GI-NORMOUS WATER!

The flows in the Pueblo Whitewater Park have been "Hooooooge" of late.

A combination of warm weather and rainfall upstream has made for some major water days in the Pueblo Whitewater park. The flows have been growing since late Monday and early Wednesday. Monday's 850 cfs peaked at approximately 3,500 cfs! This some pretty amazing stuff to the park.

The features are transformed into waves and offer a very good opportunity for aerial maneuvers should a boater have the strength, skill and cahones to even get into the feature. There is little or no eddy service at this level, yet there is a great deal to chose from should you be able to climb aboard any of the 8 features.

I was at the park this morning prior to going to work. I photographed local paddler and fire fighter, Mike Hammond, as he paddled the park. I have to admit I would have like to been able to spend some time in the park as well, but I just didn't have the time. Mike attempted to paddle into several of the features with limited success.

Drop number three and drop number 6 offered the best chance to do some surfing. I have to tell you that if I had the skill to loop this would be the time to get in the water as the foam piles grew and the water in the drops got deeper and faster. Perfect conditions to loop. That is, if I knew how.

As of this post the flows are beginning to subside and the water has already dropped into 2,800 cfs range. I am sure that we will have surges like this again due to increased snowmelt and rains upstream. Keep your fingers crossed.

Now if we could just get the city to finish placing rocks and do some more grouting on the bank river right to help fight the erosion that occurs at this level.

ARKANSAS RIVER FEST A SUCCESS!

A huge "Thank you" to everyone who joined us at the Pueblo Paddler's Arkansas River Fest Saturday (May 12th) in the Pueblo Whitewater Park.

Michael Palmer (looping here) took the top honors in the expert category of the rescheduled Ice Breaker Rodeo while Jeb Stogdell was the intermediate winner, and Bryan Kelsen squeaked by the tough competition in the beginner category to take the top spot. The rodeo was held in drop number 6 which has a friendly foam pile at 1000 cfs however it is a bit shallow making it a struggle to throw loops or other aerial manuvers.

This year's event got a real boost as name sponsor, UBS Financial came on board as a name sponsor.Several local sponsors also played a big part in the success of the event. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to make this happen.

Greg Smith, owner of The Green Light Tavern, teamed up with Red Bull to provide fish tacos and energy drink during the afternoon's festivities. The tacos were a big hit and Greg's culinary creations are welcome at future Pueblo Paddlers events!

The Pueblo Paddler's kicker was, (at least in the beginning), the most popular attraction of the day.The structure was a first for the event. There were a few grumbles that it lacked the excitement that boaters had hoped for, but most realized that it was a feature that will improve over time as the builders will learn from this and strive to give the kicker a bit more "kick".

Kicker, the sequel is scheduled to make an appearance at the July 7th Pueblo Paddle-A-Thon. So mark that date on your calendar if you'd like to come to the PWP and "Fly Pueblo" on the "New & Improved Kicker.

Another big "thank you" goes out to Alan Ward and the Pueblo Board of Water Works for coming through with the 1000 cfs of water during the Saturday event. The river above the Pueblo Dam was flowing in the 700 cfs range and the board was able to suppliment the flows by moving some of their water starting Saturday morning. The gesture was greatly appreciated!

As mentioned above, the next event on the calendar for the Pueblo Whitewater Park is the Pueblo Paddle-A-Thon to benefit First Descents. Check out this link for all the latest information.(http://pueblopaddleathon.blogspot.com)

A KICKER IN THE PWP!

Pueblo Paddler, Mike Hammond, takes to the sky as the first to take a trip down the newest drop in the Pueblo Whitewater Park Friday. (The kicker has been placed between drop number 2 and 3. You will need to sign a waiver to get your chance to get some Arkansas Air!)

Members of the club spent several evenings and afternoons sawing, hammering and assembling the kicker to be used as part of Saturday's Arkansas River Festival and Ice Breaker Rodeo. Using lumber donated by Rush's Lumber and lattice purchased from a local big box store the kicker was completed today just in time for Mike to get some air.

After a couple tests with an empty boat, Mike decided to pilot his Jackson down the kicker. The first run was a bit on the tentative side, but after that first run Mike was all about the speed and the flight.

I am really looking forward to Saturday to see boaters go bigger and then land like Mike did today. Not only did his entire boat submerge, but so did he. Mike, his boat, and paddle were completely under the surface upon landing. Very cool!

I hope you can come out and take part in the fun.

I could just kick myself!

Today I got up and looked at the gauge to check the flows in the park. They were just under 800cfs and I thought it might be a good opportunity to get in some morning paddling. Then I looked out doors and it was overcast and a bit on the chilly side. So I figured I'd just ride my spinning bike and go another time.

Then about 10 minutes into my ride the worst thing that could've happened, happened. The sun came out. Ugh! I stayed with my ride, showered and headed off to work and all I could do is shake my head.

Later I got to drive past the park and saw that my worst fears had been confirmed. The sun was out, the water was up and I was stuck at work while others got to paddle the water I should have been in. The only thing that could have been worse would have been if the water levels were to go up again.

