Article that appeared in the Flint Journal about this project.

A Whitewater Park in Flint Michigan?


This is the article that was in the Flint Journal about the proposal for a man-made whitewater run in place of the current Hamilton Dam.

Whitewater rapids in downtown Flint? It might not be as far-fetched as it sounds

http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/in..._downtown.html

03/19/08 by Elizabeth Shaw | The Flint Journal

FLINT, Michigan -- Eric Hall dreams of paddling his kayak through a whitewater maze, where walleye battle their way upstream amid the roar of tumbling rapids.

Sure, the Flint Township resident can find that on his favorite rivers in West Virginia. He can even take a five-hour drive north to the Upper Peninsula.

But he and his fellow paddlers really want to find it right here in downtown Flint.

As the city moves forward with a $30,000 feasibility study to repair or replace the dangerously aging Hamilton Dam, Hall hopes to convince community leaders to consider a manmade whitewater park among the options for the span of the Flint River flowing west through the University of Michigan-Flint campus toward Harrison and Saginaw streets.

That might not be as far-fetched a vision as it sounds.

In 1998, the city of Williamston used manmade rapids to replace an 1840s-era dam destroyed in a 1975 flood on the Red Cedar River near Lansing. Funded by a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant and bond sales by the city's Downtown Development Authority, the $767,700 project is a system of large boulders creating a series of cascades spread out over a 100-yard segment of the river flanked by a boardwalk, viewing areas and an artificial island.

In 2002, Mt. Pleasant officials replaced a dam on the Chippewa River with a series of five rock weirs, creating 5 feet of drop spread out over 500 feet of distance.

"Manmade rapids are actually very popular nowadays. There are probably at least 35 whitewater parks either up and running or in the construction phase all over the country," said Hall. "Besides fishermen and paddlers, I definitely think it could draw all kinds of people into the area who just want to come sit by the falling water and watch the rapids."

Local interest in recreational paddling has boomed in recent years through groups such as the Fenton Area Paddlers, the Flint River Watershed Coalition and Headwaters Trails, Inc.

Hall's own Flint River Paddlers held its first meeting in November and already boasts a 50-member mailing list.

"Encouraging recreational use of the river is very important because people tend to love what they use," said Flint River Watershed Coalition executive director Rebecca Fedewa. "For the longest time the Flint River has been ignored because people don't consider it something they want to use. That's why we're out to encourage people to hike along it, paddle it and fish in it."

But Williamston treasurer Alan Dolley said his city's project isn't the recreational draw many had envisioned.

"Back when we started, people were talking about holding Junior Olympics here and all kinds of things. But you're not going to draw a kayaking population for a stretch just 100 or 150 yards long," said Dolley. "All we did was put in some manmade rapids so we didn't have to build a new dam, with no control over water flow so if it dries up, it dries up and if it storms, it floods.

"You've got to do something where you can control the water flows, lower the levels for beginners or crank it up. That's way beyond what we did."

Water control would have to be part of any local project, Hall said, since any replacement structure has to maintain an impoundment for a water plant that serves as the city's emergency backup.

When properly designed, manmade rapids can offer environmental improvements over traditional dams.

"Rapids are more natural than fish ladders for walleye to migrate upstream. The pools and drops also create more habitat for all kinds of fish," said Hall. "The drops also put more aeration into the water to improve the overall water quality."

City of Flint Utilities Communications Coordinator Matt Sherwood, the city's representative on the Hamilton Dam Committee, said he's aware of Hall's proposal but could not comment on it.

"This was a presentation by an independent party that has no connection to the feasibility study we have going on right now," said Sherwood. "Our priority right now is addressing the safety and liability issues of the Hamilton Dam, and this is something entirely separate from that."

Fedewa said the FRWC might consider seeking a grant to fund a study by Recreation Engineering and Planning, a Colorado-based team that specializes in whitewater parks and trail systems.

The intent is to enhance the city's effort not conflict with it, Fedewa said.

"We definitely want to work with the city and our other partners to make sure we do what's best for our river and our downtown development issues," said Fedewa. "We just want to ensure there are other alternatives considered and this is an exciting one worth pursuing.

"If we have to invest the time, money and effort anyway into fixing or replacing the dam, we might as well consider making it something that's a draw for the city."