Category Archives: Water

Trailhead fire in Sierra foothills grows to 2,151 acres

July 1, 2016 admin Leave a comment

A wildland fire in the Sierra foothills grew to 2,151 acres Friday, forcing the evacuations of 1,650 people as it threatened scores of structures, officials said.

The Trailhead fire started Tuesday afternoon along the Middle Fork of the American River, in steep and hard-to-reach terrain near Todd Valley in El Dorado and Placer counties, roughly 130 miles northeast of San Francisco.

The fire was just 12 percent contained Friday morning and had spread from just 350 acres on Wednesday.

More at SFGate.com >>>

safety, Water

65-foot jump off Highway 49 bridge near Auburn ends in injury

July 1, 2016 admin Leave a comment

Ignoring warning signs, a man was injured today and airlifted to a hospital after jumping off the Highway 49 bridge near Auburn into the shallow American River.

The 46-year-old man jumped at 1:15 p.m. off the bridge into the water below, swam to shore but asked a woman 15 minutes later to call 911 because he was injured and encountering numbness, State Parks Ranger Guy Chrisos said.

The call touched off an emergency response that sent Cal Fire and Auburn Fire personnel to the confluence, about 2 miles below Auburn in the American River canyon. The man, whose name was not released by authorities, was placed in a backboard and carried by emergency personnel up to a waiting California Highway Patrol helicopter for transport to a hospital at 2:15 p.m.

Chrisos estimated the drop off the bridge is about 65 feet and the water below is perhaps 10 feet to 15 feet deep.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Fire, safety, Water, Wildlife

Evacuations ordered in Todd Valley as fire rages in American River Canyon

June 29, 2016 admin Leave a comment

The Trailhead Fire was at 300 acres as of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, CalFire said. The blaze began at 2 p.m. off Drivers Flat near Todd Valley.

Fire retardant lines are keeping the Trailhead Fire boxed in, though with little containment of its 250 acres in El Dorado County and 50 acres in Placer County. Mandatory evacuations continue given the steep and inaccessible terrain to firefighters.

CalFire has entered into a unified command on the fire with Eldorado National Forest with assistance from Placer County Incident Management Team.

There were 250 personnel, 48 fire engines, five crews, six dozers and three watertenders among the resources responding according to CalFire, not including the air tankers and other craft that flew overhead.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Aerial spraying to control West Nile Virus scheduled

June 21, 2016 admin Leave a comment

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District announced today that aerial treatment for mosquitoes that carry the potentially fatal West Nile virus is scheduled for north of the American River (Arden-Arcade and Carmichael) on Wednesday, June 22, and Thursday, June 23, from approximately 8 pm to midnight. Vector Control reports the spraying is necessary to reduce the risk of human infection and protect public health.

Bike Trail, Boating, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

West Nile Virus cases spike in Sacramento County

June 20, 2016 admin Leave a comment

Sacramento County is reporting an abnormally early and strong start to West Nile Virus cases, with numbers that are second highest in the state.

According to the California Department of Public Health West Nile Virus website, Sacramento County has 47 cases in which the virus was found in dead birds and 16 cases where it was found in mosquito samples.

In comparison, at this time last year, there was one case, total.

“We have one of the largest surveillance programs in the state, so obviously the more mosquitos you trap, the more that you collect, the more you test, and the more activity you are going to find,” said Luz Maria Robles, with Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control. “We have about 23 species of mosquitos within our two counties, and out of 23 only two are capable of transmitting West Nile Virus.”

Robles said the increased rain, combined with heat, is the perfect breeding ground for the virus-carrying mosquitos.

“Heat accelerates a mosquito’s life cycle so that means they more quickly go from an egg to an adult mosquito,” Robles said. “So this year it’s like we got a little bit of a head start, or we started the season off with a bang, because we did have rain followed by that warm weather.”

The hardest hit areas of West Nile Virus are north of the American River from Arden-Arcade through Carmichael. Robles credits residents as being an important tool by reporting dead birds.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Boating, safety, Water, Wildlife

Beat the heat: Kayaking on Lake Natoma

June 8, 2016 admin Leave a comment

Kathy Lynn, of El Dorado Hills, went kayaking for the first time and wasn’t sure of what she was about to experience.

“Kayaking was always something I wanted to do,” she said. “I live so close to the facility and I thought it would be relaxing and fun. The only thing I was concerned about was getting into the kayak without it tipping over.”

Lynn is excited to do it again because she had a very enjoyable experience, she said.

“It was very relaxing and there weren’t a lot of people out on the lake the day I went,” Lynn said. “I am so happy I finally had the chance to get out there and do it!”

If you are looking for a relaxing day on the lake, but don’t have a boat, kayaking might be perfect for you.

At the reasonable price of $11 for non-Sacramento State University students and $8 for students, smoothly paddling through the water is a perfect weekend activity.

First when arriving at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, you check in at the front counter and rent the kayak, said Brian Dulgar, the director the facility. Next, you fit yourself with a properly sized life jacket. Sizes range from toddler all the way to XXL, he said. The, you grab a paddle, get in your kayak by the water and paddle away for as long as you want.

