Category Archives: Water

Fish, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Report: California Has A Long Way To Go On Water Conservation

As California slips into summer amid the worst drought in a generation, state residents, as a whole, have done relatively little to cut their water use, falling well short of the 20 percent target set in Gov. Jerry Brown’s emergency drought declaration in January.

Between January and May of this year, California as a whole cut its water use 5 percent compared to the same period over the preceding three years, according to data released Tuesday during a meeting of the State Water Resources Control Board. The figures were drawn from a survey of water agencies across the state conducted by water board staff. The survey was sent to 443 water agencies but completed by only 270, representing about 25 million retail water customers.

Max Gomberg, a senior environmental scientist for the board, said water use actually increased statewide in January, a month that is normally the state’s wettest but instead proved to be extraordinarily dry. During February through April – months immediately following the governor’s drought declaration – there was no significant conservation. Water use statewide was essentially the same in those months as the prior three years.

Only in May did conservation seemingly take hold, with water agencies in aggregate reporting a water savings of 25 percent. That seems encouraging, but it was before the hot months of summer when water demand typically peaks.

“Nevertheless, it’s a promising sign that the May usage went down,” Gomberg said.

The state water board met Tuesday to begin discussing whether more statewide conservation measures are needed. They invited a number of local water agency officials to provide input. Those officials said it’s difficult to impose blanket conservation goals because each region of the state is different, with different water needs. Nevertheless, they all said they are striving to meet the 20 percent target.

The state’s data showed that the best conservation progress occurred among water agencies in the Sacramento Valley region, which reported a 10 percent savings from January through May. The worst was along the Central Coast and in the San Francisco Bay Area, which reported zero and 2 percent conservation, respectively.

“The customers have stepped up, is really what it comes down to,” said John Woodling, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Water Authority. “If you drive around this region, the lawns are brown and yellow. The lawns aren’t lush and green like they used to be.”

Other water agencies told the board that progress may appear small because they have been working hard for years to reduce water consumption as a general practice to manage water resources for the long term.

More at MercedSunStar.com >>>

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/06/17/3703789/report-california-has-a-long-way.html#storylink=cpy
Events, Water, Wildlife

American River Conservancy Offers ‘Epic Sierra Adventure’

People have one more week to sign up for a 14-day Epic Sierra Adventures summer trip that’s geared toward high school youth and organized by the American River Conservancy.

The program introduces teens to a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities and teaches minimum impact practices. Trips start in Coloma on the banks of the South Fork American River and end with a three-day backpack trip in Yosemite National Park.

Participants will paddle the American River, Lake Tahoe and Mono Lake and explore the different biomes of the Central Sierra on foot. They also contribute 12-15 hours of volunteer service at different sites visited throughout the adventure.

For more information visit www.epicsierra.org or www.arconservancy.org/epicsierra or call the American River Conservancy at 530-621-1224.

Events, Water, Wildlife

PCWA Campgrounds Open For Summer 2014

The recreational attractions of the Placer County Water Agency’s Middle Fork American River Project are open for the summer.

The project includes campgrounds at French Meadows and Hell Hole reservoirs, high on the western slope of the Sierra near the headwaters of the American and Rubicon rivers; and other attractions ranging down the Middle Fork American River to Oxbow Reservoir, a popular launching area for whitewater rafters.

 The pristine, relatively undiscovered area is reached via Mosquito Ridge Road from Foresthill or Eleven Pines Road from Georgetown.  French Meadows is situated 50 miles east of Auburn.

 Most of the campgrounds are snowbound in winter and are usually accessible from Memorial Day weekend through early October.  PCWA officials said the current drought will result in lower than normal lake levels and flows this summer but that sufficient water is anticipated through Labor Day weekend.

More at RocklinToday.com >>>

Bike Trail, Rafting, Water

Cooling Breezes Take The Sizzle Out Of Sacramento

After three days of 100-plus weather, the Delta breeze came rushing in overnight to lower temperatures in the Sacramento region.

High temperatures in the mid-80s are expected to reign through Friday as the cooling trend provides welcome relief to Sacramento Valley residents. Temperatures throughout the valley were cooler early Wednesday morning, while the foothills and the mountains are about the same as on Tuesday.

The high pressure ridge is shifting farther east and the marine layer along the Pacific coast is gradually deepening, according to the National Weather Service. Gusty westerly winds are likely through the Carquinez Strait and into the valley over the next 24 hours.

The detailed, 7-day forecast for the Sacramento region from the NWS:

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 86. South southwest wind 9 to 11 mph.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 56. South wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 84. South southwest wind around 10 mph.

Thursday night: Clear, with a low around 55. South wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.

More at ModBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Rafting, safety, Water

Too Toasty: Sacramentans Take To The River

The calendar says it’s still spring, but Sacramento’s summer furnace flipped on this week.

