Preliminary Design Report of The Rubble Dam Improvement Project Municipal Supply and Whitewater Recreation Enhancements in the Beech Fork River

Introduction

The Bardstown Boaters are currently working with the City of Bardstown and RiverRestoration.org to bring a whitewater park to Kentucky at the site of an old rubble dam on the Beech Fork of the Rolling Fork of the Salt River.

The purpose of the project is to restore the invert for municipal use and to enhance whitewater recreation while removing the hazardous conditions that currently exist. During reconnaissance evaluation significant erosion of the right bank was surveyed. The Project encompasses three goals:

• Restore the invert for municipal pump station.
• Enhance whitewater recreation.
• Stabilize the eroding bank.

Meeting Recap

Here is a short breakdown from the meeting held last night. We had 10 members present.

Paddle Pickup

• We will try to paddle from Maud, the burg or Manton if the water flow is up. Low water cleanup will be from 49 to the fairgrounds.
• Justin will be in contact with the Boy Scouts of America.
• We need to lineup a trailer.
• Jay will be buying one or two canoes with last years funds.
• We will reuse left over t-shirts from last year for new volunteers.
• Tim will have the flyer ready mid march.
• Danielle is setting us up with some water education folks who will cross promote the event.
• Kenny will talk with Dean about the dumpster.

Whitewater Park
We unveiled the whitewater park cost estimates and drawings. Everyone liked what they saw. The city will recieve them next and we will pursue the next steps with their guidance.

For more visit this topic on the forum here.

How to Build a Whitewater Park

Some theories and ideas on on how to construct a whitewater feature.
BoaterTalk Post • Video • Waller Creek Site • Friends of the Falls

The best way to make a whitewater feature - basically accelerate water over a "slight" obstacle and "dump" it into still water. The smaller the obstacle it jumps the better. Too much rock and you get a hole. link

Semi-circle 'U'-shaped rock pile to channel water and create hole / eddies.

Whitewater Park Architecture and Science has advanced dramatically.


Example of a "play wave" that features can be modeled after.

Best practices include:

• Feasibility & Pre-design
• Concept Development
• Strategic Planning
• Business Modeling
• Limnology Studies & Habitat Design
• Local, state, and federal permits
• Venue Design

• Physical Modeling
• Computer Modeling
• In-stream Structures
• Boulder Placement
• Drop and Pool Structures
• Flow Hydraulics
• Flood Mitigation
• Water Safety
• Sediment Transport
• Target Species Habitat Restoration

• Facilities Construction
• Operations and Management

As far as creating a play feature the only thing I can really offer up is this. Play features are obviously in places where either A. the gradient increases and/or B. the velocity increases, coupled with a few good rocks or ledges to kick up or drop the water and form the play feature.

Remember that the flow (or volume of water moving downstream) in a river is constant no matter where you are on the run (obviously flows can increase or decrease over time depending on rain or dam releases). Even though you may be in a still pool, the river is still pushing a certain volume of water downstream. It just may not be as noticeable at wider spots as it is when the river chokes down in a gorge. Kind of like a garden hose. You turn the water on and you have a constant flow coming out of the spigot. Placing your finger over the end causes the water to come out faster even though the flow (volume of water) is still the same coming from the spout. The water must move faster given the smaller cross sectional area.

In order to maintain the upstream pool and allow for a play spot I would suggest something like a weir. You already have the gradient and the rocks to help form a feature. All you need to do is concentrate the flow in one area to increase the velocity of water traveling downstream.

Q = Volume (ft^3/sec)
V = Velocity (ft/sec)
A = Area (ft^2)

Q = V*A

By decreasing the area (A) of water coming over the dam, the river will have to increase the velocity (V) of water to allow the same flow (Q) to travel down the river. So instead of the water pouring over the whole river wide dam, arrange the rocks so that a smaller weir is created which leads to a smaller cross sectional area of water flowing through.

So in the equation, a smaller A results in a larger V. Larger V means faster velocity and wallah........play spot...sort of.

The broken down dam on the Benson is a classic example of this concept. But I would think the placement of rocks to actually form the feature may be slightly more complex than that and this is where an experienced whitewater feature builder (not sure what their title would be) would come into play.

Paddle Pickup Meeting

Paddle Pickup Meeting

February 24, 6:30 p.m.

Ricon Mexicano, Bardstown, Ky.

We will be meeting to discuss our plans for this years Paddle Pickup to be held on May 15 and any other club matters.

Come on out.

Big Bend Trip Report

John Thomas and his brother Jay Thomas have this trip report to share from the recent hike in Texas.

Sorry I'm a bit tardy at getting this trip report to Big Bend National Park.

Getting to the park brother John and I flew into San Antonio Jan 15, rented a Chevy HRS, and drove I-10 West to Ft. Stockton and HWY 385 south through the pitch black desert to the park. We set up camp in the back of the HRS and with the new moon we had no clue what scenery we'd be waking up to.

In the morning we had to break ice to get the car door open and climbed out to watch the sun slowly creep over the rusty mountain ridges and warm the park valley. We signed in at the ranger station, listened to her spill about respecting the park and that we'd probably see a bear or mountain lion, and with her suggestion we reserved the NE-2 campsite for night one and the Emory Peak campsite for night two.

