Boise City Wire

Summer is right around the corner and coordinated planning efforts continue as Float the Boise partner agencies anticipate a busy season on the Boise River. However, it is still too early to pinpoint a start date for the official Float the Boise season due to a variety of factors.

Although flows on the river have decreased to approximately 2,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) the Boise Fire Department is awaiting further reductions in river flows before they can effectively start annual hazard mitigation along the popular six-mile float from the put in at Barber Park to the takeout at Ann Morrison Park. An official announcement about opening day for the float season won’t happen until that mitigation is completed and river levels are projected to drop to between 1,500 cfs and 500 cfs and stay consistently within typical float season ranges.

“Our team does not have the visibility on the river needed to clear out potentially dangerous hazards like fallen trees and branches until the river drops closer to typical float season range,” said Boise Fire Division Chief Paul Roberts. “We are working closely with water managers to try and anticipate when that mitigation can begin, but there are a variety of factors at play in the amount of water being released and our partnership understands those demands.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation work together with various stakeholders to manage water releases from Lucky Peak into the Boise River system. It is a complicated process that is informed by data, modeling and other factors including capacity in the reservoirs, weather reports, snowpack melt, and water needs for irrigators, fish and wildlife, recreation and more.

The average opening date for the official Float the Boise season over the last 20 years has generally been late June; however, there have been seven different years when the official float season started on July 1st or later, including most recently the 2019 and 2020 float seasons.

It’s still unclear when the official opening day for Float the Boise will be announced, but all partners are hopeful that river and weather conditions will align for a start date in early July.

“We’re doing everything we can as a team to prepare our parks and coordinate staffing, shuttles and all the services the community expects so they are ready to go when things line up for the float season to start,” added Scott Koberg, Ada County Parks & Waterways Director.

The Boise Fire Dive Team has been and will continue to conduct training on the river to prepare for the summer season.

It’s important to remember the Boise River is a wild and scenic body of water where hazards are always present. Current river conditions remain dangerous, fast and cold and community members are not advised to float at this time.

Any official announcement regarding opening day for the 2023 Float the Boise season will come from Ada County Parks & Waterways and the Float the Boise partnership. Bookmark www.floattheboise.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

Float the Boise is managed through a partnership between Ada County Parks & Waterways, Boise Parks and Recreation and the Boise Fire Department. For more information and to view current river conditions, an interactive map and answers to frequently asked questions, visit www.floattheboise.org.

Original source can be found here.