How to report a whitewater river hazard

Protect people before documenting anything

Do not enter current, approach unstable banks, trespass, or delay emergency action to take a photo or collect coordinates. Move the group to a secure location. For an active emergency, contact the appropriate emergency service rather than relying on an in-app report.

Name the exact river section

Select the put-in-to-take-out section where the hazard affects travel. If it sits near a boundary, explain which access point or rapid it is above or below. Similar river names and multiple runs on one river make section identity essential.

Locate it from the paddler's perspective

Use coordinates when safely available, plus a plain-language description. State river left or river right while facing downstream. Include distance from a recognized rapid, bridge, tributary, or access point, and explain whether the hazard is visible from upstream.

A map pin without context can land on the wrong channel or bank. A landmark without a pin can be ambiguous. Both together are stronger.

Record time and condition context

Give the date and approximate local time observed. Add the gauge source, value, unit, and observation time when known. A tree that is passable at one flow can become a strainer at another, and floods can move hazards quickly.

Say whether the river was rising, falling, icy, unusually turbid, or affected by recent weather. Do not guess a current value from memory.

Describe what you saw, not what you assume

• Identify the type: wood, wire, rockfall, construction, low-head dam, ice, access closure, or another obstruction.
• Describe the affected channel and approximate span.
• State whether a portage or alternate channel was observed, without presenting it as guaranteed.
• Explain upstream visibility and likely approach consequences.
• Separate direct observation from information received from another person.

Avoid saying "safe," "clear," or "gone forever." Better language is "no longer visible from the river at the observed flow on this date."

Add media responsibly

A photo or short video can clarify orientation when captured from a safe location. Avoid identifiable injured people, private property details, rescue operations, or content that encourages unsafe access. Caption the viewing direction and flow context.

Update or correct the report

Conditions change. If you later observe that a hazard moved or the access reopened, add a dated follow-up rather than erasing the history. If a report is wrong, submit a correction with evidence. River People community information should show its observation time and provenance so paddlers can judge freshness.