Pacific Gas and Electric Co. urges the public to take extra safety precautions as water flows will be higher through the weekends of Nov. 15 and 16, and Nov. 22 and 23, on a portion of the North Fork Feather River for whitewater recreation.
During the higher flows the Poe Reach of the river will contain Class III, IV and V rapids, which are only appropriate for skilled paddlers, and not appropriate for tubing, said the utility.
The Poe Reach is the 7.6-mile portion of the North Fork Feather River in the Plumas National Forest in Butte County, between PG&E’s Poe Dam near Pulga and the Poe Powerhouse just upstream of Lake Oroville.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, flows in the Poe Reach will be gradually increased from about 400 cubic feet per second to 1,400 cfs by 9 a.m. and will be held at a continuous flow of 1,400 cfs until Sunday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m.
On the weekend of Nov. 22 and 23, flows will again be increased to 1,400 cfs similar to the weekend before.
Recreational flows on the Poe Reach are conducted in cooperation with the Plumas National Forest and the Poe Recreation River Flow Technical Review Group and are usually held two weekends in October. The 2025 recreational flows were rescheduled, in coordination with the RTRG, for November due to maintenance work required on Poe Dam.