Klondike Dam / Rapids 06/29/2014 1480 CFS 8.78 Feet

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Sunday ended up being a beautiful day so we decided to do a little kayaking at the old Klondike Dam. The Klondike dam was an old mill dam south of Sioux Falls, North of Canton and east of Harrisburg/Lake Alvin. It used to be a 100 year old dam but was damaged a few years back. 2012 Iowa decided it was cheaper to destroy the dam and replace it with a rock arch rapids. The reason they just didn't tear it down was because of the water levels. There are two wells close by that use the water levels made by the dam. If the dam was removed without rapids or some sort of structure the water level would be too low. Iowa and South Dakota worked together to get this project complete around 2012. With the recent rains a few weeks back it has made the Big Sioux River go up to flood levels. We decided it was a good level to kayak it on 6-29-14 since the river has gone down quite a bit. We have kayaked this section before at about 925 CFS and 1150 CFS. Today we decided to portage on the Iowa side (east bank) since some of the west bank was washed out. It actually worked out a lot better since we were able to paddle up the eddy on the east side about a third of the way up the river. Then we were able to portage on a flat rocky surface the rest of the way which is way easier than the west bank that took about 15 minutes to portage compared to 5 minutes on the Iowa side. We messed around in the eddy practicing edging, rolls, and bracing. We also ran the rapids about four times. Here are some videos that were taken of the day.

The group was made up of Josh Dragstra, Dan Buys, Mitchell Joldersma, Helen Harvey, and Stephan Bruggeman.

Mitchell Joldersma

Stephan Bruggeman

Dan Buys

 Josh Dragstra

 Mitchell Joldersma

Josh Dragstra

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Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Project Update 06/23/2104

Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Update 6-23-2014

We have a little bit of updates on the Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Project. Since last discussed on here there have been a couple of changes to the proposal.

First, the location has been narrowed down to one spot unless another one reveals itself. The spot we want the designers to put most of their focus on is at Lien Park located northeast of Downtown on Cliff Avenue on The Big Sioux River. Lien Park has the highest flow throughout the year in the Sioux Falls area; which makes it an ideal spot to use the Sioux Falls Whitewater Park all season long. The water level for a good park should be at least 250 CFS and if you check out the past 60 year flow rate at USGS you can see that you get above 250 CFS between the end of February all the way to the beginning of December. The park also provides a good location for parking. Currently it is a gravel parking lot with small barriers but can be expanded if needed. The park could easily be set up for events because the banks are a clean slate and option for hanging slalom gates are available and room to build built in seating. Events could be hosted such as a slalom race, 8-ball Sprint, soap box races, and freestyle Lien Park is also a good starting point for a lot of kayaker flowing south towards Brandon and farther down the river so it would be a good location to put a canoe/kayak ramp at the end of the park. The best part of Lien Park is that is parallel to the bike trail which would make it easy for paddlers, stand up paddlers, tubers, swimmers,  and rip boarders to walk back up to the beginning of the course.

Other parts of the river in the Sioux Falls area didn’t have enough flow throughout the paddling season, DENR opposed certain contaminated areas, and area didn’t work with Parks and Recreation for room for events or parking.

The second change to the proposal is we also got another estimate for a designer to come in kayak the river to see where the best option is, design park, fill out proper permits, hold investor and stockholder meeting, and price out the whitewater park. River Restoration is a well-known name in the whitewater industry. They have down work in Elkader Iowa at their whitewater park and they are working on design for Manchester Iowa Whitewater Park.

More updates on the Sioux Falls Whitewater Park:

A group has been formed as the Board of Directors for The Sioux Falls Whitewater Park, The Sioux Falls Whitewater Park has non-profit status EIN Tax ID, and Sioux Falls Whitewater Park has one more application to fill out to be non-profit status in South Dakota. We will also be starting fundraising for the designer to come in to do their conceptual design. The fundraising will start once the paperwork is submitted and approved by the state. Fundraising will consist of free will donations and possible raffle.

The group is also looking for logo design and a web page to be built. If anyone is interested they can contact us on Facebook or email at siouxfallswhitewaterpark@hotmail.com

Kayaking Klondike Dam / Klondike Rapids Summer 2014 Training

Our group is hoping to get all different skilled level kayakers together at the Klondike Rapids/Dam a few times this summer to practice wet exits, rolling, bracing, throw rope safety, and working as a team and partners.

