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<br />002908 <br /> <br />Background as an Expert Witness <br /> <br />As an expert witness I have previously testifie~ in Colorado water courts Water Divisions <br />1,4 a.fi.d-SroTisSl1es related to the Golden-(Division No; 1 Case 98CW448),Vail(DivisionNo.5 <br />Case OOCW259), Breckenridge (Division No.5 Case OOCW281), and Gunnison (Division No.4 <br />Case No. 02CW38) Water Parks. I also gave testimony before the CWCB for issues related to <br />the Pueblo and Gunnison Parks. In all cases I have been qualified as an expert witness with <br />regard to my experience as aProfessiona1 Engineer, Whitewater/Boating Park Designer, and <br />Expert Kayaker based 011 the qualifications listed above. <br /> <br />Boating Park Design <br /> <br />Boating Park design begins with an infoffilation gathering phase. In this phase <br />infonnation about the site and the people who will use it are gathered. Necessary site <br />infonnation includes existing gradient, width and depth of the existing riverbed, historical <br />average and peak flows, and existing features in the region of interest. User infonnation includes <br />type and ability levels of the different expected user groups. User groups can include freestyle <br />boaters, sla10mists, recreational boaters, rafters and people in inflatables among others. Public <br />meetings are held in order to determine the design objectives of the community and the people <br />who will use the park. <br /> <br />The designer then uses this infonnation to design the layout of a particular course and <br />tailor it for a particular community. The layout is typically a balance between the desires ofthe <br />many user groups, the constraints of the riverbed in which the park is created and the budgeting <br />constraints of the project. Parks with sufficient drop and flow allow for the most dynamic <br />features al1d are typically the venues that attract the most users and the most big events. <br /> <br />Once the layout of the course is established the design of the particular features are <br />tailored to the existing riverbed. In-stream modifications are difficult and require careful <br />planning. The structures placed in the stream must be stable yet create the desired feature <br />without decreasing the capacity ofthe existing streambed or hindering the stream's natural <br />sediment transport mechanisms. The structures are also designed to create a navigable stream at <br />water levels that vary from typical lows to extreme floods. Within this spectrum ofpotential <br />water levels the structure must not create a dangerous hydraulic feature. Additionally, flow <br />control needs to be established and maintained throughout the boating park in order to prevent <br />bank erosion or flow conditions that are hazardous to in-stream navigation. <br /> <br />The Steamboat Springs Boating Park <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />I spent a substantial amount oftime paddling on the Yarnpa River previous to the <br />construction of this Boating Park. In that time, public interest in creating the Boating Park grew <br /> <br />-3- <br />