‘Super excited’: Provo River back to normal flows just in time for holiday weekend
Jun 29, 2023, 7:27 PM | Updated: 7:27 pm
UTAH COUNTY, Utah — River guides are calling it perfect timing for the 4th of July holiday weekend after the Provo River suddenly dropped to normal levels.
“It couldn’t be better timing for us,” said Carson Myers, a manager for High Country Adventure. “We’ve been dying to get back to tubing for the entire summer.”
As recently as Sunday, High County Adventure’s parking lot and raft take-out area were under a few inches of water. Since then, there has been a drastic reduction in the water coming out of Deer Creek Reservoir.
“Everyone’s been super excited,” Myers expressed. “All of our guides are super excited that the water’s back down to normal levels. Everything’s just safer, easier, and better for everybody.”
Provo River peaked on Sunday at nearly 1,800 cubic feet per second. Now, the river is flowing between 400 and 600 CFS, according to Provo Public Works engineer Jared Penrod.
Penrod added that the flows are now within the normal range for the river below Deer Creek and that typical summer water activities along the river shouldn’t have any issues.
Even with the high temperatures this weekend, Penrod said the snowmelt is mostly over and they’re not expecting any increases in runoff. Until now, the swift water made it so High Country Adventure voluntarily paused tube rentals because of safety concerns.
River guides and floaters getting ready to go back into the waters. (KSL TV)
“While the water was high, we just did a lot of guided rafting, keeping people safe,” Myers said. “But now that the water’s back down, it’s a lot more manageable for people that don’t have the experience that our guides do, and they can get down the river super easily by themselves.”
They’re celebrating a return to normal water levels and normal business for the 4th of July weekend and have started renting out tubes again. They hope the crowds return and remind everyone floating in the river on their own that it’s the law to wear lifejackets.
“All the snowmelt’s finally done, so I think we’re ready to go!”
