recreational whitewater: keys to successful management - ben nielsen and rick mclaughlin, mclaughlin...

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Whitewater Management

CIVIL ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

Recreational Whitewater: Keys to Successful Management

Presented to

River Management Society National Training SymposiumDenver, Colorado

April 15, 2014



Course Objectives1. Understanding of key manmade whitewater concepts2. Familiarity with development of a whitewater project including key

phases3. Understanding of common mistakes and lessons learned4. Ability to effectively manage or participate in a manmade whitewater

project

“Shed light on what a recreational whitewater project is & who uses them”

“Provide a roadmap to developing & executing a whitewater project”



Vernacular

Recreational Whitewater – “Manmade, purposed to provide passage, safety for river users, & recreation” Whitewater Park Boat chute Whitewater course Whitewater feature Wave or Hole River Park Bypass Park & Play



Multi-purpose River InfrastructureWhitewater Park



Some Estimate over 500,000 Low Dams in the U.S.Many are so-called “Drowning Machines”

Dam Treatment: “Survivable” Step Dam

Hazard Mitigation



Recreation Impact Mitigation



Some are Pure Recreational



Integrated Objectives



Confluence ParkProject Funding - $70 m Public $ 55 m Private/Corporate 15 m

Cost to Date $ 70 m

Resultant Investment Coors Field $ 220 m Pepsi Center 175 m Invesco Field 350 m R.E.I. 35 m Six Flags Elitch Gardens 110 m Aquarium, Children’s Museum 120 m Residential Development 3 billion

Investment to Date $ 4 billion

Source: South Platte River Greenway Central Platte Valley Investment Summary (10/06)



Who Uses Whitewater River Parks?



Slalom



“Park & Play” Freestyle Kayaking



River Surfing



Origin

Myth or Reality? Whitewater Projects are Driven by Business.



Community

Municipality

Businesses

County, State, Federal Agencies

88%12%

Origin



Planning & Public Process

Myth or Reality?Desired outcomes are generally the same for whitewater projects.



Site Selection

FlowDrop Location & AccessConstraints



Site Factor 1 –Available Flow

Reliability of flow is a also a key flow factors

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Disch

arge (C

FS)

Grand River HydrographMean Monthly Discharge 1901‐2009

Source: USGS



Site Factor 2 –Vertical Drop

Often Conflict between Developing the Hydraulic Drop and Impacting the Floodplain.



Site Factor 1 and 2 are Related

Reliability of flow is a also a key flow factors



Site Factor 3 –Adjacent Area/ Access

Whitewater Parks are for Spectators!

Access for Hosting Events may be a consideration



Stakeholders

River Advocacy Groups Citizen Advisory GroupsUsersCitizens/public Business Owners Local Government State Government Federal GovernmentOwners & Adjacent Property OwnersUtilities



Public Process

Project Goals Prioritize ObjectivesConcerns & Challenges Evaluate Identified Sites Select Preferred Project

“Stakeholder and Public Buy-in Through Collaboration”



Batavia, Illinois

Conclusion for public process – community didn’t want project.



Outreach

Provide clear & consistent messaging Social MediaWebsite Press Releases



Mississippi Whitewater Park



Schedule & Budget

Schedule – All Phases Budget – R.O.M. only



Planning Pitfalls

1. Key Planning Items Not Established: Goals/objectives Ownership O&M Long-term Schedule Budget

2. Too Much Planning



Funding

Myth or Reality? Whitewater project funding mostly for recreation purposes



Hartland Boat & Fish Passage

USFWSColorado Water Conservation BoardWalton Family FoundationNational Fish & Wildlife FoundationColorado River DistrictGunnison Basin Roundtable Trout Unlimited In-kind: Delta County

& Local Farmers



Private or private/public funding varies

Foundation

Public

Industry

Individual $5,000 to $9,999Richard and Patsy FedrizziStephen and Debra HanksGeorge and Bev HaradJack LemleyBob and Kitty LooperBill and Betsy MoynihanWard and Cathy ParkinsonJohn PolischeckLori Shandro

$1,000 to $4,999Mary AbercrombieClarence AndersonJo CassinJim and Gayle ChalfantBrian EllsworthRoy and Frances EllsworthCynthia FairfaxFrank FinlaysonJohn and Jane FrancisSam and Andie Goff

In-kind



Funding Pitfalls

“Shovel Ready” ProjectsCost of Grants/Funding Sources Scheduling & Cash Flow Management



Design & Permitting

Myth or Reality?Permitting is similar for most whitewater projects.



