Sacramento County officials remind the public not to consume alcohol on the American River Parkway this Memorial Day weekend.
Alcohol consumption will be illegal on the parkway Saturday through Monday. County officials promise to enforce the ordinance that allows the county to temporarily ban alcohol consumption. Violators may be cited or arrested.
Open containers will not be allowed anywhere on the parkway between Watt and Hazel avenues.
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With snowmelt trickling down the mountainsides, white-water enthusiasts are bubbling in anticipation of big rapids. But this year, with low snowfall, rivers without dam-controlled releases are in for a short season.
“A little bit lower water does not mean there’s not good rapids,” said Janeen Stewart, operator of Earthtrek Expeditions, a rafting company based in Lotus, Calif. “Actually, some of the rapids are better because there are drops.”
Rafting companies that run the American River, Truckee River and Carson River are kicking off the white-water season. Though the flows aren’t bursting, water management through the dams will prolong their seasons on some stretches through the summer.
“We do raft three rivers, the North Fork, the South Fork and the Middle Fork of the American River,” said Brynn Allen, a guide with Adventure Connection, based in Lotus, Calif. “The North Fork is the one of the three that does not have dam release. There’s not enough water in that river to be runnable right now.”
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While parts of the American River are shallow enough to scrape the bottom, others are safe enough to jump from nearby bridges even though it is illegal.
“You just have to swim to the bottom and if you can touch the bottom, you really do not want to jump there,” said Josh Harding, who swims in the river.
Over the weekend, one teen broke their leg from jumping in the river.
Rather than use a boat to rescue them, Metro Fire said the water was too shallow so they walked.
Now Metro Fire is cautioning others on safety, suggesting swimmers find a swimming hole or an area without fast-moving water that is also deep enough.
Normally, the Folsom Dam and Nimbus Dam release water at 4,000 cubic feet per second, but a drier than regular season has them releasing at 1,000 CFS.
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Firefighters rushed to the rescue a possibly injured man trapped on an island in the American River.
It all started with a 911 call from a rafter who saw someone having problems in the river.
Firefighters geared up in wetsuits and went out with paddles and boards to bring the man to shore after he was he was bitten by a snake.
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Sixty solar panels were stolen from the American River Parkway Foundation building this week.
The panels were all donated by SMUD to encourage solar electricity use in households. They provided power to the American River Foundation offices, according to Executive Director Dianna Poggetto.
“I am saddened that individuals continue to vandalize our building for a few hundred dollars’ worth of copper when it costs the Foundation thousands of dollars to repair,” Poggetto wrote in a news release.
The panels were attached to the shade structure just outside the building.
From FOX40.com >>>
Two men drowned in the American River in separate incidents over the weekend, officials said.
An unidentified 25-year-old man drowned Sunday while swimming near the Howe Avenue boat ramp, Sacramento fire officials said. He began struggling and slipped under the water while swimming in the river with another man and a minor, who were rescued from a nearby island, officials said.
On Saturday, a 23-year-old Rancho Cordova man apparently drowned while swimming in the American River near Lake Natoma, officials said.
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A 25 year old Sacramento man drowned in the American River Sunday around 3:30 p.m. during a swim with friends.
The victim, a friend and the friend’s 12-year-old daughter swam to an island off the Howe Avenue Boat Launch Facility, near La Riviera Drive, and were swimming back to shore when the man got into trouble. The friend tried to help the man, but wasn’t able to according to relatives.
Sacramento City Fire crews responded to the scene to search for the man. Around 4:45 p.m., crews recovered the man’s body.
The friend and the 12-year-old girl were not injured during the incident.
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Placer County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man Wednesday after he allegedly started a brush fire near the American River canyon.
A woman reported seeing the fire shortly after 11 a.m., and also saw a man jumping fences.
A Sheriff’s lieutenant who responded yelled at the man to stop, but he kept going.
A crew from the Sheriff’s Office was training with a helicopter nearby. One sergeant from the group confronted the man and got into a fight with him.
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Ready for summer navigation challenges? Learn or perfect map and compass skills at an Orienteering meet along the American River Parkway May 19.
The Orienteering meet, sponsored by Gold Country Orienteers (GCO), takes place at Rossmoor Bar in Rancho Cordova.
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A half century ago Placer County Water Agency leaders finalized documents that led to construction of the Middle Fork American River Hydroelectric Project. Their foresight ensured development of a new water supply for Placer County. The construction was funded through a revenue bond with debt service, operations and maintenance costs funded by the sale of electricity generated by the Project.
The public is invited to attend on Thursday (May 2) at 4 p.m., a special PCWA Board meeting to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the construction of the Agency’s Project.
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