Category Archives: safety

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

Natomas Levee Project Ready To Begin

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the go-ahead to begin a nine-part levee-improvement project for the Natomas Basin in Sacramento.

The final documents required for the project have been signed and the Army Corps will put the first section of levee repair out to bid this fall. The levees are part of a system that diverts watershed runoff into the American River.

John Hogue is the project manager for the corps. He says each of the nine repair projects is called a “reach” and includes construction of a cutoff wall to prevent seepage. He says each reach project will present its own set of obstacles.

More at CapRadio.org >>>

Bike Trail, Events, Rafting, safety, Water

Mellow participants at alcohol-free ‘Raftopia’ event on American River

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Hundreds gathered Saturday morning on the banks of the American River in Rancho Cordova for “Raftopia,” a nonpermitted event that prompted a one-day alcohol ban.

Sgt. A.J. Bennett, a Sacramento County Regional Parks ranger, said the Rancho Cordova Police Department, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, volunteer mounted officers and California Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel assisted rangers Saturday to ensure participants had a safe day on the river.

“The water will wear a swimmer out in a hurry,” Bennett said.

Park ranger Greg Stelzner said the Saturday crowd was mellow.

“We have a good crowd. … A couple of church groups came through,” Stelzner said. Rafters were cooperative, either throwing beer away or taking it back to their parked vehicles.

More at SacBee.com >>>
safety, Water

Man drowns while swimming in Lake Natoma

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A 21-year-old UC Merced student drowned in Lake Natoma just after 1 p.m. Saturday.

Tu Nghiem, 21, of Sacramento was swimming with a relative between Nimbus Flat and the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, said Sgt. Eric Dales of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. They were not wearing life jackets and were not strong swimmers, Dales said.

Lifeguards saw them struggling in the water and jumped in to rescue the men. They managed to save one man, but Nghiem had already gone under the water when they returned for him, Dales said.

The Drowning Accident Rescue Team was called, but Nghiem’s body was recovered before it could begin a search.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Boating, safety, Water, Wildlife

Low lake level prompts reduced speed limit on Folsom Lake

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There’s plenty of summer left, but the season for boating at Folsom Lake is getting cut short because of low lake levels.

Starting Monday, the maximum speed limit for boaters and other watercraft will be reduced to 5 miles per hour [mph].

“It’s very early, and it’s sad,” boater Darrell Perry said. “It feels unfair because it’s our water here. We’re getting penalized for it.”

According to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the speed limit is necessary because the low water level has brought rocks and debris in the lake closer to the surface, and boats are in danger of being scratched, or worse, in shallow areas.

Many experienced boaters aren’t happy about their season being cut short. Jeff Kirsten has been water skiing at Folsom Lake for 20 years. As a water skier, Kirsten said the best time for him to practice his sport is during the later month, but the reduced speed limit would keep him from doing so.

“Trying to ski, it gets very hard when you’re in the peak season and lots of boats are cutting up the water,” Kirsten explained. “I like September, even October. Much better opportunity to water ski and not just pull inner tubers around.”

He decided to write an email to the Department of Parks and Recreation questioning the need for the reduced speed limit. Kirsten believes boaters should boat at their own risk.

“If I hit something, that’s between me and the lake and my boat. I wouldn’t expect an agency to be responsible for it,” Kirsten said.

On Saturday, he was out at Folsom Lake to talk to other boaters and hear their thoughts.

Boaters who agreed with Kirsten said boats have depth finders that will tell you if the water is too shallow, and experienced boaters know to approach with caution.

Despite the reduced speed, some boaters are choosing to see the lake half full.

More at News10.net >>>

Bike Trail, Fire, safety, Wildlife

Grass fire burns 6 acres on river parkway near Gold River

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The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District reports that crews have halted the progress of fire burning along the American River Parkway near the Gold River access.

The fire was reported at 4:27 p.m., on the south side of the American River west of the Natomas Fish Hatchery. Capt. Michelle Eidam, fire district spokeswoman, said the fire was burning in heavy vegetation, with trees torching. She said county park rangers closed the bike trail in that area due to the firefighting activity.

