We expect to know by the middle of this coming week.

In the meantime we ask boaters to be patient. If you are interested in coming up to look at the river, please do. It is amazing to witness what the power of the river has done to this valley. At the same time, it has caused major destruction for many local families. If you come up and see someone in need, please lend a helping hand! The cleanup will take months, and volunteer crews would be appreciated. The River Store will attempt to organize those who are interested in working on cleanup projects for local land and homeowners. If you are interested, please leave your name, address, and phone number with us at The River Store, (916) 626-3435.

This 1/2/97 photo by Barbara Thomas shows houses at the Nugget, just above the 193 bridge. Many vehicles were swept downstream in the floods. The quick-thinking owner of this vehicle tethered it to a nearby tree with a cable. (Larger picture.)

For updated flow information, check the South Fork River Conditions page or call The River Store at (916) 626-3435.