Category Archives: safety

Rafting, safety

Rancho Cordova Family Rescued After American River Rafting Accident

A Rancho Cordova family of four and their dog had to be rescued by helicopter from Gilligan’s Island in the American River on Saturday after their raft ran into a submerged obstacle.

“It sounds like they were pretty lucky,” John Havicon, chief ranger with Sacramento County Park rangers, said of the family – Richard and Jennifer Rice, both 34, and their two sons, Seth, 16, and Nathaniel, 13. “They all had life jackets on, so they were pretty smart. Things worked out well for them.”

Richard Rice said Monday that Nathaniel remained at UC Davis Medical Center, where he was taken Saturday with mild hypothermia and to be treated for an underlying illness.

“It was definitely scary,” Rice said of the ordeal. “But everyone was great along the whole process.”

For the past five years, the family celebrated Memorial Day weekend by rafting on the American River. This year they brought along their 3-month-old Great Dane puppy, Marmaduke.

“This was the first time we had our own raft, instead of renting one,” said Rice, an information security consultant.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, they got their Party Island raft into the river just below the Sunrise Boulevard bridge, planning to get to William B. Pond Recreation Area, just shy of Watt Avenue. They towed a smaller raft containing an ice chest, car keys and cellphones. Rice had picked up four life jackets from a fire station earlier.

Everything was going fine until about 7:30 p.m., when the raft approached the Arden rapids near River Bend Park. “As we were making the decision to go right or left, the river made the decision for us,” said Rice. The current took the family to the left, where, Rice said, an empty raft was caught in the middle of the river on something, which he thinks was a log.

“We did everything was could to avoid that part, but ended up hitting it square on,” he said. “The raft was not maneuverable at all.”

The collision caused Nathaniel to fall backward into the water. “I fell right out afterwards, chasing him down, and Marmaduke came after us,” recalled Rice. “I was able to catch up with Nate, about 300-400 feet past where the boat was, and get over to the side of the river.”

The trio made it to Gilligan’s Island, while the raft with Jennifer and Seth was filling with water, said Rice. They were able to get out of the raft, grab the smaller raft and get to land, but on the other side of the river. About 15 minutes later, they reached Gilligan’s Island by using the smaller raft, Rice said.

In the meantime, Nathaniel began experiencing health problems, his father said.

Rice resisted calling 911 right away, he said, because he hoped to get off the island and get to a second car they’d parked at William B. Pond Recreation Area.

But he was unable to get across the river. “I’m a decent swimmer, but I had a hard time,” he said. “It was impossible to swim upriver.”

Havicon said the American River was flowing at 1,750 cubic feet per second this weekend, and that the current was probably faster where the family was, as the river narrows at that point.

About 8 p.m., Jennifer Rice called 911 since Nathaniel’s condition started to worsen. “We got patched to the rescue team, and they realized we were at a point which was not accessible by land, so they had a helicopter come get us,” said Richard Rice.

At that time, Falcon 30, a helicopter with Placer County sheriff’s office, was in the area. Rice said he used the family cellphones’ flashlight function to guide the pilot.

About 9 p.m., Nathaniel and Jennifer were picked by the helicopter and taken to a waiting Sacramento Metro Fire ambulance near Rod Beaudry Drive. Richard, Seth and Marmaduke joined them about a half-hour later, and Nathaniel was taken to the hospital.

The family’s rescue was one of three made on the American River this Memorial Day weekend.

A man had jumped off a raft to get a paddle at the San Juan rapids about noon Saturday, but didn’t know how to swim. “They got to him just in time,” said Havicon, the chief ranger. Sunday, a woman fell off a raft and was staying afloat but started to panic, so rangers plucked her to safety.

“It’s pretty mild for Memorial Day weekend,” he said. “We have a lot of people out here, so it’s a busy weekend for us compared to the past.”

Three park rangers patrolled a 23-mile stretch of the American River, from Hazel Avenue to Discovery Park, by boat.

This season, there have been at least 10 rescues or calls for assistance on the American River, but no deaths. “We average six drownings a year, but we have not had any this year,” said Havicon.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/26/6434276/rancho-cordova-family-rescued.html#storylin

 

Bike Trail, History, safety

Sacramento State Bridge To Soon Get Makeover

Everything around the Guy West Bridge is pleasing to look at. Everything but the bridge itself.

The slim and shaky footbridge crossing the American River at Sacramento State needs some love. Paint is fading and chipping on the towers, and the handrails need to be fixed. The city says it’s planning to spend more than $3 million on a makeover this summer, and crews are already out there getting ready.

“It’s worth it,” Pam Sechrist said. “It’s one of our landmarks and we need to keep it in shape.”

It was a cloudless, warm morning last week as Sechrist finished her daily walk over the bridge with Tess, her lively Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua mix. Waves of college students joined her, hurrying across the span to their 9 a.m. classes. Cyclists and joggers weaved through the traffic.

No one was looking at the bridge.

That’s too bad. When it was built in 1966, it was thought to be the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the country. And it was designed to look like the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge’s official color is “International Orange.” It is an unmistakable color, designed to create a connection between the striking bridge and the landscape around it.

