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LoealNews .., Du{q\~ 0 ,e.1~(2.A~ 7 (:2:t)/~OOb Po--~e lot':< Wealth and whitewater i'\Jew report details economic: impacts of local whitewater recreation A gr:oup of soon-to- be rafters listens to a safety talk while two practice ~he proper technique for pulling a fallen comrade back Into the boat at the 32nd Street put- in earlier this week. A recent report com- missioned by the city found that whitewa- ter recreation is .a nearly $20 million Industry in Durango every year./Photo by ared Bo d ""~, 111ere's no question that whitewater . is big business in Durango, but just . how big has been anybody's I:,'lless. A new study commissioned in March by the City of Durango attempts to get a han- dle on that million-dollar question, or $20 million to be more precise. Local firm RPl Consulting recently released "Economic impacts of Whitewater Recreation," a report detailing the effect of rafting and kayaking 00 the local economy. Using data gleaned from various sources, including the 200S Outdoor Recreation and Participation Study and the Colorado Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), as well as local whitewater recreation companies, the study concluded that river recreation pumps $19.4 million into the local econo- my every year. Furthermore, this t10w shows no signs of tapering off, with the industry expected to bring in as much as $23 million by the year 2015. . "The report indicates how valuable a recreational resource the river is to Durango," said Dave Wegner, of the local river conservation group, Animas Riverkeepers, formerly Friends of the Animas River. "We need to take into ,con- sideration what 1:)1is means to the econom- ic future of Durango and what draws peo- ple ~o the area." The city will be armed with the results of the report as it heads into a preliminary hearing with the Colorado Water Conservation Board on Mon., July 24, at by Missy Votel