The rafting industry in Placer County isn’t suffering, despite low snow melt and ongoing drought conditions throughout the state.

According to local rafting companies, the only problem the drought is causing is in the public perception that rafting on area waterways is less fun because of the drought.

For H2O Adventures, a rafting tour company located in Lotus, business has been booming in spite of drought because of scheduled dam releases on the popular forks of the American River.

Daniel Soule, co-owner of H2O Adventures, said dam controls on the river have helped to offer the best possible rafting experiences for tours during the drought.

“We’re busy, but we could be busier,” Soule said. “In reality, we have the capacity to do groups up to 50 or 60 people.”

Dam releases on the south and middle forks of the American River have helped to provide, what raft guides refer to as, “floatable levels.” Companies are able to plan tours based on a schedule and ongoing agreement with water agencies.

So far, the south fork of the river only sees two days of impassably low water levels, while the middle fork is open all week long.

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