Category Archives: Boating

Bike Trail, Boating, safety, Water, Wildlife

Bear seen swimming in Folsom Lake

In this heat, everyone could use a nice cold swim to cool off, animals included.

An El Dorado Hills man was on Folsom Lake Saturday morning when he spotted an animal swimming in the water.

It wasn’t a dog. Or a coyote. Or a pig for that matter. Swimming casually in the cold lake water was a bear!

Tony Mygatt said he was sitting in his boat in a little cove and reading his book when he saw something swimming toward him. He grabbed his phone, snapped a photo and then began to film the bear.

More at News10.net >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Rafting, safety, Water

Firefighters urge caution over dangerous river conditions

Sacramento Metro Fire Captain Randy Gross was about to lead News10 on a tour of the American River and it’s potential dangers when a call for an injury at a rope swing suddenly sent his four-man crew of Rescue Boat 65 into action.

“The rope swing’s a very popular spot. We go there probably every weekend for a call,” Gross said. “Just last Sunday, we went for a pretty severe fracture of the arm.”

In minutes, his low-draft rescue boat is skimming the water at nearly 40 miles an hour, as his engineer deftly dodges rafts, kayaks and swimmers.

“People are adventurous. They want to try things that aren’t the smartest thing to do,” Gross said. “And here’s a perfect example, 21-year-old male who had not had anything to drink.”

The man lost his grip on the rope swing, plunging onto the river bank and nearly slipping into the water before a friend was able to pull him back.

“If somebody wasn’t there and he would have slid off into the water, even though it seems pretty calm, he could be gone – they’re not going to find him,” Gross said.

The young man was clearly in shock, but resisted having a C-spine neck collar put on. Firefighters left it off, explaining that trying to force one on can do more harm.

“Not exactly knowing what’s going on, we provide whatever care we can,” Gross explained, pointing out the man does not seem to have head or next injuries. But, internal injuries are not yet ruled out.

“Very tough impact. And we don’t know what kind of impact on him for the next month or the rest of his life,” Gross explained.

In minutes, the young man is taken across the river to a waiting ambulance for a trip to the emergency room.

“This river is extremely dangerous,” Gross reflects. “Snags, slips, people hitting their head — it just takes your ankle getting twisted with the force of the water against it and, you know, you’re gone.”

More at News10.net >>>

Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Regulator: Roseville, Folsom Could Run Out Of Water By September If Folsom Lake Releases Continue



A water regulator is warning Roseville and Folsom could run out of water in just a few months if officials continue to allow water releases from Folsom Lake.

Andrew Fecko with the Placer County Water Agency is concerned and frustrated after learning the Bureau of Reclamation has increased releases from Folsom Lake. He warns those increased releases won’t just expose ruins where water should be.

“If this lake behind me goes below 100,000 acre feet, in the September time frame, that’s a you-can’t-turn-on-your-tap moment, and that’s something we haven’t faced here before,” he said.

He says about half a million citizens use water from Folsom Lake, including the cities of Folsom and Roseville, as well as the San Juan Water District.

More at CBSLocal.com >>>

Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Grave Concerns Over Folsom Lake for Water Officials

At its June 4 meeting, the Placer County Water Agency Board of Directors expressed grave concern over the projected drop in water levels at Folsom Lake.

Reacting to an order last week by the State Water Resource Control Board to conserve cold water supplies in the Shasta Reservoir system, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is releasing water from Folsom Reservoir at a rate that could drop lake levels within a few feet of the water supply outlet that serves the City of Roseville, City of Folsom, and San Juan Water District.

“If the current plan remains unchanged and we experience a dry fall, we could see half a million people in the region without water,” PCWA General Manager, Einar Maisch said. “This could, in effect, destroy the entire region’s economy.”

By holding cold water supplies at Shasta Reservoir now, it is expected cold water will be available for winter run Salmon in the Sacramento River. Releases at Folsom Lake increased from 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 2,000 cfs (approximately 4,000 acre-feet per day). Under current modeling, Folsom Lake levels could drop to approximately 118,000 acre-feet by the end of September. By comparison, in January 2014 Folsom reached its recent record low of 162,000 acre-feet, just before near record high February rains. 118,000 acre-feet would be 16 feet lower than the level reached in January 2014.

More at RocklinToday.com >>>

Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Water release from Folsom Lake designed to help Delta

The Bureau of Reclamation increased water flows from Folsom Dam early Wednesday morning.

The wind, tides and lack of water in the Delta have become a concern for the Bureau.

“All of those things have come to a head right now and there are salinity issues in the Delta that need to be managed by increasing the releases out of Folsom,” said Erin Curtis, the spokesperson for the Bureau’s Mid-Pacific Region. “The important place to make the releases right now is Folsom.”

The Bureau increased the flow from 1,250 cubic feet per second (CFS) to 1,500 CFS.

By releasing more water from Folsom Lake into the river system, the river has a better ability to keep the salinity out of the Delta.

But the increased flows mean Folsom Lake is dropping fast.

More at KCRA.com >>>

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

American River Parkway Spring Clean Up Is Set For This Saturday

There’s still time to volunteer to work at The Annual American River Parkway Spring Clean Up.

For the 9th year in a row, a spring clean-up of the 23-mile American River Parkway will happen this Saturday, April 11.

“With the water levels so low we have access to so much of the riverbed where so much trash is and if we can help remove that when it does rain and we get a normal precipitation the waterways will not be dirty.”-Dianna Poggetto with the American River Parkway Foundation says.

