Kayak Park Explosion: In U.S., Urban Whitewater Raging

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KAYAK . In U.S., urban whitewater raging By Ashley Powers Los Angeles Times ENO, Nev. — The women sink their pad- dles into the moun- tain snowmelt, crank ,heir grape- and cherry - colored kayaks into a series of cork- screws, and let the riverbanits gaudy enticements — Jacuzzi Rooms! Theme Rooms! Fantasy Rooms! — evaporate into the spritz of pummeling whitewater. Karan Estee and Cari Holli- man prefer to frolic on remote rivers lined with oaks or aromat- ic pines. Lake millions of Ameri- cans who pour billions of dollars a year into mountain bikes, snowboards, hiking boots and other outdoor toys, these Salt Lake City friends bought their kayaks at least in part to escape the civilized life. But this time Estee, 29, and Holliman, 30, explored the Truckee River not in alpine can- yons near Lake Tahoe, but miles downstream, where engineers hired by the city of Reno have sent it frothing through a man- made kayak park downtown. Reno's urban whitewater has plenty of company. )n the past few years, 25 or so communities — including Boul- der, Lyons, Denver, Vail and Steamboat Springs; Wausau, Wis.; and Pittsford, N.Y. — have re- engineered the waterways coursing through their midst to create the rapids, riffles and "play holes" that whitewater kay- akers appreciate. Missoula, Mont.; Boise, Idaho; and Willi mantic, Conn., are among a growing number of cities push- ing to liven up their waterways — and city coffers. The whitewater park along Golden's Clear Creek brings an estimated $1.4 million a year into the community through ho- tel, restaurant and other reve- nue, according to one consulting firm's study. And promoters say the parks' advantages go beyond the bottom line by helping im- prove river quality. One of the country's first kay- ak parks was modeled after a water course built for the 1972 Olympics. The East Race Water- way opened near the St. Joseph River in South Bend, Ind., in 1984, revitalizing a channel once packed with debris. The park draws as many as 10,000 visitors over the summer. In what may become the most extravagant project, the Char- lotte, N.C., area has proposed a $25 million artificial whitewater course with movable boulders and rapids that can be changed LOS ANGELES TIMES Ersatz rapids allow kayakers like Anthony Ghidossi to practice stunts in a controlled environment on the Truckee River in Reno, Nev. to suit various levels of experi- ence. In Colorado, and from the West's persistent drought, crit- ics don't see kayaking as a good use of water. Farmers worry that sustaining adequate flow for downstream boaters could mean siphoning off water needed for thirsty corn and cattle. "We have a battle on our hands to try to protect agricul- tural water in the state," says Ray Christensen, executive vice president of the state Farm Bu- reau. "We could wake up one day and have really done dam- age and wonder. Where did our water go ? ' But in what the local media termed a face-off between the New West and the Old, two Col- orado court rulings settled a dis- pute over water rights in Gold- en, Vail and Breckenridge by putting recreation on equal foot- ing with municipalities, agricul Truckee River as it cleaves downtown, miles from where it squiggles out of the mountains below Lake Tahoe. A few pieces of the river's concrete corral are the only hints of the '60s, when city officials tried to tame the flood prone Truckee by straight- ening and deepening it through downtown. Concrete walls en- cased the small island around which the current now burbles. The local newspaper called the river "deadly," with a hydraulic rush that could "trap anything that falls into it." In August 2003, Boulder's Gary Lacy, Truckee River Park's engineer, had workers replace much of the concrete lining with 7,000 tons of rocks, and crafted a step -like course of 11 pools and rapids rated a mellow Class II to III, on a scale of six. Workers dug the channels into U shapes and used concrete to anchor the rocks. They carved the riverbed into slides: The current smacks the top, froths into whitewater and spills into a calm pool. Some purists say they are un- easy with altering any river in any way. The grumblers came out during construction, says Lynn Zonge, a hydrologist in- volved in the planning. ` Mey said, Why does it look so engi- neered? Why is there so much concrete ?' " Zonge says the park is nature, but sanitized. The city manages the park like a skateboard park Visitors are responsible for their own safety. The boaters attracted to ersatz rapids aren't absurdist daredev= Hs but a subspecies of thrill-seek- ers, hooked on ease and relative safety. Just as weatherproof fin- ger -holds on artificial climbing walls appeal to jocks more inter- ested in polishing moves than cheating death, predictable hy- drodynamics attract play boat- ers. Time-crunched urban dwell- ers and suburbanites account for almost two-thirds of kayakers. Kayak parks target this built- in audience. "Man can't build a Chesapeake Bay," says Brad Nelson, founder of a Pennsylva- nia group that tracks urban kay- aking projects, `but man can build a whitewater park." Engineers can also amend ri- parian shortcomings. "Nature doesn't build great play holes one after the other," says Lacy, the engineer, a paddler himself who lives on Boulder Creek. "You go to a river and realize there's one good play hole in the whole run, and you think, `I could go to downtown Reno and there's four in a row.'" ture and industry. The state Su- preme Court deadlocked on the appeal, letting the decision stand. Reno is selling itself in out- door magazines and on big ban- ners downtown as America's Ad- venture Place, and its 10- month-old Truckee River Park at Wingfield is the linchpin. One study shows the number of kayakers nationwide has leapt 125 percent in five years, to 9.9 million. About one -fifth of those are whitewater kayakers. A University of Nevada -Reno economist predicts the park in Reno will draw several thousand fans to paddling events, while enticing locals and out-of -town- ers alike to spend at least $1.9 million a year at riverside eater- ies, shops and hotels. Two casi- nos and the city paid for the $1.5 million park. The state will reim- burse them with bond money. Engineers took charge of the