Category Archives: Rafting

Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Folsom Lake Levels Nearly Double What They Were In 2014

Folsom Lake has nearly double the water it had at the same time last year, and people are already out enjoying it. But things could quickly change. What could this mean for recreation on the lake this summer?

It’s a far cry from more than a year ago when people were walking on the lake’s floor. Today is a milestone of sorts as lake levels are actually right where they’re supposed to be.

“It’s beautiful to see water instead of dry rock and the Old Folsom town,” said lake visitor Cher Connor.

For Connor and her friend, it’s a far cry from the Folsom Lake they saw last time.

“When we were here about a year and a half ago, we walked all the way to the middle of the dam. It was so dry. So we came out today because we wanted to see what it looked like,” said Connor.

And it’s looking good. In fact, today Folsom lake hit a level it hasn’t in two years: The lake is at about 100 percent of normal, meaning the lake levels are where they should be, despite the ongoing drought.

“Inflows are up and storage is up as well. We’ve been up maybe about nine feet since the beginning of the rain event last week,” said Bureau of Reclamation spokesperson Doug Lessard.

Despite the rain last week, officials are not quite ready to change tactics by keeping as much water in the lake as possible – even with more snow melt on its way.

“We’re still in active management for conservation. I think we’re still well in a drought situation here for the Central Valley,” said Lessard.

More at CBSLocal.com >>>

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

American River Parkway Advocates Ask Sacramento County For More Money

Nonprofit leaders concerned about the decline of the American River Parkway and other Sacramento County amenities made a pitch Wednesday for a portion of $4 million in hotel tax revenue.

In the past seven years, the county’s “transient occupancy tax,” a 12 percent fee on hotel rooms, has declined from almost $7 million to just under $4 million. The recession reduced other county funds, which led county supervisors to tap the hotel tax for services once funded by other means.

Some supervisors would like to see a dedicated amount of the hotel tax revenue set aside for specific uses, such as civic amenities and economic development. The board held a workshop Wednesday to discuss funding possibilities but could not agree on how much should be dedicated for specific uses.

Most organizations seeking funding Wednesday are connected to the American River Parkway or advocate for its improvement. They also emphasized the need to improve existing county resources, instead of spending money on developing new amenities.

Specifically, the Save the American River Association and other groups criticized the county for dedicating $100,000 a year for the Powerhouse Science Center. The county plans to pay that amount over 20 years for the museum planned for Sacramento’s riverfront.

SARA representatives want the county to spend more money maintaining the parkway, “the crown jewel of Sacramento.” While the organization did not submit a spending proposal, representatives said it was a good use of hotel tax revenue.

Two nonprofits running county property also asked for assistance. Shawn Harrison, founder and co-director of Soil Born Farms, said the organization needs help maintaining the American River Ranch. The urban farming organization is based on the historic 55-acre ranch owned by the county and located on the parkway in Rancho Cordova.

More at SacBee.com >>>

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

NorCal Reservoirs Expected To Get Boost From Storm

Reservoirs in Northern California are expected to rise as much as 10 percent during a wet and powerful storm that began impacting the state Thursday, state officials said.

As dark clouds rolled over Lake Oroville, people pulling their boats from the water said they were hopeful about the storm’s effect on the reservoir.

“If it comes up a little more, that would be great. It would be great. It would be great,” said Salley Rainey, of Yuba City. “We need more rain.”

Officials at the California Department of Water Resources said unfortunately, the storm is expected to be quite warm and will drop more rain than snow.

However, it is hitting a region where the state is most equipped to capture the runoff.

“On the positive side, we’re receiving rain at our biggest reservoir in the state,” said Boone Lek, a state hydrologist. “That’s Lake Shasta.”

Lek said Shasta is expected to rise from 44 percent to 53 percent of capacity.

He said Lake Oroville will rise from 41 percent to 48 percent full and Folsom Lake from 46 percent to 53 percent full.

“We’ll take what we can,” Lek said. “We went through such a dry January. This is going to be a good start to the month of February.”

However, people in the Butte County town of Palermo said they are worried the storm could be a repeat of one they saw in December.

Heavy rain caused a creek to spill over its banks and flooded the town center, including a post office and a convenience store.

“It was fast,” resident Shari Atkison said. “I was here (at the store) and then I went up to the fire station. And some guys helped me load some (sand)bags and came back. And it was over my boots.”

At the post office, sandbags are still piled near the front door.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Residents Cut Water Usage 32 Percent

San Juan Water District reported their retail customers reduced water use by 32 percent in 2014 after the board of directors implemented 25 percent mandatory cutbacks.

“We are thrilled our customers took action during this unprecedented drought and significantly reduced their water use,” said Shauna Lorance, general manager of San Juan.

The district relies on water supplies from Folsom Lake, the primary water source for a half million people in the Sacramento region. Thanks in part to water conservation efforts, Folsom Lake levels are higher than they were this time last year.

“Our customers were active in their efforts to use less water,” said Judy Johnson, customer service manager. “Water conservation staff spent more time than ever talking with customers about how they can use less water. They performed water audits, helped detect leaks and made sure customers were aware of drought conditions.”

