Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Folsom Lake, American River levels to hit 5-year lows

Water levels in Folsom Lake and the American River this fall will drop to levels not seen in five years as California verges on another extended drought period.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Folsom Dam, estimates the lake will fall to a storage level of 241,000 acre-feet by December. That is about one-fourth of total capacity.

The lake has not reached such lows since December 2008, the last extended drought period, when it fell to as low as 199,000 acre-feet.

Already, boat owners at Folsom Lake Marina face an Aug. 3 deadline to vacate their berths. The floating docks will be resting on the lake bed by then, when the storage level reaches 412,000 acre-feet, said the marina’s manager, Ken Christensen.

It won’t be long after that, he added, that a lakewide 5 mph speed limit will be imposed for safety. Though not unprecedented, these early restrictions on the lake are a convincing sign that dry times are at hand.

In an average water year, boats don’t have to be hauled out of slips at the marina until Oct. 1.

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

safety, Wildlife

Tahoe daredevil ordered to pay for canyon cable removal

A federal court judge has ordered a Squaw Valley daredevil to pay $4,000 to cover the cost of removing a mile-long steel cable across the north fork of the American River.

Mike Wilson, 27, is described by some as an action sports superstar.  In one popular YouTube video, he performs a quadruple back flip from a 99-foot cable swing over Lake Tahoe.

Although Wilson thrives on risky behavior, the federal government said his cable over the canyon could have killed somebody else.  The quarter-inch cable is virtually invisible to a pilot.

More at News10.net >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Water, Wildlife

Environmental group sues Folsom over lake access plan

An environmental group that was instrumental in developing the American River Parkway is suing the city of Folsom over a plan to improve access to Lake Natoma.

The $1.2 million project approved by the city council last month would pave dirt trails, add lighting and replace a rugged stairway made from railroad ties.

The project would also add a boat launch under the Lake Natoma Crossing Bridge and remove non-native vegetation.

The new path near the foot of Gold Lake Drive would comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

“There’s not going to be anybody excluded,” Folsom Parks and Recreation Director Robert Goss said. “Everybody’s going to be invited, young and old.”

But a group formed in 1961 to help establish the 23-mile parkway claims the Lake Natoma Waterfront and Trail Access Enhancement Project will destroy the area’s scenic nature.

The Save the American River Association (SARA) has filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court claiming the city failed to adequately consider the environmental impact of improved parkway access.

More at News10.net >>>

Bike Trail, Events, Rafting

Coming Saturday: Your chance to paddle and pedal for charity

Thousands of Sacramento-area residents will participate this week in a peculiar local tradition.

No, not the State Fair, although that’s happening too. It’s Eppie’s Great Race, a 24.67-mile triathlon that combines biking and running with paddling a boat rather than the usual swimming.

The 40th annual Eppie’s will be held Saturday on the American River Parkway. About 2,000 people participate each year, from casual joggers and cruisers to serious contenders.

Some complete the entire course; others form teams to split up the 5.82-mile run, 12.5-mile bike ride and 6.35-mile long paddle, which can be done in either a kayak or a canoe.

The race is named after local restaurant legend Eppie Johnson, 85.

An avid kayaker, Johnson started Eppie’s in 1974 and remains involved in organizing and fundraising.

Proceeds – a total of $1 million so far – have gone to Sacramento County’s Therapeutic Recreation Services, which offers activities for those with physical and mental disabilities.

For more information and to register, visit www.eppiesgreatrace.org.

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

Bike Trail, safety

New Watt Avenue interchange makes room for walkers, bikers and buses

For more than a decade, Sacramento has been rebuilding the string of interchanges that serve Highway 50, giving each a muscular, modern design, preparing them for an expected east county growth boom in the coming years.

Sunrise was upgraded years ago. Zinfandel, Mather Field and Bradshaw, too. Now, it’s Watt Avenue’s turn.

