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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