The Guy West Bridge is supposed to be that same color. Instead, after years of fading, its coat looks more like the skin of an old Barbie doll.

Some have suggested painting the Guy West a brilliant yellow, like the city’s true landmark crossing, the Tower Bridge. Others have mentioned throwing in a touch of Hornet green to salute Sac State.

The city is sticking with the original shade of orange. If all goes well, the new paint job will be done by the fall, along with a touched-up deck and a revamped electrical system.

It’s a sizable investment as other projects around the city are slowly receiving attention. Nearby, the city has found the cash to pave a bike trail on the south shore of the American River between Sac State and Sutter’s Landing Park in midtown.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/19/6414147/sacramento-state-bridge-to-soon.html#storylink=cpy

 

safety, Water

Body Found In Folsom Lake Nearly A Week After Fatal Boat Crash

A body was recovered from Folsom Lake on Friday morning, possibly one of the four boaters killed on May 10 when a speedboat crashed.

The man’s body was spotted by a citizen who informed authorities about 9:50 a.m. The body, which has not been identified, was recovered by state park rangers and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department coroner.

The body was found near the mouth of the north fork American River.

After the discovery, a helicopter crew searched in the same area for the bodies of three other men who are presumed dead from the crash of the 32-foot Skater powerboat. The missing men are identified as Toby Strauch, 54, James Strauch, 47, Jake Jacobs, 53, and Jon Smith, 48, all of the Sacramento area.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/16/6411211/body-found-in-folsom-lake-nearly.html#storylink=cpy

 

safety, Water

A Look Inside $900 Million Folsom Dam Auxilliary Spillway Project

It’s a busy 24-hour, six-day a week operation near the Folsom Dam site, all of it with the goal to shield Sacramento from the worst that rainy weather might do.

FOX40′s cameras were the first to get into the construction pit for the dam’s auxiliary spillway since this first spillway gate arrived close to 11 p.m. on March 13.

That massive piece of equipment and the 12 other gates for the structure will have been driven 600 miles before they make it to their destination.

From the foundation to top of the control structure is about the same height as the Statue of Liberty.

Each bay will be able to funnel 55,000 cubic feet of water per second.

So what’s next for the very first gate to get on site?

“The roller housing, eight of of them, go on each side of the bulkhead gate and that basically goes down into the slot so it rolls up with the hoist mechanism at the top,” senior project manager Katie Huff said.

A crane even taller than the structure will slide that bulkhead into place in one of six bays at the spillway.

The room for error for this construction element is only a 16th of an inch on each side of its designated slot.

The straight bulkheads for this $900 million project will work in harmony with curved tainter to evenly regulate what could be the fateful force of a flood.

“These gates are 50-foot lower in elevation so in that flood event we’ll be able to release water much sooner and safer so that the levies downstream are able to handle it without flooding out Sacramento,” said Huff.

Part of the ground now up on top of the construction site, almost level with Folsom Lake Crossing, will actually start disappearing in July.

More at Fox40.com >>>

safety, Water

Dive Teams Have Suspended Search In Folsom Lake Boat Wreck

The effort to find the bodies of four men presumed dead following a boat crash on Folsom Lake over the weekend continued Wednesday without success. Patrol boats will continue to troll the waters, but dive teams have suspended their search, said Folsom Lake superintendent Richard Preston.

Preston said authorities are uncertain of the exact location of the crash, complicating the recovery effort. The bodies of the men will surface at some point, he said, “but it’s hard to say when that might occur. It would be based upon the depth of where the bodies might be, and water temperature.”

Officials have identified the missing men as Toby Strauch, 54; his brother, James Strauch, 47; and friends Jake Jacobs, 53, and Jon Smith, 48. All were residents of the Sacramento area.

More at ModBee.com >>>

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2014/05/14/3340483/dive-teams-have-suspended-search.html#storylink=cpy
Fish, safety, Water, Wildlife

Fishermen Say Folsom Dam Releases Making Search For Missing Men More Difficult

The search for four men thrown from a boat on Folsom Lake continued for a third day as crews scoured the lake and found no sign of them.

While the water appears to be calm at first glance, fishermen CBS13 spoke to on Tuesday say releases from Folsom Dam are making currents stronger and searchers’ jobs tougher.

“I’m sure there’s currents that would be moving and making things difficult for them,” said fisherman Kelly Owens.

The crash is said to be one of the deadliest in Folsom Lake history—four men are presumed dead after the boat they were riding capsized Saturday afternoon.

Fishermen Owens did their best to stay out of deputies’ way as the search for brothers James and Toby Stauch and their friends Jon Smith and Jake Jacobs continues.

“They just keep gridding back and forth,” Owens said. “I don’t think they’ve had any results yet, but they’ve been sticking it with it all day.”

With weather cooperating, deputies used sonar technology to search for the bodies of the four men from the Sacramento area.

More at CBSlocal.com >>>

Fish, safety, Water, Wildlife

Placer Land Trust Protecting 417 American River Acres

A unofficial swimming and recreation area along the North Fork of the American River outside Auburn is going to be become official, with 417 acres acquired for permanent conservation by the Placer Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land.