Unlike the earlier interchanges, though, the $23 million Watt project, under way since November, includes an extra set of amenities designed to decrease the region’s heavy reliance on cars.

Watt will get new lanes in each direction, making it the widest overpass in Sacramento, and its tight merge lanes will be replaced with broader, straighter ramps.

But Sacramento County officials have also added a center lane reserved for buses only, and are building a separate paved pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, with underpasses that will enable those groups to get over the freeway without having to cross streets or freeway ramps.

The result, Sacramento County officials say, will be to turn the section of Watt Avenue at Highway 50 into a multi-use transportation corridor.

“You’ll have cars, buses, bikes and pedestrians using one interchange without conflict,” project manager John Jaeger said. “As far as I know, there is nothing like it in the state.”

The bus “guideway” will run from the Regional Transit light-rail station south of Folsom Boulevard over the freeway to La Riviera Drive on the north side.

Transit officials say they hope the sight of buses driving past stalled traffic will encourage more commuters to try transit.

“Traffic can be stopped, and the buses go flying by,” RT General Manager Mike Wiley said during project groundbreaking ceremonies.

Wiley said his agency hopes eventually to extend the bus lane concept to other parts of Watt. But roadway space is limited. The separate bus guideway on the overpass will contain only a single lane.

Buses will have to be scheduled so that two buses coming in opposite directions are not trying to cross the bridge at the same time.

Some residents have expressed concerns about the safety of the four planned bike and pedestrian underpasses, saying they fear someone looking to commit a crime might lurk there.

On a tour of the site last week, Sacramento County’s Jaeger pointed out that those underpasses are short, wide and well-lighted. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to see through each tunnel for some distance beyond as they approach it.

“We’ve designed these for maximum visibility,” Jaeger said, standing at the broad entrance to the first of the underpasses.

Jaeger said the new design will create a more pleasant cycling connection between Folsom Boulevard and the American River.

More at ModBee.com >>>

 

Bike Trail, Events, Rafting, safety

‘Rafting Gone Wild’ on American River less extreme this year

They came in hordes, ready for a wild time.

Several thousand rafters jammed the American River on Saturday for “Rafting Gone Wild,” tugging ice chests full of drinks and, in some cases, alcohol.

Showing up in skimpy bathing suits, the rowdy crowd of youngsters was unfazed by the massive police presence and a county ban on alcohol for river activities from Hazel Avenue to Watt Avenue.

By early evening, approximately 20 arrests had been made, said Sgt. Steve Dutra of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. The first arrest occurred just before 1 p.m. when a man jumped off the footbridge at Sunrise Park with a backpack full of alcohol, said R.L. Davis, Rancho Cordova’s assistant police chief.

There were also four medical transports by 6 p.m., all due to alcohol, said Capt. Bryan Thomson, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District spokesman.

Thomson said the criteria for medical evacuations were that people were “so intoxicated they can’t take care of themselves. They need to be evacuated.”

There were 39 medical transports last year, Thomson said.

More at MercedSunStar.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, Rafting, safety

Thousands expected at Rafting Gone Wild

Officials said they expect more than 5,000 people to show up for the Rafting Gone Wild event on the American River.

For the first time, alcohol has been banned, and a huge police presence is expected to crack down on partygoers.

The non-licensed event begins at 11 a.m.

The alcohol ban was implemented to avoid fights and problems among rafters.
Officials said anyone who brings beer or other liquor will get a citation, be removed from the event and not allowed on the river or the shoreline.

Fire Department Capt. Bryan Thomson said dozens of drunken people need to be rescued from the water every year.

More at KCRA.com >>>
Bike Trail, Events, Rafting, safety

Sacramento County slaps drinking ban on Saturday’s ‘Rafting Gone Wild’

Sacramento County officials have decided to ban alcohol on a portion of the American River this Saturday to prevent any risk to the public from the upcoming “Rafting Gone Wild” event.

