Durango Exhibit 24: City of Durango, Colorado: Economic Impacts of Whitewater Recreation Final Report

• Description: Durango RICD
• State: CO
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 6/1/2006
• Author: RPI Consulting
• Title: Durango Exhibit 24: City of Durango, Colorado: Economic Impacts of Whitewater Recreation Final Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Court Documents

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City of Durango: Economic Impacts of Whitewater Recreation Final R.f a 2006
IV. NON- COMMERCIAL USE
In addition to the considerable user days enumerated in the commercial use section, there are
a number of non - commercial kayaker and rafting parties recreating on the Lower Animas. These
private party users hail from the City of Durango, La Plata County, the region, State, and
outside of the State. An important component of tabulating total economic impacts of the Lower
Animas River asset and whitewater recreation requires estimating these users, their expenditures,
and the attendant total economic impacts. In an effort to estimate total user days by user
group, a wide variety of existing information regarding user trends and Colorado tourism were
employed.
NON - COMMERCIAL KAYAKERS
The first step in estimating total Lower Animas non - commercial kayakers is to make reasonable
estimates as to the total number of kayakers in the State. Fortunately, excellent current data
and survey information exists quantifying total whitewater participation rates and user days.'
Figure 10 demonstrates the total kayakers in the State of Colorado and is based on a
geographic reach analysis estimating the total number of kayakers within driving distances of
Durango. For example, there are approximately 153,950 potential kayakers living more than 200
miles from Durango, the number is high because this includes all of the metro areas on
Colorado's Front Range.
Figure 10. Estimated Total Non - Commercial Kayakers - In State
Total Non - Commercial
Kayak User Days Service 2005
Area Annual
Up to 50 Miles
2,690
51 to 100 Miles
3,990
101 to 200 Miles
12,250
More than 200 Miles
153,950
Total 172,880
The second step is estimating total Lower Animas kayak user days. In this step, the numbers
are refined to estimate actual Lower Animas visits /user days. These numbers were again
developed using a GIS analysis and existing data regarding outdoor recreationists willingness to
drive for recreation. For example, a certain percentages of kayakers are willing to drive up to
50 miles for recreation and their total estimated Lower Animas user days are reflected in the
"up to 50 miles" line of Figure 11. Appendix A provides a comprehensive methodological
explanation of the derivation of these estimates.
' Sources include: Colorado's State Wide Comprehensive Recreation Plan (SCORP), Longwood's International Colorado Visitor Study
(updated annually), American Sports Data Participation Study, and the Outdoor Industry Foundation Outdoor Recreation Participation Study
(updated annually).
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