Monday’s high temperature of 106 in downtown Sacramento broke the previous record of 103 degrees for June 9, which was set in 1883. Sunday’s 104-degree heat was followed by a stifling night in which the region’s famed Delta breeze failed to arrive, leaving the nighttime low at a relatively high 69 degrees.

The heat is expected to ease starting today. “Certainly this is the hottest period we’ve had this year, but we are going to be trending downwards,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Kurth. “We’re going to be closer to that normal level by Thursday, and then by the weekend we’ll be back above normal.”

People who were not ensconced in offices and classrooms Monday were looking to cool off. The American River, Sacramento’s aquatic playground, was as usual a favored spot. They found a river with a surprising amount of cool water despite the lack of rain and skimpy snowpack.

That’s because the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is letting water flow out of Folsom Dam this month about twice as fast as it is flowing in from the American River watershed upstream. The agency isn’t doing this to benefit swimmers or boaters, or the communities that depend on the river for their water supply. The higher flows are designed to satisfy state rules about how salty the water can be downstream in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The water level in Folsom Lake is dropping about four inches a day as a result. Reclamation spokeswoman Janet Sierzputowski said she expects the higher water releases to continue until the end of June. About that same time, the water in Folsom Lake will become too shallow to launch boats, a month earlier than it did last year.

So enjoy it while you can, Sacramento.

‘Turn that sun down’

A sparse crowd spread along the American River at Discovery Park Monday around noon. Some people were taking advantage of a day off. Nicole Corona of Sacramento brought her whole family, including her father’s Chihuahua, Harley. “We don’t have a pool, so this was our last attempt to escape the heat,” she said.

Her father, Fred Williams, and Harley were looking to cool off after driving from their home in Arizona to visit the family. “After driving 1,000 miles, I want to see some water,” Williams said.

Even with the extra releases from Folsom Dam, Evan Caldwell, 17, complained that the low water level was making it harder for him to catch fish. “I honestly haven’t seen a single striper,” said Caldwell, who arrived in the early morning. “You usually see large schools of them around here.”

Still, Caldwell, who just graduated from Sacramento’s School of Engineering & Sciences, plans to return three to four times a week. “It’s nice that there’s a beach,” Caldwell said. “It makes it a great place to swim and fish.”

Discovery Park is also a destination for families with antsy children now that school’s out. Joseph Bettencourt of West Sacramento brought his two children Monday for the first time. “They don’t want to leave now,” he said.

Bettencourt likes that the water at Discovery Park is shallow and open. Boat riders also seem to have respect for swimmers, he said.

Some people just came to sit. Steve Larsen, who works downtown, eats his lunch in the shade three to four times a week.

“I like the scenery,” he said Monday. “I like the quiet and the fresh air. It’s a great place to get away from work.”

Across the American River in West Sacramento, Al Goodman had a request. “Do me favor,” said Goodman, who was docked on his friend’s boat at the Broderick launching ramp. “Reach up and turn that sun down.”

Secluded beach

Pushed to the water by the heat, persistent families wound their way to Paradise Beach on the American River through a maze of sandy pathways and shrubbery.

The beach is about a 10-minute walk from Glenn Hall Park in the River Park neighborhood, but the winding sand pathways obscure it from people who don’t know it’s there.

Kandice Davis, who moved to Sacramento in January, had never been to Paradise Beach but read about it on a website and decided to bring her niece and nephew-in-law, who were visiting from Georgia. “The site didn’t mention how far the walk was, we were like ‘Oh God, it doesn’t exist,’ ” Davis said. “We’re still afraid we’re never going to find the car again.”

On Monday afternoon, the group had the secluded beach almost to themselves. Canada geese were the sole inhabitants when they arrived, and only one other family came to share the gravelly strip along the water.

Jesse Beltran, 45, of Elk Grove took his family to spend the afternoon cooling off. “It’s a traditional spot, back from high school and my childhood days,” Beltran said.

His daughter, Kira, 13, said the chance to swim in the river was worth the trek across the sandy hills.

“I thought we were there after the first hill, and then the second one,” Kira said. She and her siblings complained about the walk as they carried chairs and towels to the water, but Kira said she hopes to come back often now that it is summer break.

More at ModBee.com >>>

 

safety, Water

Park Ranger: Man, 30, Drowns In Folsom Lake

A 30-year-old man drowned in Folsom Lake on Friday.

Park personnel responded to a man struggling in the water near Beals Point this afternoon, the ranger said.

Lifeguards entered the water and searched for him for about 50 minutes.

Officials found the man under water about 4 p.m., brought him to shore and pronounced him dead.

More at KCRA.com >>>

safety, Water

American River Drowning Victim Identified As Elk Grove Man

A 28-year-old Elk Grove man has been identified as the victim of a drowning in the American River near Discovery Park Friday night.

The Sacramento County coroner’s website lists the death of Ernest Perez Surita as an accident.

Sacramento police logs indicate officers were called to the area near the park Friday just before 7 p.m. and that the Sacramento Fire Department also responded and found the victim underwater.

