Water levels are rising on region's swollen rivers
Ablang
By Matt Weiser and Hudson Sangree -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PST Thursday, December 29, 2005
Story appeared on Page A1 of The Bee
Hundreds of people marveled at Sacramento's swollen rivers Wednesday
after a wet storm dropped nearly an inch of rain on the city
overnight.
The Central Valley avoided major flooding problems, but forecasters
warned this could change with numerous storms lined up to march ashore
from the Pacific Ocean during the next two weeks.
The next one hits tonight and Friday. It may be wetter than
forecasters first thought.
"We're looking for a lot more wet weather for the foreseeable future,"
said John Juskie, Sacramento operations officer for the National
Weather Service. "There is a potential for even wetter systems.
"We really see no break in the next two weeks."
The only serious issue in the region was levee seepage south of
Clarksburg on the Yolo County side of the Sacramento River. The
problem area was quickly sandbagged by firefighters and Reclamation
District 150, which maintains levees there.
Some rural roads were flooded in the city of Tehama, near Red Bluff in
Tehama County, where the Sacramento River was expected to reach 5 feet
above flood stage after the warm storm poured rain on surrounding
mountains.
"It's mainly a road problem at this time," said Tehama County
Sheriff's Sgt. Milt Bruner. "We're anticipating the rain to let up
later today and tomorrow, so hopefully the river will go back down and
we'll be OK."
As a precaution, Tehama County opened an emergency shelter at the
Veterans Hall in Las Molinas in case any residents had to evacuate.
Boulders and debris slid onto Interstate 80 northeast of Sacramento
near Colfax at 5:20 a.m., closing a westbound lane until 3:30 p.m.
when the mudslide was cleared, the California Highway Patrol said.
Sacramento received substantial rain during the 24-hour period ending
at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
According to the National Weather Service, Sacramento Executive
Airport received 0.60 inches, Sacramento International Airport 0.96
inches, and Folsom 1.23 inches.
Rain was heavier elsewhere in Northern California: St. Helena received
2.36 inches during the same 24-hour period; Oroville, 1.65 inches;
Chico, 2.12 inches; and Ukiah, 2.46 inches.
In Sacramento, skies cleared by noon Wednesday, and many people
flocked to area levees for a look at the swollen rivers.
The historic wharves of Old Sacramento were crowded with onlookers,
while others peered from railings on the I Street Bridge.
Across the river, picnic tables and paths were submerged in waterfront
areas of West Sacramento's River Walk Park.
At Garcia Bend Park in Sacramento's Pocket area, the boat ramp was
nearly submerged by the Sacramento River.
Danielle Santiago and her boyfriend Andrew Davis live in a Pocket-area
home directly behind the levee. At lunchtime, they stood atop the
levee and gazed with concern at the river.
"This is definitely the highest I've ever seen it," said Santiago, who
has lived in the home five years.
Steve and Lynelle McNeil walked their dog to the boat ramp from their
home a few blocks away. They said they worried about levee failure and
the risk of flooding.
"We have a two-story house," Lynelle McNeil said. "We figure we can
stand on the roof."
Teams of monitors from the state Department of Water Resources have
patrolled the Pocket levees since Sunday. Though portions of these
levees are prone to seepage, the patrols have reported no problems.
"Everything looks pretty good," said Casey Lund, a DWR employee
patrolling the levees in a truck on Wednesday as the sun broke through
storm clouds. "We're hoping a break in the weather will let it dry out
a bit."
Wednesday's heavy rain caused the Sacramento and Feather rivers to
rise above flood monitoring stage in the greater Sacramento area.
The upper Sacramento River reached flood stage at Red Bluff, the
Tehama Bridge, the Vina-Woodson Bridge and at Ord Ferry.
Flows out of Folsom Dam remained high on Wednesday, hitting 35,309
cubic feet per second by mid-afternoon. Meanwhile, the pace of water
flowing into Folsom doubled during the day, from 13,020 cubic feet per
second at 4 a.m. to 28,491 by 3 p.m.
This raised water levels in the American River, flooding Discovery
Park and portions of the bike path along the river, particularly at
the Howe Avenue and Watt Avenue bridges.
"It's pretty impressive. It's a couple feet deep in here," said Bill
Lindsley as he watched the American River lap against the Del Paso
Avenue floodgate, which was closed by the city Monday night.
Lindsley owns a business nearby and lives in Roseville. He couldn't
resist walking the levee Wednesday to watch the river.
"I'm not too concerned about flooding," he said. "But I feel for my
city brothers who live down here in the flats."
State and federal officials opened their joint flood operations center
in Sacramento on Tuesday.
Though more rain is coming, they said it does not represent the kind
of threat seen in 1997, one of the worst flood seasons ever in the
area.
The difference this time is that storms are expected to come with
breaks in between, which helps reservoir operators manage the runoff.
"The flood control system is working as designed, and we're not
anticipating any problems," said Rob Hartman, a National Weather
Service hydrologist.
According to the weather service, the next storm is forecast to hit
Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada tonight and continue into the
weekend. Rain, snow and wind likely will be heavy.
Snow levels will begin at 7,000 to 8,000 feet, then drop to about
4,000 to 5,000 feet Saturday evening.
The storm may bring as much as 6 inches of rain in some places and up
to several feet of snow by New Year's Eve. More rain and snow is
predicted early next week.
Heavy rain and wind also were expected along the coast and interior
areas of Northern California, starting late today and lasting into the
weekend.
Friday will bring an additional threat for the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta: The peak high tide for the month is expected to coincide with
continued strong runoff in the Sacramento River. This may push the
river elevation over 9 feet at Rio Vista on Friday, possibly flooding
part of the city's waterfront.
"That will be a concern, and some people may need to do some
sandbagging to protect property," said Jay Punia, chief of flood
operations for the state Department of Water Resources.
North Coast counties caught the brunt of Wednesday's storm as it came
onshore.
Outside Fort Bragg, 12 people from four families had to be evacuated
after a mudslide threatened their homes on Company Ranch Road. Five
more people were evacuated by boat and helicopter after Ten Mile Creek
rose around their home. All received Red Cross assistance to take
shelter in local hotels.
Some coastal areas received more than 4 inches of rain. Most North
Coast rivers were at or near flood stage, including the Eel, Navarro,
Garcia, Klamath and Russian rivers, though flood warnings were
canceled late Wednesday as rainfall eased.
"Right now, it's calmed down, and some of the rivers are starting to
recede. But we're kind of bracing ourselves for the next water coming
to us Friday and Saturday," said Mendocino County Sheriff Kevin Broin.
"They're lined up there out in the ocean, ready to get us hammered."
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/environment/story/14023782p-14856170c.html
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