Klondike Rapids is known to most fishermen but ever since the dam was torn down and built into rapids it has been noted by many paddlers for a good place for rapids and easier portaging for those longer trips.

The way the rock dam was formed, it now pushes water towards the middle of the rapids as it goes down stream. This ends up making great eddies at the end of the rapids past the bridge. You have the option for calm water right by the banks, going out further you hit the eddy sending water back up river, and past the eddy line you have small rapids with a swifter flowing river. Right by the bank with calmer water is a good place to practice for the beginner in rolling and wet exits. For the person familiar with rolls and wet exits; the eddy is a good place to start because you don’t flow down the river losing all your gear. For the more skilled person you can shoot in the end of the rapids and practice rolling and if you don’t complete it you can just slide into the eddy and get sent up stream to the group. Now if you complete the roll when hitting the rapids you can just go up river on the eddy and slide back into the rapids to practice more rolling without getting out. I thought this section of the river would be best to bomb proof those rolls, learn to roll, and practice throw bags because it has so many options for learning.

I hope to get groups together a few times this summer to go over everything and help each other achieve better paddling skills.

Kayaking Skunk Creek 6-10-14 and 6-17-14

We had some big rains come in so we kayaked 6-10-14 east of Hartford SD. We started on 257th street and ended at 258th street small little stretch class I. On 6-17-14 the river rose so we hit it up again at the same spot but went further down to Benton street straight east of Hartford. Great for beginners but watch out for fences. The river was high enough luckily bit it crosses over 4-5 fences. A rock dam at the end is a nice little 2-3 feet drop to end the trip.

6-10-14

6-17-14

Kayaking Split Rock Creek SE South Dakota Palisades Park Garretson SD

Here are a few videos from the recent rain. A little rapids in SE South Dakota
Northeast of Sioux Falls in Garretson SD. First video is shot on 6-18-14 second video is a link you will have to go to and that was shot 6-15-14.

Here is an updated video. Hopefully better quality and half the length.

Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Proposal

Sioux Falls South Dakota Whitewater Park Proposal

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Sioux Falls Whitewater Park

Sioux Falls, SD

Introduction

A proposed whitewater park in Sioux Falls South Dakota could help the city grow and be known for this great achievement.

The proposed project is estimated to cost less than 1 million dollars to construct and have a 30-year life. Policymakers would be justified in making this investment with public funds as the break-even return to local businesses would be realized within years after construction.

The economic benefit of this project can be conservatively estimated to return approximately 100-500 thousand dollars of private sector economic activity to the local economy each year during the life of the project.

　

Location

Designers will not declare a site right now. The best thing to do is get them on the ground and look at a variety of viable sites. From this investigation they can determine where it is that they can create a park with the most economic and recreational impact and the least amount of negative impacts.

　

Legacy Park

Parking already available




.59 - .7 miles




In-channel




Skunk Creek




No obstructions in Creek




Viewable from banks

Dunham Park

Parking already available




.58 miles




In-channel




Skunk Creek




No obstructions in creek




Viewable from banks

Legacy Park to Dunham Park

Parking already available on both ends




1.5 – 2.0 miles




In-channel




Skunk Creek




No obstructions in creek




Viewable from banks

Down Stream Falls Park

Parking already available




.7 – 1.2 miles




In-channel




Big Sioux River




Possible low head dam removal needed




Viewable from banks

Big Sioux

Location may change after site visit




Viewable from banks

　

Uses

Kayaking

Canoeing

Tubing

Areas would be safe enough for tubing




Less expensive to enjoy the rapids

Rafting




Riverboarding




Paddle Boarding




Fishing

Rapids provide more oxygen in water which fish need to survive




Eddies between the rapids make pools of water for fish to be located

Training

Water rescue training




Boy Scout badges




Kayak/Canoe safety

Viewing

The view of whitewater can be relaxing




Sound of the whitewater can be relaxing




Picnic tables to enjoy the whitewater park users

Events and Water Quality

Freestyle events




Slalom events




Races




Soapbox boat races




Improves water quality by getting more oxygen levels in water




Waterway cleanups for river and river banks




Gets people of all ages involved in the environment and water sports

　

Difficulty

The course would contain small ripples for the tubers all the way to class IV rapids for the more skilled paddler.

