El Dorado County Sheriff's Office 2017 Annual Report | Page 26

Marine Unit

El Dorado County is one of the most desirable

areas in the region for waterborne recreation; it’s

where the whole world comes to play. The

Marine Unit is responsible for keeping these

waterways safe and protected so the visitors may

enjoy El Dorado County year after year. This is

accomplished by enforcement of County, State

and Federal boating laws, vessel inspections and

public education. Not only does the Marine Unit

ensure the safety of the people on the water, but

also enforcing laws to ensure the environment is

maintained and protected for future generations

of enthusiasts.

There are dozens of lakes and waterways of

various sizes in El Dorado County. The Marine

Unit patrols Folsom Lake, Jenkinson Lake, Union

Valley Reservoir, Loon Lake, Echo Lake, Fallen

Leaf Lake, Lake Tahoe and the South Fork of the

American River. The two largest lakes, Folsom

and Tahoe, are patrolled jointly with other

federal, state, county and city agencies. The

Marine Unit is funded entirely from a California

State Parks, Department of Boating and

Waterways grant and state boat registration

fees.

The Sheriff’s Office is extremely fortunate to

have a group of deputies, both full time and extra

help, that truly understands the importance of

education and enforcement. The Boat Patrol

Deputies have extensive law enforcement

experience and attend annual trainings to

provide the best services to the county. The unit

is staffed with one full time sergeant, two

seasonal full time deputies and ten extra help

seasonal deputies.

The Marine Unit is equipment-intensive with

high maintenance demands for all the vessels.

There are five aluminum boats, a rigid hull

inflatable boat, two personal watercraft, two

whitewater rafts and two inflatable kayaks. El

Dorado County is unique in that the Sheriff’s

Office has one of only a few whitewater patrols

in the nation; responsible for a 20 mile stretch

of the South Fork American River. This patrol

navigates over Class III/IV rapids and has contact

with over 150,000 rafters during the season, May

through September.

The 2017 winter brought water levels unseen for

quite some time. At Lake Tahoe, the water level

reached maximum capacity, which was six feet

higher than in 2016 and nine feet higher than in

2015. On the South Fork American River outflow

peaked at an amazingly high 34,000 cubic feet

per second in February 2017. This impressive

outflow continued through the summer and was

excitedly welcomed by all in the rafting

community. Due to all of that water, thousands

of tons of debris floated down river, causing

unsafe conditions and quite the obstacle course

for many boaters. The Marine Unit experienced

almost double the amount of services provided

this season compared to last while keeping

overtime costs to a minimum.

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