SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - After nearly four months of locked gates, the Sacramento State Aquatic Center reopened early this month. The most popular hub for water sport and recreation in Northern California, the facility had to scuttle spring and summer programs as the COVID crisis struck.  Located on Lake Natoma and straddling Gold River, Fair Oaks and Orangevale borders, the seven-acre aquatic campus is now offering limited on-water activities.

Customers who reserve in advance can enjoy kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddling, sailing and single-shell rowing. As no classes or lessons are allowed, equipment renters must be previously qualified by center instructors.

A current trickle of about 100 users daily compares to 1000 on pre-COVID summer days. “We usually serve 50,000 people a year,” says facility associate director Cindi Dulgar. “We’re now running at one tenth of capacity. But we’re relieved just to be open.  It’s great to see people exercising in fresh air and sunshine again. One lady came back and finished her first row with tears in her eyes. Many people need the physical and mental well-being of being on water. We feel we have an essential business here.”

The center’s long closure has been tough on about 100 staffers (mainly college students) who depend on paychecks to fund their studies. “It’s also been a heartbreak for our athletes,” Dulgar says. “Rowers have missed opportunities for national championships -- and the possibility of scholarships -- that they’ll never have again. Our regattas benefit the whole community; teams and spectators come from all over the country. We fill hotels and restaurants.”

Run by Associated Students Inc. and CSUS in association with the California State Parks Department, the center is observing health protocols prescribed by all its governing bodies. Masks and social distancing are required on shore; picnic areas are taped off. Normally open to all comers, the center’s Hazel Avenue gate is now guarded.  Only two visitors (or families) with reservations are admitted every 15 minutes; this metered pace allows equipment to be cleaned -- then sterilized -- before reuse.

No school vacation programs are yet scheduled. “We’re trying to get some going,” explains Dulgar. “But we’ll have to wait and see what’s allowed. We feel great empathy for families whose kids have been coming here every summer for years. We miss them, too. I keep hearing people saying we’re all in the same boat. Well, I feel it’s more like we’ve all been in the same storm together.

“But being open again is the best thing that’s happened to us in months. We hope our programs will bounce back when everyone’s confident we can provide a safe environment, on and off water.”

The Sacramento State Aquatic Center is located at 1901 Hazel Avenue, Gold River.  Users must reserve arrival time slots. For more information, visit

www.sacstateaquaticcenter.com/