Charts 18664 and 18667

westdelta

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Jun 6, 2006
RO Number
21652
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105
Anybody have an educated guess when charts 18664 and 18667 were surveyed? They cover the area of the Sacramento River from Sacramento up to Colusa. I know that area isn't exactly frequented by commercial vessels, and I would guess is very much not a priority to keep frequently surveyed. I know a lot of the areas of the delta have charted depths from surveys from 50 years ago or more. I wonder if this Sac to Colusa stretch is the same story?
 
I believe the charts list when they were surveyed. Look in the fine print.
 
On a number of other charts they'll have a small window showing outlined areas and giving letter codes for different areas and saying when the data is from. This one only says "US Government Surveys" without a date. OH. OK. I started thinking about it when I saw notes about "shoaling reported 1974" in some areas, which led me to believe that the report hadn't been verified by any new surveys since then.

Other interesting statements: "Although the soundings on this chart indicate general trends in depths, they are unreliable because of continual scouring or shoaling due to changing river stages." Also: "The river bed at Gravel Pt., Ogden Bend, and Missouri Bend has shifted. No recent depth information available."
 
Perhaps these charts will be updated from data being gathered to document the status of the river levees. Or perhaps not.
 
18867 7-1-63 is the edition my software attributes to the chart. Obviously it has been updated at least once....like 1974? The same date is listed on both charts.

The software is "The Capn" V. 8.3.20

Don't know that really helps....
 
The current editions of NOAA Charts 18664 (Sacramento River Sacramento to Fourmile Bend) and 18667 (Sacramento River Fourmile Bend To Colusa) are dated 8/26/2000. You can find the latest updates for these charts here:

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/updates/index.htm

According to information available on these charts the Corps of Engineers does annual project maintenance work to maintain 6' of water at low water from Sacramento to Colusa. As westdelta mentioned, mariners are warned that depths listed in these charts are unreliable due to constant scouring and shoaling. Some of the better known shoaling areas are shaded on the charts in purple.

I see a number of 2' depth areas on these charts.

The Delta and San Francisco Bay charts are updated much more frequently. Most of the editions are less than three years old.

You can find the current edition dates here:

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/dole.htm

NOAA issues a new edition of their charts when they think they have enough new information to warrant an updated printing. Don't think all of the depth soundings are new because the edition is new. That's not the case. NOAA uses the most recent soundings that are available to them. In areas with commercial traffic those soundings may be a year old but out in the boonies where there hasn't been any shipping or dredging during the last eighty years the soundings can be eighty years old.

In my own boating around some of the less traveled areas of the Delta I've found some seventy year old soundings that were pretty useful and much better than no soundings at all.

DLL, I've been interested in boating those Sacramento River waters for quite some time but everyone tells me it gets too shallow for even a boat with 2 1/2' of draft.

Sutter Bypass: East Canal and Butte Slough just north of Robbins near Cranmore. I might take the Achilles and a lot of gas up there sometime to check these out. They appear to be landlocked except during flood stage. Many miles long with lots of water (probably shallow) and tree-lines banks. East Canal almost connects to Sacramento Slough at a place called Karnak near Verona.
 
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