Category Archives: Fish

Bike Trail, Boating, Fish, Rafting, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Heavy snowpack looks good for Folsom Lake

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A whopping Sierra snowpack now could mean great boating and water skiing on Folsom Lake this summer.

The state’s official snow survey last week showed the Sierra snowpack is at 173 percent of its early February average.

That means, come summer, steady snowmelt should keep Folsom at relatively high levels.

So tune up the outboard motor and break out the water skis: It’s likely to be a very watery summer.

“We should see strong runoff into Folsom through the summer months,” said Louis Moore, deputy public information officer for the Bureau of Reclamation in Sacramento. “Typically, August is the month with the highest levels at Folsom.”

Recently, the lake held 407,000 acre feet; the maximum capacity is 977,000 acre feet. Dam operators are making sure there is plenty of space for incoming rain and snow runoff from the current storm systems.

More at FolsomTelegraph.com >>>

Boating, Fish, Water, Wildlife

Folsom Lake less than half full after recent rains. Residents ask, why so dry?

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Northern California is on track to break rainfall records. Water has gushed through weirs into the Yolo Bypass flood plain at levels not seen in more than a decade. The Sierra Nevada snow pack is nearly double historical averages.

But you wouldn’t know the region has experienced an exceptionally wet winter looking at the steep, dry shores ringing the Sacramento region’s largest reservoir, Folsom Lake. On Wednesday, the lake was filled to just 41 percent capacity – 80 percent of its historical average.

Folsom Dam operators say the low levels are necessary to protect Sacramento from flooding. With runoff from recent storms subsiding and forecasts of sunny skies through early next week, dam operators are gradually dialing back releases into the lower American River below Folsom Dam. That should allow the lake to rise again.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fish, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Sacramento Co. closes parks ahead of more wet weather

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More water is set to be released from Nimbus Dam Thursday, and water flows will increase from 3,500 cubic feet per second to 15,000.

Farther downstream, park rangers are warning people to move to higher ground, ahead of the release and the next storm. They also closed access to several parks that are prone to flooding:

  • American River Parkway Trail, between mile 0.5 and mile 2.5, then at mile 20.5
  • All islands on the American River, between Hazel Avenue and Discovery Park
  • North of Discovery Park, between the boat launch and Garden Highway
  • Howe and Watt avenues access points

Vehicles and pedestrians are not allowed into parks when they are closed. Violators could be arrested, Sacramento County Chief Park Ranger Michael Doane said.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Boating, Fish, safety, Water, Wildlife

Folsom Lake rises 5 feet in 24 hours

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The American River water level will continue to rise Thursday as operators have begun increasing water releases through Nimbus Dam.

The first gate at the dam opened at 7:30 a.m., releasing 5,000 cubic feet per second of water downstream.

“Been such a long time since the drought started. It’s a treat to see,” said Glen Lutz who came to watch the gates open.

Throughout the day, the water releases were scheduled to increase steadily.

At 2 p.m., the flow was set to increase to 10,000 c.f.s. according to the California Date Exchange Center.

The releases come as Folsom Lake continues to rise following the recent rain and snow.

Between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning, the lake rose roughly five feet.

More at SFGate.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fish, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Billions in flood-control work coming to region

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More than $1 billion in flood control improvements will come to the Sacramento region in upcoming years, reducing chances for any area to be remapped into a flood-prone status.

The $1.6 billion in federal funds approved earlier this month will also reduce the chances of a building moratorium being instituted for a low-lying area. A moratorium from late 2008 to mid-2015 brought construction to a halt for the Natomas basin area of Sacramento.

Rick Johnson, executive director of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, said the new funding is on top of $1.1 billion in federal money authorized for similar purposes about two years ago.

“Basically, what this does is finish the rest of the levee system that wasn’t covered then,” he said.

In the new round of funding, the Sacramento River in Sacramento and West Sacramento south of where it meets the American River would see levee improvements. So would Arcade Creek and the Natomas East Main Drainage Canal, while other work would focus on erosion control. The Sacramento Bypass and Weir would also be expanded, Johnson said.

More at BizJournals.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fish, safety, Salmon, Wildlife

Closures and Detours​ UPDATE

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UPDATE 12/19/16—Closures and Detours​

The following American River Parkway closures will remain in place until further notice: Discovery Park, Watt and Howe access, the PCA Bridge (Lower Sunrise Area) and the American River Parkway multi-use trail from Mile 0-5.

The Gristmill boat launch is closed, although park access is open.

There is a detour in place at Mile 20 of the American River Parkway multi-use trail.

– Sacramento County Regional Parks

Bike Trail, Boating, Fish, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Water Releases Lowered Following Days of Dangerous American River Levels

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The Bureau of Reclamation lowered water releases from Folsom reservoir after several days of high-water flows that resulted in several river rescues along the lower American River.

“As of noon we’ve lowered releases from 36,000 to 30,000 cubic feet per second,” said Louis Moore, spokesperson for the federal agency.

Less than a week ago flows were at just 1,200 cubic feet per second. Large inflows from Folsom’s 1,800 square mile watershed forced the releases by federal water regulators who have to reserve 40 percent of the space reservoir to protect against sudden surges of water from large storms.

More at Fox40.com >>>

Fish, safety, Salmon, Uncategorized, Water, Wildlife

Fishermen Get Trapped On Island Below Nimbus Dam After Gates Open

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Four fishermen were stranded after the gates of Nimbus Dam opened and increased the water flow around the island they were on.

The incident happened late Tuesday morning just below the Nimbus Dam on the American River.

Sacramento Metro Fire says some fisherman were on an island just below the dam gates. The gates were getting ready to open and when they did, the water flow increased to the point that the fishermen couldn’t make it back across.

A crew was launched to rescue the fishermen and bring them back safely. No one was injured.

More at CBSLocal.com >>>

Boating, Fish, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Folsom Lake water release going into rising American River

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Water releases out of Folsom Lake were doubled Tuesday morning after weekend rains increased the inflows into the lake, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

The outflows via Folsom Dam were increased from 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 6,000 cfs, with the flows expected to sprawl downstream into the low-lying areas, as opposed to the American River rising, the bureau said. The initial plan was to increase the outflow by up to 8,000 cfs by Thursday, but it may increase to as high at 15,000 cfs.

More at KCRA.com >>>