Title
Parks, a division of the Chief Administrative Office, recommends the Commission:
1) Receive a presentation on River Management Plan Updates; and
2) Discuss and provide input to staff on proposed updates to the:
a. Draft 2025-26 River Management Plan Update,
b. Draft Five-Year River Management Plan Summary, and
c. El Dorado County Ordinance Code 4594 Chapter 5.48 Streams and Rivers Commercial Boating, Code 4596 Chapter 5.50 Specific Use Regulations for the South Fork of the American River, and Code 3274 Section 12.64.070 Use of Personal Flotation Device.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The El Dorado County River Management Plan (RMP) is designed to serve as an active, evolving tool that implements the County’s river management goals. Every year, an annual report is prepared on the year’s river management activities, and every five years, the annual reports are reviewed and compiled into a summary report. The five year summary is intended to provide opportunities for ongoing refinement of the RMP in response to results of annual operations review to ensure public safety, environmental protection, and the most efficient use of County resources.
The existing RMP, adopted in 2018 by Resolution 018-2018 (Legistar item 18-0182), was updated to reflect initial text changes recommended by staff in the Draft Five-Year Summary for the period of 2019 to 2023. On January 18, 2024 (Legistar item 24-0132), PRC provided input and additional recommendations that were incorporated into the Draft Five-Year Summary, establishing further updates to the Draft RMP Update.
On March 12, 2024 (Legistar item 24-0429), staff provided an update on the Draft Five Year Summary with staff and PRC recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.
The Board provided conceptual approval, pursuant to Board Policy A-3, on June 24, 2025 (Legistar item 25-0982) to amend County Ordinance Chapter 5.48, Streams and Rivers Commercial Boating, and on January 27, 2026, to amend County Ordinance Chapter 5.50 Specific Use Regulations for the South Fork of the American River and Ordinance Section 12.64.070 Use of Personal Flotation Device.
On August 7, 2025 (Legistar item 25-1351), staff presented recommended updates to the Draft RMP Update and Ordinance Chapters 5.48 and 5.50 to the Coloma Lotus
Advisory Committee (CLAC) for their review and input. CLAC provided input and formed an Ad Hoc Committee that provided further input and recommendations. Staff made several revisions to the updates to the Draft RMP Update and Ordinances based on CLAC recommendations and made additional text changes and updates to align the Draft RMP Update and Ordinances with County practice and associated state and local regulations.
Staff request that the Parks and Recreation Commission review and provide input on the revised updates to the Draft River Management Plan Update as outlined in the Draft Five-Year Summary, and updates to Ordinance Chapter 5.48, Ordinance Chapter 5.50, and Ordinance Section 12.64.070.
CONTACT
Zachary Perras, Parks Manager