River Notes Archive

River Notes for Friday, May 28, 2004

Important information about River Notes.

Looks like a great Memorial Day weekend of paddling on the Kern! This morning, the Corps of Engineers (COE) reports the flow on the Upper Kern is about 1000 cfs, and the flow on the Lower Kern at Borel is about 975 cfs. At 9:30 a.m. the Southern California Edison (SCE) flow phone reported the flow above Fairview Dam at 1204 cfs, below Fairview Dam at 920 cfs, and below Democrat Dam at 607 cfs.

Based on the SCE flow phone report, the diversion at Fairview Dam was about 284 cfs this morning. This is a little less than half the full diversion of about 600 cfs, so there should still be adequate water on Fairview, Chamise, Ant Canyon, Thunder Run, and Cable. The Forks, Limestone, and Powerhouse runs, which are not affected by the diversion, will also have a good flow. For the latest conditions, check the COE flow report, or call the SCE flow phone at 877-537-6356.

This morning's flow of about 975 cfs below Borel should mean good paddling on the Miracle to Democrat section of the Lower Kern. The COE report of 516 cfs below Lake Isabella would generally be considered near the minimum flow for the Dam Run.

How's your roll? Our 101 & 201 AM Roll / PM Tune-up courses combine a rolling session in the morning with a river run in the afternoon. The morning is dedicated to learning and refining the Eskimo roll in the calm waters of Isabella Lake, or on the river, depending on the class level. In the afternoon, we do a river run on the Kern while your instructor reviews basic skills and offers new challenges. Paddling gear, river shuttles, and lunch are included. Call 800-376-7303 for more info. (This class is not for first-timers.)

We now have the Jackson Kayak Fun 1 and 2 Fun in stock, and initial orders for the Fun and 4 Fun expected in the next 3-4 weeks. The Fun Series is designed to be a comfortable, lightweight, easy rolling, fun -to-paddle, river running playboat. Here's a photo of Eric Jackson completing a loop in the 2 Fun at the Kern River Festival.

According to preliminary COE data, the Upper Kern at Kernville peaked at 7.29 ft. the afternoon of May 5, at 2074 cfs. May 5th was also reported to have the highest 24 hour average flow at Kernville and Inflow to Lake Isabella. The early peak was the result of unusually warm March temperatures and an early start to the snow melt. Once the runoff on the Upper Kern is done, paddlers will shift their attention to the Lower Kern, which is dam-controlled and usually runs into August or September.

How long will the runoff on the Upper Kern last? Assuming seasonable temperatures, the AHPS Kern Isabella inflow simulation based on conditions as of 5/25/04 projects that in the 5-day period 6/14 to 6/18 there's a 50% chance the average flow will be above 785 cfs, 25% chance it will be above 910 cfs, and a 10% chance it will be above about 1000 cfs. In the 5-day period 7/4 to 7/8 there's a 50% chance that the average flow will be above 550 cfs, 25% chance it will be above 600 cfs, and a 10% chance it will be above about 650 cfs. Unusually warm or cool weather or significant rainfall would alter these projections. Once the runoff on the Upper Kern is done, paddlers will shift their attention to the Lower Kern, which is dam-controlled and usually runs into August or September.

Thinking about learning to kayak? Many find that the most effective way to learn is a multi-day progression, building skill and technique in easy steps. Our 5-day Total Kayaking Immersion course gives you plenty of time to develop and master each skill before moving on to the next exciting challenge. We offer the course in May, June and July. To sign up for the June or July course, call 1-800-457-2082. Spend a week on the River!

Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

River Notes for Monday, May 17, 2004

Important information about River Notes.

Now's the time to paddle the Upper Kern! The flow is great on everything -- from the Forks, downstream through Limestone, Fairview, Chamise, Ant Canyon, Thunder Run, Cable and Powerhouse. SCE has only been diverting about 40 cfs at Fairview Dam, so all the runs between Fairview and Powerhouse have had plenty of water!

How's your roll? Our 101 & 201 AM Roll / PM Tune-up courses combine a rolling session in the morning with a river run in the afternoon. The morning is dedicated to learning and refining the Eskimo roll in the calm waters of Isabella Lake, or on the river, depending on the class level. In the afternoon, we do a river run on the Kern while your instructor reviews basic skills and offers new challenges. Paddling gear, river shuttles, and lunch are included. Call 800-376-7303 for more info. (This class is not for first-timers.)

We now have the Jackson Kayak Fun 1 and 2 Fun in stock, and initial orders for the Fun and 4 Fun expected in the next 2-3 weeks. The Fun Series is designed to be a comfortable, lightweight, easy rolling, fun -to-paddle, river running playboat. Today's RiverPhoto is of Eric Jackson completing a loop in the 2 Fun at the Kern River Festival.

