Truckee River Rafting tries to open for the summer months on Memorial Day but it had to wait a few extra weeks this year. River Flows have to be at least 200 cubic feet per second for the company to open and that did not happen until Thursday, after the Federal Water Master increased water releases at the Tahoe City Dam to 220 cfs.
"The runoff has slowed down, so they're going to need to release water from Lake Tahoe to supply places like Reno and the surrounding area," Parker Bell, Manager of Truckee River Rafting said.
The melting snow kept the Truckee River above the legal minimum flows downstream. So the only water coming through the dam was to allow space for water flowing into the lake. Once the river's levels dropped off, more water had to be released from the lake. This is something that happens every year as long as there is enough water in storage.
The Sheffield family is spending the week in Lake Tahoe, coming from San Marcos, Texas. They spent part of Friday floating the Truckee River.
"It's pretty cool to be able to leave in the middle of town and then they go downstream and pick you up," Monte Sheffield said. "For us, it was great. Five of us went on one raft, so it was fun for the whole family."
"A lot of the river was just like a normal pace," London Sheffield said. "You get to enjoy everything and there were some fast parts that were really fun."
Bell says 300 cfs is the ideal flows for rafting the five miles between Tahoe City and River Ranch. The trip usually takes up to three hours.
"Being out here on the water was nice," Monte Sheffield said. "The water is cold but it's swimmable."
The river was also a welcoming place for a group of friends from Salt Lake City. They did not know what to expect from their rafting journey.
"Honestly, I have no idea man," Tony Runco said. "I've never been to Lake Tahoe so I'm just super excited to come out and just go on the river."
The hot summer months are upon us, and the rafting companies offer one more activity for locals and visitors alike.
"We got a cabin, we're gonna go hiking, maybe get a boat later on, do the river," Josh Vargas said. "Yeah, gonna have fun."
