Last week FERC approved a whitewater recreation plan for the North Fork Rogue. We are pleased to be working with PacifiCorp who has committed to immediately implementing the plan and providing the whitewater recreational opportunities this summer.

Whitewater recreational opportunities will be available on: July 18/19, August 15/16, Sept 6/7, Sept 26/27

Because whitewater recreation was not fully evaluated in the studies prior to licensing of this project, we successfully advocated for a complete evaluation of whitewater recreation needs at this project through the first three years of the license.

American Whitewater will convene a study team to participate in the controlled flow study and follow up focus groups. Participants will be drawn from local stakeholders who have actively participated in this project. The releases will be open to the public and we encourage all paddlers to come check out the river to provide feedback and report their evaluation of flow needs for recreation through an internet-based survey instrument.

PacifiCorp worked with their consultants to develop a dual-study approach that combines the accuracy and precision of a controlled flow whitewater study in year one supplemented with information from an internet-based survey for the first three years of the license. The release plan involves investigation of a range of flow releases from the diversion dam between 85 cfs and 500 cfs over a consecutive two-day period. The study team will work with paddlers on the study team to determine the flow increments suitable for investigation.

The goals and objectives of this study will be to document interest in the reach and the flow requirements for a quality recreational experience. The results of this study may be used to modify the whitewater recreation plan in the future.

In addition to flow needs, the consultants will evaluate access needs. Under the access monitoring plan, over the three-year study period, the study team will evaluate public use of the access road to Prospect No. 2 Powerhouse and the adjacent river access site, identify strategies to address access concerns, consider alternative sites, and recommend protocols and measures to ensure public safety and project security.

Finally, PacifiCorp will be providing real-time flow information for the reach above the Powerhouse which includes the Avenue of the Giant Boulders. This information will be available through a flow phone. Please call (541) 560-1109 for Rogue River bypassed reach information.  You will first hear a welcome message, then a prompt to press the "#" key.  This tells the modem that you want a voice report, and are not connecting with a computer. The message is updated every 15 minutes.