(On a scale of I to VI; one being a river with small ripples, six being a waterfall)

Safety

Training

Water Rescue can train in rapids




Pool sessions held by SDCKA for safety training




Boy Scouts do whitewater safety training for badges

Flooding

Designs has a FEMA no-rise restrictions




Designs go through USACE 404 process in order to determine impacts of the project




Designs work within the rivers existing morphology




Designers do studies to ensure that it is possible in light of constraint associated with the river, region, and permitting authorities




Studies will be completed with a site visit and conceptual design study

Injuries have not been recorded and courts have ruled that cities would not be liable if there were

　

Cost

Site Visit and Conceptual Design

S2O $13,800.00 (Proposal attached)




REP $14,000.00 (estimated)(Proposal must be requested by City Parks & Recreation)




Includes site visit




Meeting with city, stakeholders, investors, and SDCKA




Analysis on river




Design of park




Estimated construction cost




Both companies would work within budget

Building and Constructing Whitewater Park

Will know more after site visit with chosen designer group and they prepare plan, design, and cost proposal.




Low End $100,000.00




High End $750,000.00

Funding

Sources of funding

Donations

Friends




Family




Kayakers/Canoeist




Local Business’s (Manta reports 17,052 companies in Sioux Falls)




Surrounding city business’s (example: Grand Falls Casino Resort)

Raffles (needs to fill out application 30 days before raffle begins)

Kayak/Canoes




Paddling Gear




Apparel

Fundraising

Events




Sportsman Show




Design kayak/canoe magazine and sell for fundraising




Silent auction on donated items

Private Investors

Individual person




Local Companies




Kayak/Canoe companies

Grants

Land and Water conservation Fund Grant




Community Development Block Grant Program




Recreational Trails Program (RTP)




Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)

Advertising

Can sell advance sponsor spots on whitewater parks web page




Possible to get sponsor name on sign for the whitewater park

Government

State




County




City

Economic Impact

Major events can draw thousands of people, and while total economic impact is hard to estimate, it could easily be millions annually.

Whitewater parks are often viewed as exclusive amusement for a few, but perhaps 90 percent of users aren’t boaters. The vast majority of people who enjoy such parks do so by watching from the shore, or walking and biking nearby.

Whitewater paddlers contribute a significant amount of money to local economies. Through spending money on gas, food, lodging and other items paddlers provide revenue to rural communities. This side effect of whitewater recreation is typically welcomed in these communities and comes at a very low cost, since the towns do not need to market rivers, and since a moderate level of paddling requires little to no investment in infrastructure or services. American Whitewater often shares economic data with communities and managers when river access is either being proposed or challenged in an area, in an effort to show tangible benefits of supporting whitewater recreation.

Many rural communities are suffering economic woes because of shifting economic factors that drive industry. Natural resource extraction has seldom been managed at a sustainable pace. Paddling represents one part of a changing economy in many mountain areas - a change from resource extraction and industrial economies to a tourism based economy. Oftentimes, paddlers visit areas overlooked by other groups, and in times of the year when other tourism is greatly reduced. These factors can make paddlers' contribution to local economies even more important.

One of the best ways for paddlers to encourage river stewardship in the communities that we travel to is through their spending patterns. Paddlers can maximize their economic and social benefit to river communities through spending money in those communities, and specifically in locally owned businesses, rather than filling up gas tanks and buying meals in outlying areas. Spending money in these communities shows local residents a tangible economic benefit associated with river conservation and access, since paddlers prefer rivers that are legally accessible and that have good water quality and natural scenery. American Whitewater encourages all paddlers to have positive social, environmental, and economic effects wherever they travel.

Several studies have measured or predicted the economic impacts of whitewater recreation on local and regional economies. We have collected these studies and have summarized the findings, as well as provided direct links to these studies whenever possible. Most studies have mostly or completely overlooked private boaters in their study designs; however this does not indicate that private boaters do not have significant economic influences.

