Rafting companies find ways to stay afloat amid record-breaking low water on the Arkansas River

On the Arkansas River, the water level is at a record low, and that's impacting commercial rafting. It's a $61 million a year industry that now has to find ways to navigate through this rough stretch. KRC's Brianna Heaney took a trip down the river to see how these companies are managing. It's a clear day. Hot. Blue skies as far as the eye can see. Dogs lounging around, watching adventure seekers file into what's known as the gear shed. The soon-to-be rafters try on puffy life jackets and receive a plastic blue helmet. Tins trap under the chin, loosen up to breathe, but not fall off. A bus pulling a trailer carrying three blue inflatable rafts pulls around. It's about a 30 minute bus ride to the river. By Will Quickshell and he's never done this before. So riding on a bus is pretty simple guys. If you did not like that joke you were in for a very long day to day. Once at the river, the guests make a half circle around trip leader Cory Coker. He gives them a brief lecture on staying safe that doubles as a stand-up roast of the customers. If you're being a bump on the log floating down the river and somebody on the shoreline sees you, they might yell swimmer. If somebody's yelling swimmer and you're swimming, they're probably yelling at you. Then it's time to push off into the rocky waters of the Arkansas River. Under normal conditions, this location would serve as a takeout for this trip. But because the water is moving so slowly and the section through Browns Canyon has become so shallow and narrow, companies are limited in where they can raft. Today, it's a shorter four-mile section. It's just one of many adjustments companies have had to make after a historically low-water year. Customers settle into the narrow raft. Our owner bought these smaller 12 foot rafts that are a little narrower. So we're able to squeeze through some of these lower water lines compared to some of the bigger boats we use like our 13 or 14 foot raft. Which really helps because shortly after we get going, we briefly get stuck on one of the many little rocks sticking out. There's just a rock up in every little spot making it harder to get the raft be there. Normally, Koker says these rocks would be totally submerged. This is by far one of the lowest commercially run trips that I've ever been part of compared to our normal water levels. Usually this isn't the water levels you see, I don't know, December. It's the middle of July, when the water is typically at some of its highest flows. On this day, though, it's flowing at around a tenth of what's normal. The smooth gray granite boulders that line the canyon have white water marks that sit several feet above the day's water line. Kind of gives you an idea where the water would have been this year if we got more snow kind of deal. Throughout the trip, Coker has to get out of the boat to push it over a rock or around a rock.

I'm just trying to keep you in the deeper portion of the water so we don't get stuck as easy. It's rafting, but it also feels a little bit like bumper cars at times, bouncing from one rock to another. The guest on the trip love it. Here's Michael Calderon. You're moving at different speeds, you're facing different directions, even the slow floats. The scenery is constantly changing. The two hour trip comes to an end and folks load up on the bus. All right guys, everybody have a good turn today! Coker says, rafting is about a challenge and navigating different conditions. This year, it's low water. Next year, it could be really challenging high water. Brian Perkins joined the trip from Texas. Attitude means everything. And, you know, if you're out here for the scenery and you're out here for the adventure, I mean, it's like embracing the suck is, you know, that's any adventure, right? Coker has been rafting for around 20 years, agrees. I've lived by that thought process, like since I got out of the service. Once I started doing this job, I was like, oh, this is made for me, man. You can have a bad day. Once you get out here, all your worries are kind of just splashed off. The owner of the company told KRC, he's not sure how long the season will be able to go, but they're taking it day by day. Data on how the rafting industry fared this year isn't available yet. But in past extremely low water years, like 2002 and 2012, the number of commercial rafting trips dropped by roughly 20 and 50%. Brianna Heaney, KRCC News.