According to preliminary COE data, the Upper Kern at Kernville peaked at 7.29 ft. the afternoon of May 5, at 2074 cfs. May 5th was also reported to have the highest 24 hour average flow at Kernville and Inflow to Lake Isabella. The early peak was the result of unusually warm March temperatures and an early start to the snow melt. Once the runoff on the Upper Kern is done, paddlers will shift their attention to the Lower Kern, which is dam-controlled and usually runs into August or September.

How long will the runoff on the Upper Kern last? Assuming seasonable temperatures, the AHPS Kern Isabella inflow simulation based on conditions as of 5/14/04 projects that in the 5-day period 6/13 to 6/17 there's a 50% chance the average flow will be above 850 cfs, 25% chance it will be above 950 cfs, and a 10% chance it will be above about 1100 cfs. In the 5-day period 7/3 to 7/7 there's a 50% chance that the average flow will be above 600 cfs, 25% chance it will be above 645 cfs, and a 10% chance it will be above about 700 cfs. Unusually warm or cool weather or significant rainfall would alter these projections. We'll see!

Thinking about learning to kayak? Many find that the most effective way to learn is a multi-day progression, building skill and technique in easy steps. Our 5-day Total Kayaking Immersion course gives you plenty of time to develop and master each skill before moving on to the next exciting challenge. We offer the course in May, June and July. To sign up for the June or July course, call 1-800-457-2082. Spend a week on the River!

Many thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers, participants and spectators of the 40th Kern River Festival. Results and photos are now available on-line.

Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

River Notes for Thursday, May 6, 2004

Important information about River Notes.

According to preliminary COE data, the Upper Kern at Kernville peaked at 7.29 ft. yesterday afternoon at 2074 cfs. Flows reported by the COE this morning have been about 50 cfs lower than yesterday. At about 7:30 this morning the SCE Kern flow phone reported 1895 cfs above Fairview Dam. This is also lower than yesterday and is approximately the flow that Kernville should have this afternoon. This suggests that yesterday's hourly peak of 2074 cfs may not be surpassed today. The COE reports that yesterday the average daily flow at Kernville was 1900 cfs and the average daily inflow to Isabella was 1864 cfs, so the hourly and daily peaks at Kernville may be revised downward slightly.

To say this has been an unusual snow year would be an understatement. March 1 Snow Course measurements put the Kern River snowpack at 108% of normal for the date and 96% of the normal April 1 seasonal total. One month later the snowpack was measured at 60% of normal. What happened? The snowmelt started about three weeks early!. Referring to the Southern Section Regional Snowplot for April 28, on average, the snowpack starts to diminish around April 1. This year the pack began to lose water content around March 5.

The early start of the runoff has likely resulted in an earlier peak. The Snowmelt Forecast issued yesterday, May 5, projected the peak one day average inflow to Lake Isabella of about 1750 cfs would occur on (or around) May 6. Yesterday's average inflow to Lake Isabella was reported at 1864 cfs. This forecast slowly tapers the "probable" average inflow to about 1200 cfs around May 22.

How long will the runoff last? Assuming seasonable temperatures, the AHPS Kern Isabella inflow simulation based on conditions as of 5/04/04 projects that in the 5-day period 6/13 to 6/17 there's a 50% chance the average flow will be above 925 cfs, 25% chance it will be above 1100 cfs, and a 10% chance it will be above about 1260 cfs. In the 5-day period 7/3 to 7/7 there's a 50% chance that the average flow will be above 665 cfs, 25% chance it will be above 745 cfs, and a 10% chance it will be above about 825 cfs. Unusually warm or cool weather or significant rainfall would alter these projections. We'll see!

The U.S. Olympic Canoe & Kayak Team grew from two to six members recently with the qualification of a C2, a C1 and an additional K1 boat at the Athens World Cup. Held at the Olympic slalom site, the World Cup was also the last of three races that determined which athletes would be on the Olympic team. Kernville paddler Rebecca Giddens will represent the U.S. in the Women's K1 kayaking competition. To see how Rebecca trains see "Olympian Trains In San Diego For ... Whitewater Kayaking?" on the NBC 7/39 (San Diego) web site. Don't miss the streaming video in the story!

Thinking about learning to kayak? Many find that the most effective way to learn is a multi-day progression, building skill and technique in easy steps. Our 5-day Total Kayaking Immersion course gives you plenty of time to develop and master each skill before moving on to the next exciting challenge. We offer the course in May, June and July. To sign up for the June or July course, call 1-800-457-2082. Spend a week on the River!

Many thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers, participants and spectators of the 40th Kern River Festival. Results and photos are now available on-line.

Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data. Click on "Current" to get the latest info. (SCE reports that flow phone data is updated twice daily. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821.)

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

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