Out of city revenue

Hotel rentals




Gas sales




Camp ground rentals




Restaurant/bar sales




Grocery store sales




Retail sales




Retailers can sell whitewater apparel and products




Events bringing in out of city/state people




Parks and recreation

In city revenue

Retailers can sell whitewater apparel and products




Money will go into the city instead of traveling out of state for whitewater park and giving money to other cities/states




Could add jobs to the community




Business opportunity for training and selling/renting equipment

　

Designer Options

S2O Design

Scott Shipley M.S, P.E., Engineering Design, 303-819-3985,

scott@s2odesign.com

Christina Hinton Design and Engineering, 303-808-3238,

chinton@s2odesign.com

REP – Recreational Engineering and Planning

Shane Sigle, P.E, Design and Engineering, 303-545-5883,

shane@boaterparks.com

Existing and Proposed Parks

So far, 132 whitewater parks are either built or are being created across the country. Below are some examples of existing and proposed whitewater parks with different features.

Existing Parks

:

Charles City Whitewater Park, Charles City, IA, Riverfront Park on Cedar River, Population 7,544. Cost $366,120.00, in-channel .5 miles with 3 wave locations. Designer is REP. Studies have not been done but suggested economic impact of $833,400 with visitors and events. Local businesses have had an increase in a sale and there have been more out of state license plates in the park parking lot.




Wausau Whitewater, Wausau WI, Wisconsin River, White Water Park downtown, Population 39,213. Cost unknown built in 1974. Course designed by Dewey Ewers. Bypass Channel .35 miles 13 wave locations. Wausau Whitewater Park has been said to bring in 1.8 million for championships and events at the park stated by Darien Schaefer Executive Director December 2012. The park is only open about 8 weekends a year because the water needs to be released into the park.




Clear Creek White Water Park, Golden CO, Lions Park, Clear Creek, Population 19,035. Cost $170,000. In-channel .25 miles with 10-14 wave locations. Designer REP. Puts out more than $1.4 million per year into the economy.




Vail’s Whitewater Park, Vail, CO, Gore Creek, International Bridge in Vail Village, Population 5,270, Cost $130,000. In-channel .1 miles with 1 wave location. Designer REP.　 Puts out more than $1 million per year into the economy.




Truckee River Whitewater Park, Reno, NV, Truckee River, Downtown resort area, Population 227,511. Cost $1.5 million. In-channel .5 miles 11 wave locations. Designer REP. An estimated 1.9 million pumped into the economy each year.




Brennan Wave, Missoula, MT, Caras Park, Clark Fork River, Population. Cost$360,000, In-channel 1 wave location. Designer is S2O. Estimated $1 million in economic impact.

Proposed Parks

:

Rapid Creek Whitewater Park, Rapid City, SD, Sioux Park to Executive Golf Course, on Rapid Creek, Population 69,200. Cost roughly $414,000.00. In-channel 1.2 miles long with 7-9 wave locations. Designer is REP.




Tulsa Whitewater Park, Tulsa, OK, River Parks on Arkansas River, Population 396,466. Cost not available since still in early stages of planning and designing.　 Out-of-Channel-Diversion 500 feet long. Designer McLaughlin Group. Economic impact not available but estimated around $1 million.




Oklahoma City Whitewater Park, Oklahoma City, OK, Downtown (Brick Town), Population 591,967. Cost $25 million. Pumped Olympic Style Park. Will be Olympic and professional training facility. Designer Scott S2O. Estimated economic impact of $28.8 million.




Kearney Whitewater Park, Kearney, NE, Platte River, Yanney Park, Population 31,174. Cost $300,000 if city donates equipment. In Channel 2 miles long with 6-12 wave locations. Designer McLaughlin Group. Estimated economy impact unknown.




Manchester Water Park, Manchester, Iowa, Maquoketa River, Population 5,148. Cost 1.6 million. Construction is scheduled to start fall of 2013. In Channel .12 miles long with 5-6 wave locations. Designer REP. Bringing in about 600 thousand a year estimated.




Sioux Falls Whitewater Park, Sioux Falls, SD, Location-(to be announced), Population 156,592. Cost (to be announced) (to be announced). Type (to be announced). Designers (to be announced)(either REP or S2O), Estimated impact (to be announced)


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