In an apparent nod to the rafting companies, the Watermaster again held off on raising the river until after the weekend tourist rush. A week prior, the river had been raised to 500 cfs on Sunday, and then dropped on Thursday to approximately 300 cfs, a more moderate flow for rafting.

The most recent increase comes as Lake Tahoe continues to rise. Recent hot days, with temperatures in the upper 80's around Tahoe, has increased runoff again, putting the lake at 6229.05 feet above sea level. This is only .05 below it's maximum legal limit, and the lake has been rising at approximately two one hundredths (.02) per day since late last week.

The fast flow of the river will have immediate impacts on river rafting operations. Rich Courcier, of Mountain Air Sports, one of two Tahoe City commercial raft companies, said they will "limit our number of rafts and not allow younger children or older adults" on the river until the flow is back to more moderate levels.

The increased flow has also created some minor effects on the riverbanks, putting some docks and grassy banks underwater. The small dock used by the raft company's for launching, was under water Monday morning.

If the lake continues to rise at it's current rate, it would reach it's maximum legal limit by Wednesday or Thursday. It remains to be seen if the increased output at the dam will slow down the lake's ascent.