WHITEWATER IN YOUR TOWN
Design Parameters
There are a few factors whose consideration will you help determine the scope of your project. They are common to the projects on which we work, and all are considered initially to determine how we can best meet your objectives.
Water Volume - How much water (flow rate in cubic feet or meters per second) are you planning to accommodate? What is the ideal level for recreation for your project? As you might guess, it is easier to build a set of diversion structures designed to manage 500 cfs than 70,000 cfs.
Fluctuation - Your river probably fluctuates during the year: what is that range, and in how much of that range do you want your artificial or enhanced river features to function? To extend the previous example, designing a whitewater course that will be useful at a range of 500 to 1,500 cfs is different than addressing a river whose average annual fluctuation is 500 to 70,000 cfs and whose users have an expectation that the whitewater course will be useful up to 30,000 cfs.
Length - How long do you want your course to be? Do you need the length of a slalom course so that it will be available as a future race site? Do you need a site long enough to allow slalom paddlers and freestyle paddlers to train simultaneously? Do you want beginners to have a section in which they can learn basics in complete comfort, while intermediates can hone their skills on larger, more complex features?
Depth - How deep do you want your course to be? Depth may not be an issue at all. However, if your project usage will include inner tubers, squirt or freestyle boaters, consider your required minimum and ideal depth at both the pools and in the rapids.
Width - The wider your channel, the longer your diversions will need to be. Whether the project requires one or a number of constructed features, wider projects require more “structure.”
Flexibility – In whitewater courses, this can refer to systems which can be changed when the water is turned off, to allow a replacement or realignment of the structures which create the rapids. The McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group offers expertise in designing features which can modify the characteristics of drops to create a variety of types of rapids without having to shut off the water flow.