In 2011, a sandbar known as Gilligan’s Island, was a main gathering point for drunken revelers during Rafting Gone Wild. Last year, more than 3,000 people showed up at the event, with 23 people arrested.

Witnesses described deputies and rangers having difficulty keeping up with the large and chaotic crowd. Fights erupted on the riverbanks and rocks were thrown at rafters, they said.

County parks officials predict that the same unsafe circumstances could occur this Saturday if alcohol was allowed. To forestall any destruction of property or injury, County Director of Parks Jeff Leatherman issued the alcohol restriction today.

“This is based on our experience last year,” said Leatherman. “Last year, when people became more and more intoxicated, they began fighting with each other and fighting with law enforcement.”

Leatherman said that the decision to ban was based on viewing social media where the event is posted and speaking with law enforcement. It appeared that this year’s Rafting Gone Wild would also be alcohol-fueled.

The ban was issued for the American River from Hazel Avenue to Watt Avenue.

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

Fire, Fish, safety, Wildlife

Crews contain Foresthill Bridge fire that threatened homes

Fire crews from multiple agencies fully contained the four-acre fire that threatened structures on the Auburn side of the Foresthill Bridge at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, said Daniel Berlant, Cal Fire public information officer.

“This whole canyon, once it gets racing in a canyon like this, it could take several days to stop it,” Berlant said. “Fortunately where we stopped it was right below these homes. It was a real good save.”

The fire that started just before 2 p.m. originated at the bottom of the American River Canyon and crawled up the hillside toward Auburn, headed for a neighborhood with dozens of homes, but crews were able to halt its progress and no evacuations had been ordered, Berlant said.

Of those in the neighborhood, only two buildings were immediately threatened by the fire, he said.

One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, Berlant said.

More than a dozen fire engines, a couple water tenders, three hand crews, two air tankers, a helicopter and a bulldozer had been dispatched to battle the blaze, Berlant said. Cal Fire, Placer County Fire, Auburn City Fire, Newcastle Fire, Placer Hills Fire and the U.S. Forest Service all responded to the scene.

“This is an incredibly steep hillside, so trying to get our firefighters down there to actually … build a containment line is very difficult,” he said. “That’s why we do so much work in here to actually clear it up.”

The blaze spread under the bridge, burning either side of the Auburn slope. The cause of the vegetation fire is under investigation.

“If we hadn’t been able to jump on it quickly this fire had a lot of potential to make its way all the way up the hillside to Auburn,” Berlant said. “Fortunately our station is less than a mile away, Auburn City Fire is less than a mile away, and we were able to bring engines out of Foresthill, so a lot of different agencies were able to get there quickly and that helped us, obviously.”

A spot fire broke out away from the main area of the blaze, but a U.S. Forest Service helicopter quickly attacked it and stopped it from spreading, Berlant said.

Work to reduce fuels on either side of the canyon had been performed recently, and this fire emphasizes to homeowners there how important it is to create defensible space, because a blaze naturally is going to spread up the hillside, he said.

“It’s a beautiful view, right? But they’ve got to make sure they’ve got the clearance, because the fire is going to race right up,” Berlant said. “And if you’ve got good clearance around it, it helps us stop the fire.”

The area near the bridge is a “hot spot” for fires, and a blaze two or three years ago burned 30 acres on the Foresthill side, Berlant said.

Foresthill Road traffic was stopped on either side of the bridge, and was expected to resume around 5:30 p.m. Traffic was also significantly backed up on Highway 49 near the confluence, Berlant said.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Rafting, safety, Water

Body Found in River May be Missing Swimmer

Rescue crews believe they have found the body of a man who drowned Sunday.

The body was found in the American River behind Cal Expo Thursday morning. Sacramento Firefighters responded and say the preliminary description matches that of a man in his 20s who went missing Sunday while swimming with friends.

Crews spent Sunday afternoon looking for the unidentified man, but had to call off the search.

More at Fox40.com >>>