We started the hike with a 2,000 feet climb up along the 7-mile Laguna Meadows trail with John in the lead since he was better at feeding, I mean fending off mountain lions. With tired legs we reached the South Rim and enjoyed the vista views of the Chihuahua desert, Rio Grande river, and snow capped mexican mountains. We hiked along the rim to our North East facing campsite which was conveniently furnished with a steel bear proof storage box. We got up early the next morning to watch the sun rise over the desert, shared breakfast with the local wildlife and moved on. The hike down to Boot Canyon was steep and when we reached the creek bed we could only imagine the site of flood water raging through the canyon.

Walking down further through the canyon and along the creek mostly felt like taking a stroll though a KY forest, pleasant change from the rusty and rocky dry scenery throughout the park. We soon made it to the intersection of the Emory Peak trail, and our camp #2. Climbing up the trail just to the point of our campsite reminded us that we weren't really in the mood to try to tackle the rest of the climb up to the highest point in the park.

Getting to camp early allowed us to sunbath and relax, something that's been missing in a lot of trips. With no fires allowed in the park meant as soon as it got dark we didn't have any light distractions from viewing the stars all gathered in the milky way, further enjoyed with some warm apple cider and bourbon.

The next morning we hiked down the Pinnacles trail which was well equipped with plenty of vistas to stop and gaze, through the Boulder Meadows, and back to the ranger station. We dropped off our permit and decided to drive back to San Antonio to find nice hotel bed and shower to spend the last night.

Wonderful trip with beautiful scenery and great hiking.

Cold Clean Waters

Today myself, Josh and Ben were on the Big South Fork from the confluence to Leatherwood. Water levels were around 1000cfs and water temps were very cold after all of the recent snow. The sunshine and 52 degree air temps made this a Saturday not to be missed on the river.

The Big South Fork had the most pristine water that this paddler has ever seen down there. The water was emerald green and you could see down about four feet.

On Double Drop, I rolled and it was freazing. 1000 cfs makes for some dificult drops in the big three. It also made Ass Kicker more difficult. I also rolled in the El. After that I was determined not to roll again. The water was just too cold.

It was a great day to be on the water and bonus to have my wife with me running the shuttle. Now we are off to Asheville!

Slow Boating

I thought this was a great/funny post from BoaterTalk. Let the slow boating movement begin ...

Boating is such a great way to access great areas of wilderness but it seems to me, and maybe this is something endemic to the US or maybe even the SE US, but most times going boating is such a damned rushed experience that it can really leave little time to absorb your surroundings. People rush, rush, rush to get to the put in, to gear up, to get going, to get to the next rapid, to get to the take out, to get drunk at the take out, to do doughnuts in the parking lot, and finally to go home. Let's see how many laps we can do, let's race, let's do this meth and see how many rivers we can get today. While those things can certainly be fun and while sometimes that's the way it has to be if it's going to be at all since most have families, jobby jobs, or other obligations, I'm ready to throw the anchor out and encourage a culture of slow boating. Kinda the boating equivalent of the slow food movement to fast food. Time to slow down and really enjoy the nature around you, to have more time on the river than in the car driving to and from the river.

To that end I'm looking for two things: 1)good websites or blogs that describe what sort of equipment/gear is needed/not needed specifically for kayaks as well as advice on how to pack the gear and 2) suggestions for good overnighters in the SE and Mid Atlantic.

Gracias,

Mark

And you check out this website for some good info on slow boating.

Makers Mark Possibly Filming on Beech Fork

Makers Mark is searching for the location of their next commercial. They are looking for a river scene.

I just gave my recommendation, through Makers Mark, to a location scout looking to film a commercial in the Bardstown area. I pointed them toward the Beech Fork at the rubble dam for it's access and for the visual of the water tumbling through the dam. Perhaps they will choose this site of the future home to the Bardstown Whitewater Park as the filming location for their "fly fishing" scene for an upcoming Makers Mark commercial.

Self Support Kayaking Blog

Found this new blog all about self support kayaking.

Getting amongst it in the wilderness is the reason many of us kayak. Whether you’re doing a two week self support trip down the Grand Canyon, or a weekend overnight getaway on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland, living out of your boat can be just what to doctor ordered to get away from it all. With overnight trips becoming more and more popular, we have decided to create the definitive resource to help foster knowledge, fuel innovation, and build community on this exciting front of paddlesports. So take some time to look around and interact with what our group of seasoned adventurers have found to work for them. Feel free to register to provide feedback and share your own experiences with the world.

GRWW Speaks

Listen to a story about the Grand Rapids Whitewater Park on WGVU.

Listen to this! Chris Muller and Chip Richards were joined by WGVU’s Lindsey Smith as we walked the Grand River with representatives of the Michigan DNR and local engineering firm FTC&H. Afterward, we had lunch 50 paces from the water, at Tommy Fitzgerald’s Cafe Stella www.tommyfitzgeraldgroup.com. Outstanding river, outstanding food. Keeping it local, bringing it Downtown! http://www.wgvu.org/wgvunews/index.cfm?id=sdetail&sty=5662

http://grandrapidswhitewater.com/whitewater/grww-speaks/