More at SacBee.com >>>
Bike Trail, safety

Possible explosive device disabled near Cal Expo

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Sacramento police report that a potentially explosive device located in the American River Parkway southeast of Cal Expo has been disabled.

Officers were dispatched to the area of the parkway near the 500 block of Ethan Way at 12:03 p.m. Monday regarding a report of a suspicious device, said Officer Matthew McPhail, police spokesman. Officers confirmed that what appeared to be a homemade destructive device was in the parkway near the bike trail.

More at SacBee.com >>>
Boating, safety, Video, Water

How a GoPro camera lost in Folsom Lake was reunited with its owner

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A GoPro camera lost a month ago has been recovered from the receding waters of Folsom Lake and reunited with its Concord owner.

Jeff Dumm of Rocklin found the camera Saturday while on a morning hike with co-workers at Folsom Lake near Granite Bay. Once he got it home, he found out why it was at the shoreline mostly covered by sand.

Video on the camera shows two people on a jet ski beginning to tow a friend on a wakeboard, only the wakeboarder falls off. When the jet ski goes forward, the camera and cameraman go sailing into the water.

The video shows the waterproof GoPro Hero3 sinking with its lens facing down before hitting the bottom of the lake with a thud.

“It’s a really cool shot,” said Dumm.

Dumm posted some of the video on his Facebook page and social media took over from there. As of Monday, the video had 115,000 views and 600 shares.

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

Folsom Lake dropping, marina boats must go

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Folsom Lake levels are dropping rapidly and within a month boats at Brown’s Ravine Marina must be pulled.

Shane Hunt, spokesperson for the Bureau of Reclamation, said based on current estimates and operations, July releases will remain around 5,000 cubic feet per second.

“July is the highest demand for the Central Valley Project,” he said. “The reservoir releases form Folsom and Shasta are expected to be their highest this month.”

The Central Valley Project is the largest water delivery system in the country. It was devised in 1933 to provide irrigation and municipal water to much of California’s Central Valley.

“We provide water to millions of acres of farmland and well over a million people,” Hunt said. “It’s a combined system of 20 dams and reservoirs that we operate to meet a multitude of demands.”

While farmers and folks and fish downstream may benefit, boaters aren’t happy about the shortened boating season on Folsom Lake.

The past several years boats were pulled in July, due to the drought.

Joe Phum, of Folsom, and his father Joseph Phum were out enjoying Folsom Lake on a recent afternoon. Phum was not pleased after learning that the lake level will be getting lower and lower in the next month, cutting the boating season short.

More at FolsomTelegraph.com >>>

Rafting, safety, Water

San Francisco Woman Drowns in Rafting Accident on American River

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A San Francisco woman died Saturday during a rafting accident in the American River in unincorporated El Dorado County, sheriff’s officials said.

Around 4 p.m., sheriff’s deputies received a call reporting an accident on the South Fork of the American River near the community of Kyburz, sheriff’s officials said.

The caller said several people had been in inner tubes on the river. After going through a section of rapids, the group realized that one person was missing, according to sheriff’s officials.

Deputies, along with firefighters from Cal Fire and the El Dorado County Fire Protection District responded and immediately began searching for the victim.

About 45 minutes later, authorities located the female victim submerged in a section of heavy rapids. The victim was taken from the river and pronounced dead.

More at NBCBayArea.com >>>

Fire, safety, Water, Wildlife

Firefighters contain 85 percent of Trailhead Fire

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Firefighters on Wednesday had brought the Trailhead Fire to 85 percent containment — a 60 percent increase from Independence Day.

The fire, in Placer and El Dorado counties, now covers 5,619 acres. It’s caused three injuries and threatens 2,600 buildings, though no structures have been damaged or destroyed, Cal Fire said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The blaze, in the middle fork of the American River, near Todd Valley, began June 28. At one point over 2,100 people battled the fire, though that number had dropped by Wednesday to about 1,600.

More at TheUnion.com >>>