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provide an attraction for users before and after this event, as well as flows to provide <br />for other uses before and after the main season. The winter flows provide the <br />minimum necessary flow to allow for ongoing daily training by Durango's <br />competitive programs. <br />The intention of this flow regime is to provide for the City's intended purposes at the <br />specific structures. The regimes were structured such that from January until mid -March <br />sufficient flow is available for winter freestyle, slalom and recreational paddling. At these <br />flows there will be sufficient depth in the main channel and definition in the features and <br />eddies to allow for fitness training, skill development, and low end recreational boating. <br />Unfortunately, given the dimensions of the river the hydraulic that will be formed at this <br />level, though surfable in most instances, will not prove to be an attraction to out -of -town <br />freestyle boaters. This flow will provide for Durango's active training program as well as <br />boaters who choose to paddle recreationally year round. <br />Mid -March flows increase with the hydrograph in order to allow for increased power in the <br />river. This increased power allows practicing and training boaters to begin to prepare for the <br />higher flows of spring. <br />As flows begin to increase in April, the recommended flows also increase. This increase is <br />recommended for several reasons. For the aforementioned training athletes these flows <br />allow paddlers to begin to tune their efforts towards the competitive season, and for <br />recreational boaters these flows provide added attraction and begin to prepare these boaters <br />for the higher flows that are still to come. Lastly, these flows, in comparison to alternative <br />local and regional alternatives, maintain Durango's reputation as an attraction. This is to say, <br />in comparison to alternative destinations, the Animas at the boating park will be a superior <br />attraction. These flows will be a marked increase from the off - season flow in terms of flow <br />rate, power, and definition, but will be largely limited to a single channel and single current <br />profile. Features will allow for play - boating and surfing at the drop structures in the <br />hydraulic jump that will be formed there. This hydraulic jump will be surfable in early April <br />but will not have the size and power that will be seen at later flows. Late April flow will be <br />38 <br />