Low and slow -- that's the reality on Folsom Lake beginning today.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation declared that because the lake continues to get shallower, exposing more hazards, the speed limit for motorboats is 5 mph.
That limit is imposed when the lake's surface elevation falls to 400 feet above sea level. The lake's level was 399 feet at 4 a.m. today.
Mounds from parts of the lake bottom that have breached or are near the lake's surface, along with increasing amounts of debris, make faster speeds unsafe on the lake.
The low lake level also may mean one of the two remaining boat ramps open may soon have to be shut.
Elevation of the lowest part of Granite Bay Stage 1 ramp is 397 feet, just two feet below this morning's surface elevation. If that ramp closes, the Hobie ramp at Brown's Ravine will be the only ramp remaining open on the lake.
Folsom Lake Marina's Web site, which announced the new speed limit regulation today, also said fuel no longer is available on the lake.
The California State Parks confirmed that the 5 mph speed limit now is in effect. The speed regulation likely will remain in place until the water level rises above 400 feet in elevation, a state parks staffer said.
Call The Bee's Niesha Lofing, (916) 321-1270.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.