Category Archives: Rafting

Fish, News from Other Watersheds, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Placer Water Has 2014 Supply Concerns

The Placer County Water Agency is saying that a good rainfall year is needed in 2014 to restock mountain reservoirs.

And the Water Agency is already looking at the possibility of water-use reductions.

The Auburn-based agency is expressing concerns as a very dry 2013 draws to a close. Tony Firenzi, deputy director of technical services, said a dry 2014 could cause problems.

“Right now, our water storage is at 90 percent of average for this time of year, so we’re in good shape for the time being,” Firenzi said, “but we’re very concerned about the continuing dry forecasts.”

Looking into the coming year’s projections, Firenzi said better-than-average precipitation would be needed to restore average storage levels on the upper Yuba-Bear and American river watersheds. Placer Water depends on the two watersheds for its surface water supplies.

Water storage in reservoirs that serve Water Agency customers has remained at or near average levels despite back-to-back unusual water years. The 2011-12 water year (measured from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30) was dry but ended near average after the so-called “Miracle March” in spring 2012. It was followed by a 2012-13 water year that produced near record precipitation in November and December 2012 but then turned unusually dry.

“In fact, the 2013 calendar year is on track to close as one of the driest ever measured, which is the basis for serious concern as we look ahead at water availability for 2014,” Firenzi said.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Salmon restoration in American River worries some kayakers, rafters

A project to improve salmon spawning habitat in the American River has some kayakers and rafters concerned that they may lose a favorite area of rapids.

The project, which started Sept. 3, involves using bulldozers to place 6,000 tons of large gravel cobbles in the riverbed near River Bend Park and Arden Way. The gravel is needed to create spawning habitat for wild chinook salmon, which make nests for their eggs in the rocks.

The work is occurring directly downstream from the parkway pedestrian bridge between River Bend Park and William Pond Recreation Area. This stretch of river includes the Arden rapids, an area favored by kayakers and rafters.

“It was a bit of a surprise to see all that rock in there and basically changing the whole flow of the river,” said Sven Lund, organizer of the SacYakkers kayak club. “For people going in it for the first time, it seems like an unnatural flow to the river and they will get caught on the gravel.”

Lund and others eventually learned that the right side of the river has water deep enough to pass.

More at ModBee.com >>>
Bike Trail, Events, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Volunteers needed to help remove trash from American River and other waterways

Whether it’s the ocean you love, the rushing American River or the sparkling Yuba, you’ll have a chance Saturday to help keep the water free of debris.

Saturday is the International Coastal Cleanup, an annual event that last year drew more than 500,000 volunteers who removed 10 million pounds of trash from shorelines worldwide. Conservation groups around the country have scheduled river cleanups to coincide with the coastal effort, begun nearly three decades ago by the Ocean Conservancy. In the greater Sacramento region, these include the Great American River Cleanup, the Annual Yuba River Cleanup, the Great Sierra River Cleanup and Teaming up for the Tuolumne. (See www.arpf.org)

More at SacBee.com >>>

Rafting, safety, Water

American River rafter’s body is recovered

The body of a man who drowned in a rafting accident on the American River Sunday has been recovered.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel first conducted a search and rescue mission and then a recovery operation for the man who fell off a raft at the San Juan rapids on the American River in Rancho Cordova.

The body was recovered about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Crews were called to the rapids at around 11:20 a.m. Sunday for a water rescue. The man, wearing a life vest, was rafting with his family before he fell off the watercraft.

More at SacBee.com >>>
Rafting, safety, Water

Family river outing turns tragic; body of man sought

Sacramento Metro Fire shifted Sunday afternoon from a search and rescue mission to a recovery operation for a man who fell off a raft in the San Juan Rapids, on the lower American River in Rancho Cordova.

Crews were called to the rapids at around 11:20 a.m. Sunday for a water rescue. An adult male, wearing a life vest, was rafting with his family before he fell off the boat.

While the life vest resurfaced, the man never did.

The search for the missing man, which involved two boats, a helicopter and on-the-shore crews, lasted nearly two hours before it was suspended, said Sacramento Metro Fire Captain Michelle Eidam. Crews then began a recovery operation for the man’s body. The search was still under way this afternoon.

Eidam said other family members in the raft did not suffer any injuries.

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Salmon habitat project begins on American River today

The latest phase of a project to restore salmon spawning areas in the American River begins today near River Bend Park in Sacramento.

The project involves spreading gravel in the riverbed so migrating wild Chinook salmon have more room to create “redds”, or nests for their eggs. The goal is to replenish gravel that would have naturally washed downstream, but has been blocked for decades by Folsom and Nimbus dams.

Led by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the dams, the project is in its sixth year and has already proven successful by increasing the number of documented redds.

About 6,000 tons of gravel will be added to the lower American River during this year’s phase of the project. Some 5,500 square yards of improved spawning habitat will be created. This year’s work is estimated to cost $400,000.

Work hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. All work is located immediately downstream from the pedestrian bridge at River Bend Park. The work is expected to be finished by Friday, Sept. 27.

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

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

Join The Great American River Cleanup September 21

Saturday, September 21, will be the annual “Great American River Clean Up” during the hours of 9 a.m. to noon which over the years has generated countless volunteer hours dedicated to gathering tons of trash.  The American River Parkway Foundation sponsors the annual event as one way to maintain the natural habitat that comprises the 23 mile stretch along the American River.

Volunteers can register online and many students use the event as a way to earn community service credits for school.  Staging sites where you can check-in include Alumni Grove at CSUS, Ancil Hoffman Park, and William Pond Park.  Details and more information can be obtained online at the American River Parkway Foundation website.

Events, Rafting, safety

Alcohol Ban Slated Over Labor Day Weekend at American River Parkway

Anyone planning to drink some alcoholic beverages to celebrate Labor Day along the American River will want to think twice.

A temporary alcohol ban will be in place over the holiday weekend. Officials say the ban is designed to increase safety in local parks and waterways.

The ban on consumption of alcohol and possession of open containers will be in place beginning on Aug. 21 and lasting through Sept. 2, in the American River Parkway on the shore and the river within the Parkway between Watt and Hazel Avenues. Violations of the alcohol restriction may result in citation or arrest, and the restriction will be strictly enforced.

Additionally, during the Labor Day holiday weekend, entrance fees to Sacramento County Regional Parks will increase to meet the demand for greater patrol and maintenance of the park system.

Non- Annual Pass Holders vehicle entrance fees will increase to $8 for single vehicles and $13 for oversized vehicles and vehicles with trailers at all County Parks.

More at Patch.com >>>

Fish, Rafting, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Placer County Water Agency: Water Forum Transfer Partnership

The Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) Board of Directors on Thursday (Aug. 15) approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to move forward on development of a potential long-term water transfer that meets their mutual water supply reliability interests and improves the ecosystem of the lower American River.

The potential transfer of water from PCWA’s Middle Fork American River Project would further affirm PCWA’s Water Forum stewardship commitments to the lower American River and likewise assist EBMUD in strengthening its water supply reliability needs.

Under the PCWA board action, staff will develop details of the transfer, including duration and financial terms, for future board consideration.

PCWA, as one of many local water purveyors in the American River basin, is a signatory of the Water Forum agreement.  The agreement outlines a multipart plan to increase diversions from the American River to meet increasing future demands locally while at the same time implementing dry year actions to protect the lower American River’s aquatic resources, including Chinook salmon and the federally-threatened Central Valley steelhead.

More at RocklinToday.com >>>