Rowing Safety

Water Condition Resources

Provided by the United States Geological Survey:
Willamette River Flow (cfs), Gauge Height (feet), Speed (feet per sec), and Temperature

Provided by the US National Weather Service:
Willamette River Gauge Height Predictions

 

Station L River Rules

 

Darkness

  • When rowing in pre-dawn darkness, shells must be lit on both ends. A lit coaching launch must be supervising.
  • Darkness is defined as more than 30 minutes prior to sunrise. After sunset, the same rules apply. Boats may not be on the water more than 30 minutes after sunset.

Fog

  • No rowing in dense fog conditions.
  • Dense fog is when the Tilikum Bridge is not visible from the launching dock.
  • If on the water when fog develops, return to the dock along the shoreline.

Lightning

  • Do not launch during a lightning storm
  • If on the water when lightning starts, return to the dock immediately or take cover on shore!

Water Conditions

  • Rowers should NOT launch in the following situations without coach approval:
    • Visible whitecaps
    • Current speed above 3.0 fps
    • Flow above 100k CFS
    • Excessive debris flow

Single (1x) Safety

  • The club singles may NOT be rowed without a coach present under the following conditions:
    • Water Temp under 10C or 50F
    • Stream Discharge over 50,000 cubic feet per second
    • Speed over 2.5 fps