Sac PD Warns Of Dangers Of Water Levels For Memorial Day Weekend

With Memorial Day weekend approaching, police and fire officials are warning about the dangers posed by waterways in Northern California.

Sacramento Police Sergeant Jared Kaiser says one problem this time of year is inexperienced boaters.

"They don't know how to fully operate their equipment and then don't fully respect the water," Kaiser says. "It's a lot higher, it's a lot colder and it's a lot faster than in years past."

He says there's also a lot of debris in the river due to heavy spring runoff, and because the river is running so high many of the obstacles aren't visible.

Then there's also the standard advice: Make sure to wear a life jacket if swimming, boating or rafting, regardless of whether it's in a river, stream or lake.

Kaiser says there were no drownings last year but there have already been at least three in the region this year.