Matthew Parker is looking out at the cool, swift waters of the American River in Rancho Cordova. He wanted to spend this first day of summer floating down the river with friends. But he ran to a problem when he tried to rent a raft.
"We got up to the rental place and they told us that it was unsafe 'cause the river is so high. So we're going to go to a pool and hang out instead."
Local raft rental companies are cooperating with parks officials who say the river is higher than normal hiding trees and rocks that could get caught on rafts. The water is also about 10-degrees colder than normal.
"A lot of snowmelt's coming down."
John Havicon is a Park Ranger Supervisor for Sacramento County.
"We expect some high flows through July 4th and maybe beyond that. There's still quite a bit of snow up there in the sierras. It's got to come down and this is where it's going to be."
Right now, the American River is flowing at 13,500 cubic-feet-per second. That's about six-times faster than normal.
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Video taken looking across the American River from River Bend Park near Rancho Cordova on June 21st.
