Did you know that rivers that have a dam can be “turned off”? This is because a dam has a control panel to allow water to pass through or be blocked. A dam is used to stop the flow of water, but some dams allow water to pass over for specific reasons. One of those reasons can be for companies to take rafters down the river. Natural rivers are ones that can be rafted all day any day throughout the year (depending on the source that feeds them). Dammed rivers have a scheduled release and usually turn off for extended periods of time, which means rafting these kinds of river are limited in ways.

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Natural flowing Klickitat River, WA

Let it Flow

A natural rivers flow is not affected by anything but loosing the water that feeds into them. The busy season for most rafting locations is always the peak of summer. June or July, and maybe August. This means that a natural river should be running trips with companies 7 days a week. As long as the water is good to take guests down.

Throughout the year the water flow rises and drops depending on the source. The White Salmon has high water usually in April and May. When the White Salmon glacier on Mount Adams starts heating up and the river is filled by the snow melt. The water starts dropping to a noticeably harder rafting level around the middle of August. Towards October we get to the unraftable level, and trips will stop being offered until next season. 

…Dam!

In 2011 the Condit Dam, on the White Salmon was removed. The water behind the dam was not accessible for nearly 100 years. That is not relatable for other rivers though. In some cases dammed rivers have an agreement where water is released and you can go rafting. The people that have power over the dam make a contract with the rafting companies. They decide on the amount of days that will be open to raft and which days the river will be turned “off”.

They also set the times in which the river will have water. So each day the dam turns on at a certain time and then turns off later in the day. When the dam turns off it takes a little while for the water in the river bed to run out. Eventually it gets to a point each day where you cannot boat it at all. Other rivers don’t even release that much throughout the year. If they had the option they would never release and sometimes only do so for the rafting companies. The Gauley river in West Virginia only releases 23 days through the entire year. Whereas the Ocoee river in Tennessee releases about 116 days.

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The Lower White Salmon, after the dam was removed.

A river is a river

There is a lot of debate and controversy over a dammed river. But we can only be so lucky to be able to raft on those rivers at all. The companies could turn down the offers from outposts or limit the amount of permits. Natural flow rivers are nice because you always know there will be water available to you. Both rivers have their perks. The debate will never be over, because a lot of dams are harmful to a rivers wildlife and resources surrounding. But sometimes you need dams.

Here at Zollers we are very grateful the White Salmon is glacier fed and flows naturally like it was always meant to.

Allison Schatz has been a guide for Zollers since 2023.
She is a lover of the river and what the Pacific NorthWest has to offer!