The acreage, called the Big Bend North Fork Preserve, includes the riverside land around Ponderosa Way, which links the small towns of Weimar and Foresthill.

“It’s already open to access, but it’s not guaranteed,” said Jeff Darlington, Placer Land Trust’s executive director. “This just removes the threat that this is going to be developed.”

Darlington said there’s never been a formal application to develop the property, though it’s zoned for housing. The previous property owner, Foresthill Land Co., does have plans to develop some land nearby, he added.

Using grant funds from the California Natural Resources Agency, the two land trust nonprofits bought the land for $1.368 million. Consisting mostly of pine covered hillsides and cliffs along the river canyon, the property is also popular for river swimming, with more daring sorts jumping off the Ponderosa Bridge crossing the river.

More at BizJournals.com >>>

safety, Water

Fourth Man Believed Dead In Folsom Lake Speedboat Wreck

A fourth man was on a speedboat that capsized in Folsom Lake on Saturday afternoon and is likely dead, authorities said, making the crash one of the deadliest in the lake’s history.

Efforts to find the men turned up nothing Sunday. Officials called off the search in the early afternoon because of high winds.

State Parks officials identified the men as Toby Strauch, 54; James Strauch, 47; Jake Jacobs, 53; and Jon Smith, 48. Authorities said that all lived in the Sacramento region but did not specify their hometowns.

Investigators aren’t sure what caused the accident. When park rangers arrived at about 1:45 p.m. Saturday, they found a 40-foot speedboat capsized. They’ve been searching for the men ever since. Determining the cause of the accident has been a secondary priority, said Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Superintendent Richard Preston.

Witnesses initially said three men were on the boat, but authorities later confirmed the boat had four passengers.

Officials now seek to recover, instead of rescue.

“This is probably the single most fatalities in my time doing this,” Preston said, who has worked at the lake more than 10 years.

Boating accidents happen frequently on Folsom Lake, but deaths are rare. About 30 accidents occurred in 2011 and 2012 at Folsom Lake, according to the latest state data, with 25 injuries and one death.

More than 25 rangers, emergency workers and divers scoured the lake for the men Sunday, the second consecutive day when wind hampered their efforts.

Whitecaps chopped the surface of Folsom Lake as teams struggled to hold their boats steady enough to search for the missing men. The craft used anchors weighing as much as 60 pounds, and were still unable to hold their positions.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/11/6396819/fourth-man-believed-dead-in-folsom.html#storylink=cpyMMore at SacBee.com

 

Fish, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

American River Flow To Rise For Salmon

Water flows in the American River are scheduled to increase through the Sacramento region starting tonight to help salmon and steelhead.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Folsom and Nimbus dams on the river, will maintain the increased flow for three days to help juvenile steelhead and Chinook salmon migrate downstream, and to help improve in-river conditions for young steelhead.

The flow will gradually increase from the current 500 cubic feet per second starting at about 9 p.m., and will reach 1,500 cfs by 11 p.m. Flows will remain at that level until early Friday morning, when the volume will be gradually reduced to 800 cfs.

More at Modbee.com >>>

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/22/3303052/american-river-flow-to-rise-for.html#storylink=cpyM

 

Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

On Northern California Rivers, Good Forecast For Summer Rafting

The story of this summer’s prospects for rivers, rafting and trout fishing might sound like a yarn right out of the “Outdoors Department of Yer Eyes Ain’t Foolin’ Ya.”

For the American and Tuolumne rivers, NorCal’s top rafting rivers, the forecasts look great.

What? Aren’t we in the worst drought in a gazillion years? Isn’t the snowpack (and the melt-off to come) about 30 percent of normal in the high country? And won’t the rivers be rendered into trickles by July?

Well, in many cases, nope.

In a reversal of what is logical thought for many, conditions and flows on several rivers will be spectacular into summer for rafting, fishing and camping. And no, yer eyes ain’t foolin’ ya.

It’s a surprise twist to the way things work in California, even in a drought.

It rained enough in February and March to replenish, in part, several watersheds and reload many of the smaller, high-country reservoirs. Enough, that is, for water managers to release water from them and make their deliveries this summer.

The timing of the flows has been worked out to benefit recreation. So when those water deliveries are made, rafters will have a chance to float on them.

One of the best examples is the San Francisco Water Department, which met with outfitters last week to work out flow regimes out of Hetch Hetchy and Cherry reservoirs for the Tuolumne River.

Everybody wins.

“Despite a historic drought in California, we’re fortunate to have a number of rivers that get water from upstream reservoirs,” said Nate Rangel of California Outdoors, a trade association that represents California’s river outfitters. “That means we’re going to have great water all summer long.”

“On the Lower American River (below Folsom Lake and Lake Natomas), the Bureau of Reclamation is tied into the federal water project and they have to deliver water,” said Randy Calvin of River Rat Rafting in Fair Oaks. “It will run right past where we rent rafts and give people a chance to float down the river on it.”

More at SFGate.com >>>