Design Development

1. Data Collection/Site Conditions Soils Topographic & Bathymetric Survey Ownership

2. Preliminary Design Define project sufficiently for Budgeting & Permitting Permitting package submitted

3. Final Design Sealed Bid & Construction documents



Design Criteria for Recreation Structures

http://www.udfcd.org/downloads/down_critmanual.htm http://cwcb.state.co.us/technical-resources/floodplain-stormwater-criteria-manual/Pages/main.aspx



Safety and Whitewater Performance

Features are Hydraulic Jumps, and other Hydraulic Phenomena



SafetyLow Hazard for Well Equipped Users

No Unobvious Hazards

Safety ConsiderationsOverly Retentive Hydraulics Strainers Pinning Foot/hand Entrapment Impact/Abrasion InjuriesChannel Egress



Hole Breaking Wave

Whitewater Forms



Design Tools – 1D Jump Equations Wave and Hole Hydraulics

2

11

3

13

132 1/1

/*21

yh

yy

yyyyF

2

1

3

2

113

12 1/1

/*

21 3

yy

yh

yyyy

F

Governing Equations



Design Tools Analytical Models – 1D, 2D, & 3D Physical Model Experience



Design Aspects

Structure Stability/DurabilityLowest Life-Cycle

CostsNatural Appearance



Durability/ReliabilityHydro Static ForcesZoo Rock

AVOID: “New Techniques” Bigger is not Always Better



Durago, Colorado• “With the force of the following spring’s run-off, a rock

in the hole shifted, creating a strong “keeper” hydraulic at certain water levels.”

• “Lombardo said that shifting rocks and mutating features go with the territory, adding that two of Lacy’s recent projects – one in Salida and one Steamboat Springs – met similar fates.”

July 10, 2003 – Durango Telegraph

Breckenridge, Colorado• “The repair work goes beyond normal "tweaking" of the Blue River amenity.”

• “That work will include rebuilding 80 percent of a structure in the first phase and modifying the faces of three other structures to provide a better whitewater experience.”

• "It's normal to do modifications," Andersen said. "Most of that money was to go toward tweaking. Now, we have major bank stabilization issues that aren't normal."

April 13, 2004 – Summit Daily News

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

“The 2003 runoff was so strong over Memorial Day weekend that it undermined large boulders and

washed out the hole.”

June 1, 2004 Steamboat Pilot & Today

Whitewater Course Failures

The New D-Hole



Aesthetics – Layered Grouted Boulders & Faux Rock

Layered Grouted Boulders

Faux Rock



Adjustable Features



Hartland Diversion Gunnison River, CO

Permitting

CWA 404 Permit – USACE Nationwide Permit Standard Individual Permit Regional General Permit

CWA 401 Permit – USACE/State Floodplain LOMR/CLOMR – FEMA/State/Local Stormwater/Dewatering NPDES – EPA/State Building/Development Codes – Local Others: NEPA, EIS, FERC Relicensing

Communicate Early & Often w/ Regulators



PPL Holtwood Hydropower Expansion



Design & Permitting Take Away

Must be Sealed by a Licensed Professional Engineer Preliminary Design Needed for Realistic BudgetingDurability, Performance, Safety & Life-Cycle Costs

Related ID Regulators & Communicate Early & Often



Construction & Tuning

Myth or Reality?Permanent structures are the most expensive part of building a whitewater project.



Construction Process

Design-Bid-Build (Low Bidder)Design Build & Best Value BidDesign & Bid Documents Bidding & AwardConstructionQA/QC Start-up Tuning



Temporary Dewatering



Start-up & Tuning



Construction & Tuning Pitfalls

Incomplete or “vague” construction documentsConstructability not considered in designQualified contractors Insufficient tuning budget



Legacy

Myth or Reality?Whitewater Parks require minimal on-going maintenance



What is Legacy?

Goals & ObjectivesOperationsMaintenance Liability



Were Goals & Objectives Met?

Post-construction eval Are people using it?User surveysDirect measurements



Operations & Maintenance

Dependent on Type of Facility High – Recirculating Courses Medium – Adjustable Features Low – Static In-river

Routine O&M Visual inspection Debris removal Sediment removal Vegetation management Trash removal Erosion



Non-Routine Maintenance Structural “maintenance” Life-cycle Costs Safety Concerns Performance



Green River Wyoming



Liability

Successful Lawsuits State LawsConsult Legal Council



Legacy Pitfalls

Focus on Design & Construction - Plan for the Future In-accurate estimate of annual maintenance budgets /

Life-cycle costs not consideredDifficulty of maintaining in-river structuresOwners ill-equipped to operate whitewater parks



Conclusions

Whitewater Parks 101 – Who, What & WhyWhitewater Road Map – Key Project Phases Identify Goals & ObjectivesGet Buy-in Execute Design & Construction Plan for the Future – Legacy

“Nothing worth doing is easy”-River manager in the middle of a whitewater project



Thank You

Ben Nielsen, PE, LEED APRick McLaughlin, PE

McLaughlin Whitewater Design Groupwww.mclaughlinwhitewater.comben@mclaughlinwhitewater.comrick@mclaughlinwhitewater.com303-964-3333

recreational whitewater: keys to successful management - ben nielsen and rick mclaughlin, mclaughlin...

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