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f <br />Whitewater Course Design <br />Whitewater Park design begins with an information gathering. phase. In this phase <br />information about the site and the people who will use it are gathered. Necessary site <br />information 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 information <br />includes type and ability levels of the different expected user groups. User groups can include <br />freestyle boaters, slalomists, recreational boaters, rafters and people in inflatables among <br />others. Public meetings are held in order to determine the design objectives of the community <br />and the people who will use the park. <br />The designer then uses this information 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 of the <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 and are typically the venues that attract the most users and most big events. <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 of the existing streambed or hindering the stream's natural <br />sediment transport mechanisms. The structures are also designed to create a navigable stream <br />at water levels that vary from typical lows to extreme floods. Within this spectrum of potential <br />water levels the structure must not create a dangerous hydraulic feature. Additionally, flow <br />control needs to be established and maintained throughout the Whitewater Park in order to <br />prevent bank erosion or flow conditions that are hazardous to in -stream navigation. <br />R <br />