Poggetto says it goes from 9 to Noon and they’ll provide food and water:

More at KFBK.com >>>

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

Governor Issues Mandatory Water Cuts As California Snowpack Hits Record Low

Standing in a dry brown meadow that typically would be buried in snow this time of year, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday ordered the first mandatory water cutbacks in California history, a directive that will affect cities and towns statewide.

With new measurements showing the state’s mountain snowpack at a record low, officials said California’s drought is entering uncharted territory and certain to extend into a fourth straight year. As a result, Brown issued sweeping new directives to reduce water consumption by state residents, including a mandatory 25 percent cut in urban water use.

On Wednesday, Brown attended a routine snow survey at 6,800 feet in the Sierra Nevada, near Echo Summit on Highway 50 along the road to Lake Tahoe. The April 1 survey is an annual ritual, marking the end of the winter season, in which automated sensors and technicians in the field strive to measure how much water the state’s farms and cities will receive from snowmelt.

The measurements showed the snowpack at just 5 percent of average for April 1, well below the previous record low of 25 percent, which was reached last year and in 1977.

California’s mountain snowpack is crucial to determining summer supplies, normally accounting for at least 30 percent of total fresh water available statewide. The poor snowpack means California reservoirs likely already have reached peak storage and will receive little additional runoff from snowmelt, an unusual situation.

“We’re standing on dry grass, and we should be standing in five feet of snow,” Brown said. “We’re in an historic drought, and that demands unprecedented action.”

Brown’s executive order directs California’s more than 3,000 urban water providers to collectively cut their water use by 25 percent compared with 2013. The State Water Resources Control Board is expected to impose the new restrictions by mid-May, setting a different target for each agency depending on how much water its customers use per capita and conservation progress since last year.

More at SacBee.com >>>
Bike Trail, Boating, Rafting, safety, Water

American River Parkway Life Vest Stations Open Two Months Early

The Sacramento region’s current run of unseasonably warm weather has prompted the American River Parkway Foundation to launch its Kids Don’t Float life vest program two months early.

The foundation announced that it began providing life vest stations at several locations along the parkway Monday.

The Kids Don’t Float program allows individuals to borrow a life jacket while enjoying the Sacramento area’s waterways. In 2008, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance requiring life preservers to access public waters within the county. The ordinance specifies that it is unlawful for parents to permit children younger than 13 years old to enter public waters unless the child is wearing a life preserver. Violation of the ordinance is punishable by a fine of $500 and/or six months in jail.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Boating, Events, Fire, Fish, News from Other Watersheds, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Spring To Arrive Rain-Free In Sacramento And North State, Much Like Winter

The official arrival of spring today brings with it the realization that Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada have again been abnormally dry for the fourth straight winter.

The rainy season began in the fall with hope that the drought would be broken, but that was not to be.

With the exception of one big “Pineapple Express” in December and a good rain in February, Sacramento has been dry – and, lately, warm.

On Thursday, Sacramento set a record when the high temperature reached 81 degrees at Executive Airport, topping the previous mark of 80 degrees set in 2004, according to the National Weather Service.

The lack of rain was especially stark in usually soggy January when just 0.01 of an inch was recorded in Sacramento.

The winter also did not deliver a great deal of snow to the Sierra Nevada. California’s water supplies are reliant on mountain snowpack that melts in the spring and fills reservoirs for summer use in cities and on farms.

The most recent snowpack survey showed that statewide the mountains have just 13 percent of the snowpack normal for this time of year.

“Generally our snowpack accounts for about a third of our state water supply,” said Brooke Bingaman, weather service meteorologist. “Not all of the 13 percent snowpack will end up in the reservoirs, some of it will soak into the ground. So the level our reservoirs are at now is essentially what we will have for the rest of the summer.”

The culprit behind the snowfall shortfall is a familiar meteorological villain – a high-pressure ridge that has shunted snowy storms to the north, Bingaman said.

In addition, the northern part of the state usually gets five to seven atmospheric rivers, large storms that can drop several inches of rain. This year, Sacramento got two such storms.

One hit in December, a month when 7.63 inches fell and another in February, when 2.28 inches of rain were recorded.

“Since Oct. 1, we have had 11.73 inches,” Bingaman said. “Normally we should have had 16.64. So we are at 70 percent of normal right now.”

Bingaman said Folsom Lake is 59 percent full, but it won’t get the usual snowmelt from the American River.

“December, January, February and March are typically our wettest months of the year,” she said. “Really, December was the only month that was really wet.”

More at SacBee.com >>>
Boating, Fish, safety, Salmon, Wildlife

Folsom Lake Higher Now Than In All Of 2014

Folsom Lake levels are now higher than they ever were in 2014 – by about 1,000 acre-feet.

“We know we’re in the fourth year of a drought. We know that the snowpack is essentially at a fraction of what it normally is. We know we are going to need water later, so we are holding onto as much as we can now,” said Erin Curtis with the Bureau of Reclamation.

The bureau co-manages the lake with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Folks like Kent Wright knows that conservation mindset is much needed when it comes to managing releases for the water supply.

“Disturbing,” he said, when asked how the lake looked to him.

The lake is now at 572,000-acre feet or 103 percent of the average of what it’s held over the last 15 years.

Still that’s just 59 percent of capacity – something that concerns Wright every time he rides by.

“It scares me. It’s scary,” he said before taking off on a lake trail on his bike.

It’s a situation not lost on Rodrigo Lopez of Sacramento who comes out to the lake often to enjoy what water view is left.

“We need the rain, because we’re in a drought. Everybody’s talking about it, but what can we do?” he asked.

More at Fox40.com >>>