Rivers running cold and fast

By LEE JUILLERAT

H&N Regional Editor

May 24, 2008

   It’s not the kind of weather that encourages canoeing or boating, but anyone planning on spending time this weekend on rivers or lakes in the Klamath Basin should be prepared for quickly flowing, extremely cold water. 

   “We don’t see a lot of use this time of year,” said Shawn Richards, who oversees the Klamath County Sheriff’s Department’s marine patrol. “You can look out the window and see why.” 

   Recent rains, combined with a heavy snowmelt spurred by last week’s unusually warm temperatures, mean that rivers are flowing at high rates. But Richards said that based on figures from the National Weather Service, “we’d have to get 5 or 6 more feet of vertical before we would reach flood stage.” 

   Regional rivers, such as the Williamson and Sprague, generally receive little use this time of year, but rafting and kayaking are being done on upper sections of the Klamath River . Klamath flows are controlled by dams. 

   Areas of Oregon , especially west of the Cascades, have experienced deaths and problems by boaters in unusually swift waters. 

   Richards said people on Basin rivers or lakes should be aware that water temperatures are very cold because of snow melt, so spending time in the water could easily result in hypothermia.

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