Double trouble on Northern California waterways.  The water is fast, it’s extremely cold and there aren’t enough cops to police all the potential problems.  And, the dangers may be far worse than most people realize.

According to the California Department of Boating and Waterways more people have been killed in swift water river accidents in the first 6 months of 2011 than any other period on record.

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People trying to stay cool in the American River this weekend will enjoy a less treacherous flow of water, after weeks of extremely rapid flow created by fast-melting Sierra snow that accumulated during an unusually long winter.

On Saturday, the Bureau of Reclamation reduced water releases from the Nimbus Dam from 11,000 cubic feet per second to 6,000 for the holiday weekend. The amount will be increased on Monday evening, said Randy Lewis, a park ranger in Rancho Cordova who was talking to boaters at the Sunrise Bridge access point to the river.

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With the forecast for toasty temperatures in the triple digits, area lakes and rivers are expected to draw Independence Day crowds. But public safety officials warn that rivers are flowing swifter and higher than usual for the July 4 weekend.

The California Department of Boating and Waterways predicts that this will be a dangerous summer for water enthusiasts. Officials reported that more boaters have died in swift-water river accidents in the first six months of 2011 than during any comparable period on record.

Rivers are running faster and colder than usual, and lakes are higher, masking underwater hazards that were exposed in previous years, Lucia Becerra, acting director of the Department of Boating and Waterways, said in a written statement.

One of the biggest safety concerns, officials said, is the use of flotation devices, such as lightweight rafts which typically are designed for swimming pools or calm waters. They warn that these devices can easily lose air or be punctured by debris or tree branches, and should not be used during this period of high, swift and cold water conditions.

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Folsom Lake water managers will begin increasing water releases from the dam beginning this afternoon due to late June rain, said the Bureau of Reclamation. Dam operators will begin increasing downstream release from 8000 cubic feet per second to 11,000 cfs beginning at 1 p.m. The increases will likely cause a rise downstream on the American River.

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Sacramento Metro Fire crews rescued 23 people who were stuck on a sandbar in the American River around 7:15 p.m. Monday.

Crews responded behind a home at 2500 Tiffany Lane after a group of rafts, tied together, got stuck on the sandbar at River Bend Park, Asst. Chief Dale Turner said.

A helicopter was also on scene to help with the rescue.

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Fire rescue crews are worried about river safety on the upcoming 4th of July weekend.

With thousands of rafters, kayakers and swimmers expected to flood Valley rivers, fire and rescue workers are concerned over how many people are still not prepared for this year’s high, fast water.

“I’ve had so many people tell me, if the raft flips over I can take care of my son or I can take care of my child,” said Sacramento Metro Fire Battalion Chief Charles Jenkins, “when you put them in 58 degree water that water takes the air out of you, you can’t breathe, panic sets in and now you’ve got to worry about yourself.”

Even as he spoke, a trio of rafters prepared to put in just a few feet away near the Sunrise walking bridge on the American River.

When Alex Strouse of Sacramento was asked if the three had life jackets, he just laughed, adding he is a good swimmer.

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On the first day of summer, standing in the sparse shade of trees lining the American River, Patrick Ellis eyed a group of rafters as they swept toward a bike/pedestrian bridge near Sunrise Boulevard.

“These guys, their rafts are tied together, they’re not wearing life preservers, not even attempting to paddle,” Ellis said Tuesday.

Ellis, a battalion chief with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, knew that hours before, the current had caught a similar group and smacked a raft against a pylon as they tried to pass under the bridge. Two rafters fell into the river and swam to shore. Two others clung to the pylon until a rescue boat picked them up.

Now, Ellis saw the makings of yet another water rescue – potentially the sixth on the river in 24 hours.

As he tracked their progress from shore, the two rafts disappeared for a moment under the bridge. Then they came rushing through, untouched, and resumed their drift downriver.

“They’re lucky,” Ellis said.

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The Sacramento Fire Department’s two boat patrols are set to be eliminated due to budget cuts in mid-July. 

That announcement comes a day after Sacramento City, Sacramento Metro and the Folsom Fire Departments made nearly two dozen rescues on the water during “Operation River Safe”.”

In the past five days, we’ve rescued 53 people and two dogs on the American River,” said Sac Metro spokesman Dale Turner. Due to heavy winter snow, the American River is running unusually high and fast for this time of year.

Emergency crews are warning that the conditions are dangerous even for experienced swimmers. Sacramento City Fire officials confirm that the boat patrol program will be eliminated on July 16.

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High, cold water on the American River brought several more rescues Wednesday, including one group of 20 rafters who had  to be rescued when their rafts foundered near Riverbend Park.

“We got hung up right in the middle between a really big current and I don’t know, but the raft popped and it flipped over,” Benjamin Gabriel of Lincoln said.

As fire rescue boats raced to pull people out, Gabriel said he was barely able to make out of the freezing, fast water.

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