Currents: Moose River, Black River, Beaver River

Elwha Dam Removal Comments

Experiencing the Elwha

Felt Dam Draft License Application Comment

How to Show Respect & Reciprocity On Native Land

Hydropower’s Role in a Changing Energy Market

Marmot Dam Removal

Mill Pond Dam Removal Begins!

More Than Plumbing

Office of Public Participation Comment

Process of Progress: North Fork Feather

Revisiting Sullivan Creek After Mill Pond Dam Removal

River Access Planning Guide

Save the Skykomish River

The Oroville Dam 2017 Spillway Incident: Lessons from the Feather River Basin

Tribal Spotlight: Konkow Valley Band of Maidu Indians

Trout on the Wind

Vocab Spotlight: List of Tribal Terms

West Rosebud Creek Releases

Year of the River

Federal Regulators Approve Removal of Four Klamath River Dams!

Today, federal regulators unanimously approved the removal of four outdated hydropower dams on the Klamath River (OR/CA), an action that will set free one of the most iconic whitewater rivers on the West Coast with the largest dam removal project in history. 

American Whitewater Opposes Legislation to Undermine Clean Water Act

On September 21, Sen. Manchin (D-WV) released the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022, long-anticipated legislation seeking to speed up environmental review and approval of energy projects under the National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Water Act. The new permitting legislation is the result of a narrow and closed-door deal with Senator Manchin to […]

New Mexico Supreme Court Written Decision Affirms Public’s Right to Access River

September 1st, 2022 – The New Mexico Supreme Court issued their full written decision reaffirming the longstanding right of the public to recreate on all streams of the state, including walking or wading on the streambeds. The written opinion follows the court’s action in March, when it unanimously threw out a New Mexico State Game […]

Klamath River Dam Removal Takes an Important Step Forward (OR/CA)

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has just released a final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) which recommends the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. This is the final step of analysis, and a federal decision to authorize removal of the dams is expected later this year, with dam removal taking place in […]

Skagit River Recreation Flow Survey (WA)

Seattle City Light is in the process of securing a new license to operate the Skagit Hydroelectric Project before the current licensee expires in 2025. As part of that process a number of studies are underway that include an assessment of the impacts of hydropower operations on recreation. To collect information from the public, Seattle […]

Klamath River Devastated by Wildfire-Related Fish Kill

The Klamath River in far northern California is currently experiencing an unprecedented crisis borne of wildfire and extreme weather that has thickened the river with mud for 155 miles, causing a massive fish kill. It is one of several wildfire-related emergencies simultaneously affecting the river, its two largest tributaries-the Salmon and the Trinity-and multiple river […]

AW Wildfire Info Map Keeps Boater Updated on Rivers Affected by Fires

It’s become increasingly clear in recent years that wildfires are becoming more frequent, larger, and longer-lasting. Many areas of the country have been affected, particularly the West and this includes our whitewater rivers and their watersheds. Until recently, there hasn’t been a way for whitewater enthusiasts to easily view active wildfires and rivers on a […]

American Whitewater Supports Return of Klamath River Land to the Karuk Tribe

For decades, the Karuk Tribe of California has been seeking the return of spiritually significant lands along the middle Klamath River and lower Salmon River in the far northwestern corner of the state. These lands were forcibly and violently taken from the Karuk people in the early days of the California Gold Rush in the 1850s and […]

Deerfield Fest August 6th: All Together Now

After a 2-year hiatus, the northeast whitewater boating community will come together on August 6th at Deerfield Fest, a celebration of nearly 40 years of whitewater boating on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts.

Addressing public safety at low head dams

American Whitewater’s database of whitewater accidents and fatalities, maintained since 1972, documents that 10% of river fatalities nationwide are a result of individuals getting caught in a low head dam hydraulic. These dams are generally defined as a manmade structure, up to about 25 feet in height, built across a river or stream channel from […]