With very hot temperatures happening this week, people are trying to find ways to cool off.

One outdoor water activity is along the Raccoon River in Greene County. County Conservation Director Tanner Scheuermann says the river provides lots of entertainment for kayaks and canoes. However, the river level has been dropping the past month, so Scheuermann advises to always be alert of your surroundings if you are going to be on the Raccoon River.

“Obviously there’s always concerns out there, you’ve got to be aware of the log jams, and the strainers, and things like that. Never go out by yourself, always go out with somebody else, especially the more experience they have, the better off you are and everybody is. So we’ve got seven-plus (river) accesses here in Greene County and beyond to access the Raccoon River. That’s very unique to Greene County too; there’s not a lot of counties that have that many access points on the river.”       

According to the US Army Corps of Engineers as of Tuesday, the Raccoon River level in Jefferson was just below five-feet.

Additionally, Jefferson Parks and Recreation also has canoes for rent and to reserve one, contact the Greene County Community Center at 515-386-3412.