San Joaquin River open again in Fresno County, but the snow runoff danger isn’t over

Joshua Tehee
·3 min read
1

The San Joaquin River has reopened for recreational use, though the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is still calling for people to use caution when entering the cold, fast running waters.

Both the San Joaquin and Kings rivers have been closed in Fresno County since March, due to the amount of snow melt coming from the Sierra Nevada causing hazardous, life-threatening conditions. Water levels on the San Joaquin have since been reduced to flows that are safe to access, the Sheriff said in a statement Friday.

The river is open from from Friant Dam to the Merced County line, though the parks at Lost Lake and Skaggs Bridge remain closed. Both contain hazards and will require maintenance work before being accessible to the public. A reopening date has not yet been determined, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Kings River remains closed with no timeline for reopening.

Deputies are enforcing the closure and violators will be issued citations at a $225 minimum.

The Sheriff’s Office said it is “extremely pleased with how well the overwhelming majority of the public cooperated with the rules set in place,” but noted that the waters are still extremely dangerous. One particular worry are so-called strainers, which are caused by water flowing through and around downed trees.

“A person caught in a strainer can quickly find themselves pinned against the tree or even swept underneath,” the sheriff’s office said.

Most often the situation requires emergency help from trained rescue personnel.

Precautions when entering a river include:

  • Wearing a life jacket

  • Investing in high-quality boating equipment

  • Staying out of the water if you’re not an experienced swimmer

  • Not drinking alcohol while swimming

  • Keeping an eye on children at all times

“In a matter of seconds, they can slip into the water and be put at risk for injury or death,” the sheriff’s office said.

A 4-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister drowned after slipping into the Kings River last month.

Closure also lifted for Madera County

The San Joaquin River has also been opened in Madera County.

Sheriff Tyson Pogue lifted the closure of the river from Millerton Lake/Friant Dam south to the Merced County line, his department said in a statement on Friday.

Friant Dam has lowered its releases below 7,000 cubic feet per second and will be reduced to 4,000 CFS, the department said. It is expected to stay below this number until the end of summer.

At that, Pogue cautions that “the river has changed from last year. Sand has been moved, banks of the river have eroded, logs and debris are in different locations. These pose potential hazards to not only the public but also our sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and EMS providers who would be responsible for any rescue.”

Madera County has had one drowning this year. The body of a man was recovered from Bass Lake in late April.

River access restricted in Tulare County

Several people have died in rivers in Tulare County, including a kayaker who fell into the Kern River in the area of Ant River Canyon near Kernville on Thursday. Four other kayakers were rescued.

All rivers in Tulare County remain restricted with access closed to everyone but commercial rafting companies.