San Juan Water District was one of the first in the state to implement mandatory water use restrictions and has since seen a spike in customer engagement. More than one in ten customer accounts have received personal assistance to become more water efficient and customers have redeemed over $50,000 in water conservation rebates.

More at RocklinToday.com >>>

Boating, Rafting, safety, Water

First Responders Practice Dangerous Water Rescues

Wind whipped up whitecaps on the already turbulent American River as a Sheriff’s helicopter moved in to position to save a man swept downstream. The name of the game: swift water rescue.

The victim in this scenario volunteered to brave the frigid waters as part of joint-agency training Thursday morning at the river’s confluence.

The water is cold, powerful and moving fast – it doesn’t leave any room for error – but Deputy Kristopher Ulshoffer waded midstream and let it carry him toward waiting rescuers.

His dry suit and life vest kept him relatively safe, but the river poses an unyielding threat all the same – not to mention the fact that risks increase even more when you add a helicopter to the mix.

Jim Mathias, battalion chief with Cal Fire, said exercises like this one are vital when it comes to multiple agencies combining their resources effectively during an emergency situation.

At the Auburn Airport there are three helicopters available to assist with rescue operations; two belonging to the California Highway Patrol and one belonging to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

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

Reservoir Levels Rising, But Not Fast Enough

Reservoir levels are rising in Northern California thanks to the recent rain, but much more is needed to make a dent in the state’s three-year drought.

The water levels at Folsom Lake, for example, have risen 7 feet in the past week to stand at 397 feet.

That’s a good start, but Folsom needs much more water before boaters can exceed the 5 mph speed limit.

The slow speeds make it smooth sailing for paddle boarders like Alex Minno, who noticed a big difference in scenery Sunday.

“This used to be all exposed right here,” said Minno, pointing to a water-covered area. “It used to go out like a peninsula and now it’s all covered.”

Fisherman Brian Wallace didn’t catch many bass Sunday at Folsom Lake, but he did notice a difference in water levels.

“The water has come up and covered some of the islands a little more in different places,” Wallace said.

Fisherman Steve Yee has noticed it, too.

“More water, less land,” Yee said.

More at KCRA.com >>>

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

Reservoir Levels Rise After Pacific Storm

This week’s powerful Pacific storm delivered welcome rain to area reservoirs. According to Louis Moore with the Bureau of Reclamation, much of this rain goes directly into storage.

Folsom Lake is now at 34 percent capacity after seeing about a four foot rise with this storm. That equates to nearly 1.3 million gallons of added water. Shasta Lake, which is larger and feeds the entire state with water, rose nearly 12 feet and is now at 29 percent capacity.

Moore says reservoirs are still low and water conservation will need to continue. He says we hit near historic lows as recently as November due to the prolonged three year drought.

More at News10.net >>>

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

Sacramento Rainfall Totals Rising With Good Drenching

The strongest storm of the season flooded Sacramento streets, sent drivers spinning out of control on area highways and dropped about an inch-and-a-half of rain in a 24-hour period.

“This is by far the most rain we have had this season,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Smith.

The steady drumbeat of rain through Wednesday morning was welcome to drought-stricken Northern California.
However, maneuvering a car on surface streets and highways was difficult and simply walking around sometimes meant hopping over rain-and-leaf choked gutters.

Sheets of water formed on roadways. Backed-up drains produced six-inch deep mini-ponds on highway onramps, despite the best efforts of Caltrans crews.

In a 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. a total of 1.44 inches had fallen in Sacramento, 1.56 in Elk Grove, 1.34 in Orangevale, 1.02 at Folsom Lake, 1.10 in Roseville, 1.58 in Auburn and 1.51 in Walnut Grove. Between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. Wednesday an inch of rain fell in Sacramento.

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

A Surprise From Folsom Lake: Conservation Is Helping

Folsom Lake now has slightly more water than it did one year ago, despite the third year of drought conditions across Northern California.

The lake elevation was 390 feet on Thursday.

One year ago, it was 389 feet.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Folsom Dam, credits extensive regional water conservation for allowing lake levels to remain somewhat steady.

“You’re getting a greater decrease in use, so it’s really saving water on a personal level,” said Luis Moore, of the Bureau of Reclamation. “Through those conservation efforts, we’ve been able to stretch this water supply.”

Water agencies that draw from Folsom are taking less because residential and business demand has fallen.

It’s one of the few positive developments in an otherwise dismal state water picture.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Study: 181 California Dams Key For Fish Survival

UC Davis researchers have identified “high priority” dams for fish survival in California.

In a study, the scientists evaluated 753 large dams in the state. Researchers said 25 percent, or 181 California dams, may need to increase water flows to protect native fish downstream.

Lead study author Ted Grantham said providing more water for fish during the drought may not be popular, but a strategy is needed to keep rivers flowing below dams. Otherwise, he said flows will be too low to sustain health fish populations for the dams on the “high priority” list.

He said those include the Folsom Dam on the American River, the Trinity Dam on the Trinity River and the New Melones Dam on the Stanislaus River.

A 2013 UC Davis study showed that salmon and other native freshwater fish in California will likely become extinct within the next century due to climate change if current trends continue.

Grantham said how dams are managed will determine the survival rate of many native fish species.

More at CapRadio.org >>>