They did. Ugh #2.

As I write this the levels in the park are just over 900cfs! Now if only this would hold out. I am not sure if it will, but I can guarantee that I will be watching both the gauge and the weather when I climb out of bed in the morning. I sure don't want this to happen twice!

Drop number 7 is turning into a feature with a decent foampile. Now if I can just get off my butt and get down to the river.

The scoop on what happened with the April 21st Ice Breaker Rodeo.

Sometimes you can’t win for losing. Or at least that is how it seems to the Pueblo Paddlers upon the postponement of the Ice Breaker Rodeo & Boat Demo that was scheduled for Saturday April 21st in the Pueblo Whitewater Park.

First a little background.

Just after the beginning of the year the Pueblo Paddlers submit a list of event dates to the city and the city’s board of water works. This is done so that if there is a way to get any additional water moved through the park the board knows when it would be most beneficial to paddlers for recreational use.

Originally the board said that the dates should be outside the dates of normally high river flows because at those times there would be no need to supplement river flows. The board also claimed, through the city attorney, that flows could be as high as 1000cfs for events at the park through this procedure.

Unfortunately with such a large number of players in the mix and with water rights being at a premium in the Arkansas River Valley, it has never quite worked out that way.

Last year’s additional flows at event times were at the low end of what was hoped for, but each time the board of water works said that it was the best that they could do and the events would just have to go on with the water that was available. The promised 1000cfs flows have never materialized during any of the events outside the Memorial Day to Labor Day window other than when mother nature has added water to the river.

This brings us to recent events. The Monday prior to this year’s Ice Breaker & Rodeo the Pueblo Paddlers were notified that there wouldn’t be any additional water available and that the 250cfs that was in the river was about the extent of what could be expected for the event.

Upon hearing this the Pueblo Paddlers postponed the rodeo not wanting to be in the position of having boaters travel to Pueblo to compete only to find minimal flows. The group wanted to make sure that when they held an event that boaters didn’t go away from it shaking their heads because of a lack of water.

In the meantime a storm upstream spiked the flows that were coming in to the Lake Pueblo. According to the water board the gatekeeper at the Pueblo Dam was on vacation and the person taking his place was unfamiliar Colorado water law which mandates that flood waters not be stored. This surge of water remained in the reservoir until someone discovered the mistake and began releasing the flows into the river Friday.

The flows quickly rose to 529cfs and continued at that level until Sunday when the gates were dialed back and flows were once again reduced to what was naturally in the river upstream of the dam.

Through this cruel turn of events there was enough water in the river on the date of the event however it had already been rescheduled, and will now be piggybacked on the May 12th Arkansas River Festival.

The Pueblo Paddlers were also informed that it would be difficult to provide any additional water for recreational use outside of the Memorial Day to Labor Day time frame. Unfortunately this message comes AFTER three of four events put on by the paddlers have been scheduled outside that window. It would have been helpful if this would have been brought up when the dates for events were submitted to the water board in February.

Hopefully this turn of events will lead to better communication between those who control the water and recreational users downstream for future events. Only time will tell.

ICE BREAKER RODEO & BOAT DEMO POSTPONED

The Pueblo Paddlers have announced the postponement of their Ice Breaker Rodeo and Boat Demo which was scheduled for Saturday April 21st in the Pueblo Whitewater Park. A wet spring and lack of early season runoff have contributed to low flows (250cfs) in the Arkansas River below the Pueblo Dam and through the park.

Organizers have rescheduled the Ice Breaker for Saturday May 12th in the hopes that there would be a better chance of decent flows at that time. So save your gas money, keep an eye on the guages and we will see you in the park in May.

80 DEGREES IN PUEBLO, NO FOOLIN’!!

It is the time of year when levels in the Pueblo Whitewater Park (PWP) can fluctuate a great deal depending on upstream river levels and downstream demand for water. Last week was a good example of that as levels were down, up and then dropped again.

The changes in water levels only mean that you will want to keep an eye on the gauge so that you can be ready to use the portion of the park that works best for you at the current level.

Personally I have been spending a lot of time in the “P-Wave” that is formed by the first drop at the top of the park. It is shallow, but even at 200cfs it moves through the drop at a speed that can give even the better boaters a decent workout.


On Monday temperatures climbed to 80 degrees and a couple of area paddlers, Trae Lowry, and Ben Shev couldn’t resist the temptation of the park. The pair spent the majority of their time in drop number six. Six has become a popular drop for those wanting to hone their playboating skills to hang out and try new things while brushing up on the old standbys.

The water had dropped from 350cfs that was flowing through the park over the weekend to about 260 as of Monday afternoon. However, that wasn’t enough to deter Ben and Trae from getting their “river fix”.

The PWP continues to be a place for beginner and intermediate level boaters (if you are an expert you may want to wait for bigger water) to come and spend time on the river improving their skills. In Pueblo, more often than not, you will find a group of paddlers happy to give you tips on the park and the town.

So grab your gear and get here...we’ll leave the water on for ya!