The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office wants to make sure that you remain safe on the waterways this summer.

While the San Joaquin River through Lathrop and South Manteca remains closed to recreational boat traffic because of high water and scheduled upstream released to make room for the snowpack, the sheriff’s office will be joining forced with other agencies and non-profits to hand out free life jackets this weekend for those that need them.

The sheriff’s department boating safety unit will be joining forces with the S.T.A.R.S., Stockton Police Department, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the Department of Boating and Waterways to deliver life jackets to those who need them on Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28 at a variety of popular Delta locations – Morelli Park, Buckley Cove, and Tower Park.

Each of the three marinas that will be visited are located on portions of the San Joaquin River that are still open to boat traffic – all of which are in the northern part of the county. The river remains closed from the Stanislaus County Line to Rough and Ready Island in Stockton – as well as Paradise Cut, Old River, Middle River, Whiskey Slough, and Trapper Slough.

And just because the river is open, says the sheriff’s office, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t exercise great caution when using the waterways under current conditions.

While waterways like the Mokelumne River in the North County have reopened to boaters and recreational users, law enforcement agencies have already had to rescue people this year and are recommending that people stay away until the conditions improve.

“We have already had two emergency responses, so we recommend that boaters, swimmers, and paddle crafts recreate somewhere else,” Deputy Canepa of the boating safety unit said in a video released by the sheriff’s office detailing the event this weekend. “However, if you are going to be on the Mokelumne, buckle up and wear your life jacket and be safe out there.”

Because of the record snowpack and with many reservoirs in Northern California near capacity, water managers are still working to safely process the massive snowmelt currently underway thanks to the summer conditions that are starting to arrive – resulting in water levels that are higher than normal this time of year and water temperatures that are far lower.

While the swift-moving water on rivers on the Mokelumne pose a hazard themselves, the sheer volume of water that has flowed through the area this spring has shifted sandbars and created an abundance of hazards from things that were dislodged during the high-water period.

In addition to life jackets, agencies and non-profits will be handing out boating and safety-related literature at the stops this weekend. For additional information, visit the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office website at www.sjsheriff.org.

To contact Bulletin reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.