Petaluma Argus-Courier Editorial: Take caution in California’s swollen rivers

This editorial is from the Petaluma Argus-Courier:

By all accounts, Hayden Klemenok was comfortable in Yosemite National Park’s wide-open spaces. He had been camping and backpacking there before. So it must have felt totally natural to dip his face into the cold water of Chilnualna Creek after a strenuous 4-mile hike with his college buddies.

As we know now, Klemenok was swept away with the fast-moving current on July 5. On Tuesday, his body was recovered from the icy water.

Klemenok, a graduate of Casa Grande High School in Petaluma who just earned a business degree from San Diego State University, had his whole life in front of him. He was funny, a good athlete, a beloved son and a popular friend.

His death is a reminder that rivers and lakes many of us know well may be less familiar this year, and should be approached with an abundance of caution.

“There is a historic amount of water right now: faster, colder and more deadly than we’ve seen in recent years,” Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, told the New York Times in June about California’s waterways. “There is no amount of training or exercise that prepares a human body.”

The historic rainfall and snow in January and February were a welcome relief after years of drought. But come summer, it means swollen waterways that are colder than ever, a recipe for danger as thousands head out to cool off from California’s notorious heat.

Warnings went out ahead of Memorial Day weekend, after an 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother were swept away by the Kings River in Fresno County. These tragedies occurred even though the Kings River was closed to public recreation, deemed too dangerous for the average swimmer to navigate.

Luckily, on the Russian River, conditions tend to be better, flowing 25% to 30% above normal but with dams that help stem the speed of the water. “It’s a higher flow, but still has that tranquil feel,” Bert Whitaker, director of Sonoma County Regional Parks, told The Press Democrat before the July 4 holiday weekend.

But the river is moving faster than usual, and swimmers, especially those with young children, should take extra precautions when making a visit this summer. You can borrow a life jacket at five Sonoma County beaches, including Del Rio Woods, Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach, Steelhead Beach, Forestville River Access and Sunset Beach.

When heading to one of California’s larger rivers, which are all rushing especially fast this summer, take the time to chat up a ranger and learn what to watch out for. And as tempting as it may be to take a cool dip on a hot day, this is the summer to heed all warnings.

It’s not worth the risk.

You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com.