TAHOE/TRUCKEE

A lighter winter in the Tahoe/Truckee region is setting the stage for an early start to the rafting season, with operations expected to begin by Memorial Day weekend.

Despite below-average snowfall this winter, Lake Tahoe remains near capacity thanks to heavy snow years in recent past. The lake is only 6 inches below the legal limit, thus the federal Watermaster has already opened up the gates to provide Reno and Pyramid Lake with water.

Opening the gates as early as late April is relatively unusual, but it occurs when there are high levels of rainfall and space needs to be made in the lake, or, like this year, when reservoirs farther downstream need to be filled.

“The Truckee River’s water flow is already at 350 cubic feet per second, which is our ideal level to float,” said Sydney Eggers, Truckee River Rafting manager.

The Truckee River’s water levels are a critical factor for rafting businesses. When the water is too low, they can’t send rafts down the river, but it can also be too high where rafts can’t fit under bridges along the way.

“Sometimes when there’s big winters, all the runoff from the creeks and streams provide Reno with enough water,” Eggers said. This delays Lake Tahoe’s gates from feeding water to the Truckee River, making the water level too low for rafting.

As long as the weather stays good, Truckee River Rafting is planning to open Memorial Day weekend, in contrast to the past few years when the company was lucky to get open by July 1.

“We’ve never really opened any earlier than Memorial Day, so we are excited to get an early start on the season,” Eggers said.

Since Lake Tahoe is so full from previous big winters, the rafting season will be a long one.

“We’re expecting a fast and fun rafting season all the way through Labor Day, Sept. 7, this year,” Eggers said.

~ EC