He was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead, police said. No foul play was suspected.

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

Low River Levels Create New Challenges For Water Rescues

We hear it every year about this time: be careful around local waterways. This year firefighters are urging extra caution. That’s because low river levels present new challenges for firefighters when it comes to rescues.

Narrow choke points along the American River are good examples of how maneuverability becomes limited as river levels drop, and firefighters say the problem will only get worse as the summer continues.

The water may look calm now, but just a few weeks ago parts of the American River were half as deep. The drought continues to shift water levels. That can also mean shifting debris – known as strainers – that threaten to snag rafters. Firefighters use boats to get to people in danger, but when river depths can drop to six inches or less, there are some places that fire boats can’t reach, so they’ll have to use different access points that can slow a rescue attempt. That’s why firefighters warn rivergoers against thinking that shallow water is safer water this summer.

More at News10.net >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Water, Wildlife

Sacramento County Parks Get New Top Cop

John Havicon, Sacramento County’s new chief park ranger, was responding to a call about marijuana use in Rio Linda Central Park in 1996 when a suspect shot him in the chest. Thanks to a bulletproof vest, the ranger survived.

It was a dramatic moment in a 30-year career that culminated May 18 in Havicon’s appointment as the county’s chief park ranger. In his new job, Havicon oversees 17 rangers covering 15,000 acres of land across 32 recreation areas. The rangers hold the rank of deputy county sheriff and are responsible not only for maintaining the parks, but also for enforcing state laws. One of three candidates interviewed for the position, Havicon served as a park ranger supervisor for 10 years and a ranger for 17 before that.

“I love working with the community and being able to get not only our rangers involved in the parks, but the rest of the community,” Havicon said. “I think it’s an exciting time for us.”

One of the park service’s most important tasks is protecting the 23-mile-long American River Parkway. Homeless encampments along the heavily used bike and running path have caused controversy for the regional parks department in recent years, with critics saying the county needs to do more to address the problem. Illegal campers lack access to bathrooms and trash disposal facilities, so waste accumulates in the areas where they congregate, creating health hazards and threatening wildlife. Recreational parkway users and nearby property owners have raised concerns about safety.

Havicon said he plans to continue the county’s strategy of issuing citations to illegal campers as rangers encounter them during their patrols. He acknowledged that this practice does not deter campers from returning to their sites, or simply moving to another area of the parkway.

“We’re not going to solve the problem no matter what we do,” Havicon said. “The problem’s always going to be there. The best we can do is manage what we have.”

He estimated the department issued 2,000 illegal camping citations last year, and thinks 100 to 200 people are camping in the woods adjacent to the parkway on any given night.

Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna, who represents the part of the parkway where people camp illegally, said he will be pleased if Havicon doubles down on the “successful protocol” of teaming with law enforcement to issue citations to people who remain in the park overnight, while offering information about shelters and health resources.

“Legitimate users of the parkway deserve a clean and safe place to recreate, and homeless folks, for their own safety and health, should not feel forced to camp by the edge of the river,” Serna said.

John Foley, executive director of Sacramento Self-Help Housing, a nonprofit that works with homeless people to identify affordable housing options, said he thinks the rangers should reconsider their citation and eviction-based approach.

Many of the American River Parkway campers have no readily available alternative; area shelters have long waiting lists. Some campers, Foley said, have made homes along the river for years, and evicting them “doesn’t seem very neighborly.” Foley thinks the city needs to allocate more resources to help homeless people find homes.

“I think to expect the people who are policing the river to fix this is totally unfair,” Foley said. “It’s not their fault, and it’s not their responsibility, really.”

More at ModBee.com >>>

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2014/06/05/3375960/new-head-ranger-for-sacramento.html#storylink=cpy
safety, Water

Helicopter Rescue Includes Pilot, Hiker And Family With A Dog

The deputies aboard Falcon 30, the Placer County Sheriff Office’s helicopter, were kept busy recently, rescuing a downed pilot, an injured hiker, and an entire family and their dog.

While water-rescue training near Folsom Lake Friday evening, crew members noticed a pilot flying a parachute ultra-light aircraft. A short time later, the sheriff’s helicopter pilot witnessed the aircraft crash into the water, in the middle of the lake. They immediately flew to the pilot’s rescue and were able to perform a hoist rescue. The Sacramento man was uninjured – and grateful that Falcon 30 was nearby to rescue him.

After 10 p.m. Saturday night, while on routine patrol in Placer County, the Falcon 30 crew was advised by Sacramento law enforcement officials of a rafting accident on the American River near “Gilligan’s Island.” After a brief search of the riverbanks, they located the family of four that had been stranded for two hours, trying to get medical help. Following a medical assessment, it was determined a 13-year-old boy needed medical assistance. The boy and his mother were transported to fire crews on the ground. A return trip was made for the father, another teenager, and the family dog.

More at RocklinToday.com >>>