“Kayaking is for everyone,” Dulgar said. “I have two daughters and they grew up here. They were exposed to water starting at 18 months old. We encourage all ages to try it and have the ability to become comfortable around and in the water.”

A nice thing about kayaking is that on a day with a nice temperature it can be an escape from life and an relaxing experience, he said.

More at FolsomTelegraph.com >>>

Boating, Rafting, safety, Water

Swift water rescue teams saving lives

June 8, 2016 admin

Summer is a fun season to hangout on the river with friends for a day of relaxation in the sun, but sometimes in fast moving waters, things can turn ugly fast.

“A call comes out, and we respond to Tiscornia Park with an elapse time of about 10 minutes, said Michael VanCamp, president of DART, the Drowning Accident Rescue Team. “We get on scene and our Swift Water Team enters the water and starts a hasty search in the area that bystanders said they ‘thought’ was the area.”

Concurrently, VanCamp finds the person that actually saw the missing person. This took him about two to three minutes to locate the witness. The elapsed time is now approximately 18-20 minutes, he said.

“I perform the ‘Show Me’ portion of the interview and learn the location that the Swift Water Team was searching was off by about 30 degrees, VanCamp said. “Once the Swift Water Team adjusts the search area, they found the man within moments. The team brought him up and to the shore. Once at the shore Fire/AMR took him. They started CPR and transported him to the hospital.”

This is just one example of many heroic efforts DART performs when they get a call about a possible drowning.

DART is a non-profit, all volunteer organization whose mission is to save lives and recover property from various lakes and waterways. They respond to all water related issues within Sacramento County as well as all areas touching Sacramento County.

“We’ve responded as north as Clear Lake and south down past Stockton,” VanCamp said. “During the summer season, we have a large amount of calls to Tiscornia Park, by Discovery Park, and up the American River.”

More at FolsomTelegraph.com >>>

Boating, Events, safety, Water

Folsom Lake rangers predict busiest weekend in years

May 27, 2016 admin

State park rangers predicted Friday that as many as 75,000 people will visit Folsom Lake during the Memorial Day weekend to take advantage of the reservoir’s highest water level in years.

Ranger Ryan Steele said the crowd could be the biggest since the drought began four years ago.

“We’ve had such a low water level that the lake hasn’t been very enticing for everybody,” Steele said. “Now, they have the opportunity to come out here and really use it for its full recreational potential.”

By early Friday afternoon, cars and trailers with boats were starting to line up the Granite Bay entrance to Folsom Lake State Park.

On the beach at Beal’s Point, extra lifeguards are scheduled to be on duty.

The campgrounds are reserved for all three days of the weekend.

Myrna Bennett, of San Francisco, said her weekend at Folsom was just the start of a summer of campouts.

“Then we’re planning to go to Rancho Seco in Sacramento. Then we’re planning to go to Lake Shasta,” Bennett said. “And the other one, it’s (Lake) Tulloch.”

More at KCRA.com >>>

safety, Water

Body recovered from American River, Sacramento fire says

May 27, 2016 admin

Crews recovered the body of a drowning victim Friday afternoon from the American River, the Sacramento Fire Department said.

The identity of the person, a male of an undetermined age, is unknown. The body has been turned over to the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.

The body was discovered around 3 p.m. by a person paddle boating down the river near the Howe Avenue boat ramp.

“I saw a couple of feet so I got back to it to double check, and I see two hands floating up and mossy,” Mel Mendez said. “There was another another family of paddle boaters, and I said, ‘Can you confirm this? I think I found a body.'”

DART searched upstream from the Howe Avenue Bridge before the body was recovered, fire department spokesperson Chris Harvey said.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Events, History, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

California’s outdoor writers flock to Auburn, Placer County

May 25, 2016 admin

They came. They saw. They were conquered – by Placer County’s outdoor attractions.

That was the consensus of local tourism industry spokespeople after 58 writers and photographers with the Outdoor Writers Association of California were treated to a variety of opportunities to explore and learn about Placer County’s outdoor amenities as part of the group’s conference Sunday and Monday in Auburn.

Bob Semerau, association president emeritus, had praise Tuesday for organizers and Auburn attractions.

“Experiencing the broad spectrum of outdoor adventure opportunities to be found in Placer County has given the membership a real appreciation for this lovely part of California,” Semerau said. “Fly fishing the middle fork of the American River with Grady Garlough of Rise Up River Trips highlighted the pristine and wild natural beauty to be found throughout the region. And the fishing was awesome.”

Mora Rowe, Placer County Visitors Bureau executive director, said Tuesday that many facets of the county’s outdoor tourism-based industry were presented to the organization in tours and recreational opportunities.

They included bass fishing on Folsom Lake, a tour of ancient geology and watersheds in the Foresthill area and target practice at the Auburn Trap Shooting Club. At the Auburn Quarry near Cool, experienced rock climbers were offered the opportunity to climb a cliff.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>