Taking steps in the right direction....

by a mayor of a town, no less. (that's a rare thing)

go here http://www.housatonicrestoration.org
click on "Project Proposals and Ideas"
look at P-32 "Hidden Treasures Park Fish Ladder and kayak Raceway at Bleachery Dam" (have to download it to read it, but it's only a 7 page PDF so it's easy)

this proposal will make a whitewater passageway through a low-head dam that has killed several people. That will bring more attention to the dam so more people know about the hazard. AND, it will create a safer play area for kayakers. Essentially saying, this side is dangerous, stay away, but this side is where you can play.

At the same time, it will clean up a littered island, stabilize the river bank, and make a really nice park for hanging out.

It will provide a nice landing area and path for recreational paddlers to portage around the dam and whitewater area. It will also help lessen the impact of the annual floods on the river that usually mess up a big part of downtown New Milford.

Good news all around.

HACKS has contacted the major of New Milford and offered to help with this project.

you might also want to download and read P-58 (Removal or major breach of North Canaan/Salisbury Dam)

Information Conference 2007

https://nt1.adventuresports.com/canoe/WhitewaterCoursesandParks/news.htm

The conference in october of 2005 is what motivated me to get this stuff going on the Housatonic. The HACKS sent me out to Colorado for the conference and it was a big help. Lots of questions were answered. AND, it was fun to hang out with lots of cool people.

babies swimming

http://www.infantswim.com/home.html

low head dam modification info on AW site

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Forum/read/send/21,358/

some interesting articles. Good to see that people are learning more about the benefits of removal, modification, and redesigns of these horrible structures.

get the information quickly

you can now subscribe to this site and have the posts come to your email inbox.
That way you can keep track of any and all updates about the Housatonic River projects as they happen.

(this is only something to keep you updated if it's something you feel you want. It's NOT a spammer thing, just a way to get the news faster. That's all.)

low head dam engineering mission

engineering student project

a movement is starting in the civil engineering world that recognizes how dangerous low head dams are and that they can be redesigned to serve a purpose beyond their original one.

why low head dams must be modified

just some links to site about low head dams. These are drowning machines, that COULD be designed or modified to be safer, actually they could be contructed to act as play spots instead of lethal obstacles. But, we must educate ourselves, and teach the public at large about the potential dangers in their rivers.

www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/dsafety/safeowner.htm

About the Binghamton drowning incident:
Binghamton,NY

Drowning incident video (very scary)
video

www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/lowhead.htm

dam removal paper (pdf)
DAMpdf

this site encourages people to go swimming near some places that have low head dams. How dangerous is that?!?
swimming

www.fish.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/lowhd1.htm
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/damhaz.htm

"Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams are some of our most precious natural resources and should be enjoyed by all," Gov. Ridge said. "But these man-made dams can at times become killing machines. Until now, there’s been no warning that these dams are hazardous article_here

A great abstract on the subject:
read

scary videos:
video


more

MORE

again

crazy

“Maine
Lawsuit targets contractor in kayaker's death, (AP), 10/12/2005.
Lawsuit contends that a Sept. 20, 2003 drowning at the Sebasticook Lake dam was a result of negligent design, construction and installation of a trash screen installed in 2003. A kayaker became pinned against the grate during the annual drawdown of the lake. No-trespassing signs were posted on the dam, but no signs warned boaters of the open dam. The Cianbro Corp. says it will aggressively defend itself against the allegations.”
From this website: here



http://www.boatertalk.com/forum/BoaterTalk/983205

bleachery dam can be made like this one in Denver

These three photos are of the whitewater park in Denver. The flow was below 200cfs that day and the features are still playable. Not great,but it shows what is possible at low flow.
Note the construction of the whitewater section. It is built into a low-head dam, heading upstream of the dam. The bank has been sculpted from a formerly ugly structure into a nice gathering area. All of this acts as a fish ladder too, allowing fish passage around the low head dam.
Think of New Milford bleachery dam looking like this. The pond height is maintained so things don't change upstream. The features are useable at low water. And, I was told that at medium flows there are three GREAT playwaves. At high spring flows there is one world-class playspot!

This is a mid-city location so there is lots of concrete. New Milford could have minimal concrete and be mostly rock, earth, and grass to reflect the natural beauty of the surrounding area.

Whitewater Dreams at G'ville

first, let me share the dream with you...

imagine if, 90 minutes north of New York City, where many outdoor enthusiasts, fishermen, boaters, hikers live, there was a nice park, a place along the Housatonic River that has been cared for, been transformed into a healthy environment for both fish and enthusiasts, a place where, during the low water summer months,when the water was warm and both fish and boaters were looking for places to be, a 100 yard stretch of river were transformed into a playspot for boaters,and a refuge for fish.



picture the possibilities here.

Just under the bridge,to river-right could be a beautiful playspot modeled after T'ville.

Off of the concrete pad, an extention could easilty provide handicapped fishing access.

The granite rubble pile that is currently in the center of the river could be clean up, rearranged into eddies and holes, providing a resting place and oxygen for many species of fish.

A place to teach your children how to kayak or fish, helping to teach them the valuable resource that the river is.