Recreation Engineering and Planning website has a lot of useful info regarding WW park projects they have created.
MJ

The portage idea that first jumped to mind for me would be to build stairs into the river off of the east river walk, but the drawback to that is that it would require canoeists and kayakers to walk across the Water St., and could potentially impinge on the river walk. Ideally we’d be able to build the stairs entirely in the channel, keeping the river walk pretty much how it is now… I’m not sure about how feasible that would be, though.

If we guess that the flow in Northfield would probably be about 200-300cfs less than at Welch, and that the prime months for use might be May-Oct, we have :
May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
1,160 1,440 810 570 470 399 cfs

Even at the low end of the flow, this is a respectable amount of water for the creation of play features in a whitewater park. For a good local comparison, the Vermilion river in Hastings MN has natural features which create beautiful (and very fun) play features at flows above 150cfs.
Another god comparison would be the play park in Salida Co, which has the following flows:
May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
975 1,860 1,140 684 370 345

A competent engineer should be able to tailor the features in the park to whatever natural flow levels you’d care to stipulate.

Matt- Concerning the portage connecting the access points, where would you suggest putting it? It seems to me that the only area would be the river walk on the east side of the river. In my opinion, to use that area would really take away from the downtown attraction. Or, are you suggesting narrowing the channel to accomodate a path? Just wonder what your thoughts are.

Another plus… it would be good for downtown businesses, as it would bring a bunch of people into downtown Northfield from the twin cities metro — plus, it would be an enjoyable spectator spot for festivals.

There are definitely ways to accommodate both downriver canoeists and whitewater kayakers, either by offering a smoothwater channel that would run alongside the whitewater park or by putting in a nice portage (actually, a whitewater park would need put-in/take-out spots both above and below the drop, and a path between the two… which would be beneficial for all users of the river.)

Regarding safety, the consultant is absolutely correct: the current dam is a perfect drowning machine. You’ve probably seen the whole trees that get stuck in it from time to time, tumbling around… there’s no way a person could get out of it! Man-made whitewater parks are many orders of magnitude less dangerous than the current dam.

After a bit of poking through the difficult-to-use mnpca site, it looks like the Cannon is typically a bit better water quality than the Vermillion in Hastings, which is a popular local kayaking spot.

Here is a link for info on some other communities that have successfully created whitewater play parks. http://www.ripboard.com/community/whitewaterpark.shtml

Mike J

Here is a link for info on some other communities that have successfully created whitewater play parks.

Mike J

this coming Tuesday morning, 8 am at the Archer House:

http://nddc.org/weblog/post/1131/

Maybe we could get David Hvistendahl to weigh in on this latest news. I ran into him yesterday at GBM and he’d heard of several potential sources of financing for different aspects of this complicated but exciting project.

- Ross

Plans to rework the Malt-O-Meal dam were put on hold this week, allowing the company to seek state funding for the project. Harry Anderson, a senior project manager for the cereal manufacturer, said the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources approached the company recently, suggesting it could help pay for the reconstruction. Coordinating with the state’s budget cycle, Anderson said, means the project won’t begin until 2009 at the earliest.­

Chris Ash
crash@toasterfork.com

Tracy’s blog post last August titled Cannon River Pollution Control kicked off some discussion but now we have a compelling reason to worry, ie, the fecal bacteria that Larry mentioned above. Or are kayakers not worried about such things?

Transmitted herewith is an outline of the legal analysis of the efficacy of transferring the dam to a non-profit corporation, then leasing the recreational facility to the City of Northfield.

The replacement of Ames Mill dam, owned by Malt-O-Meal Company (MOM), offers a once in a life time opportunity to improve the quality of the Cannon River for canoes and Kayaks, while removing an impediment to fish migration.  Malt-O-Meal has indicated a willingness to explore the possibility of adding canoe and kayak chutes to the new dam structure, provided that Malt-O-Meal can transfer the dam to a non-profit agency, and thereby avoid the liabilities inherent in ownership, and accomplish it at a reasonable cost.  The DNR, however, will require MOM to continue to pay for the maintenance of the replacement structure to DNR standards.

The logical group to serve as dam owner would be the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation (NDDC).  By this email I request that they schedule a board meeting to consider the proposal.

The new structure cannot substantially reduce the water level of the impoundment area, due to the possibility that the reduced level might cause subsistence in buildings upstream.  A reduction in water level of a foot or two may be possible,which would narrow the channel upstream.

The initial proposal by Barr Engineering was deficient in a number of aspects.  The basic plan was to tier or step down from the existing dam, which would have increased high water levels against Malt-O-Meal, Froggy Bottoms River Pub, and other buildings along the river, as well as reduce the maximum flowage under the Mn DOT’s 4th Street Bridge.  (The 4th Street Bridge has its own original 1930′s superstructure).  It is unlikely that MN DOT would have approved  plan that increased stress on the bridge.   Barr Engineering’s design did not receive a good reception in the city because the structure did not approximate natural rapids. Many people objected to the uniformity of the structure, based upon reviews of other dam replacements done by Barr Engineering.

A number of cities from Ohio to Colorado have created tourist magnets by creating white water runs in old millstreams.  The major project in Minnesota which has been crawling along for a number of years is the St. Anthony Falls project in Minneapolis.  The consulting engineer for the project has been the McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group (www.mclaughlinwhitewater.com).   I spoke with Risa Shimoda, strategic planner with McLaughlin Whitewater, who said that they had a good working relationship with the DNR, and that they have worked as both primary and consulting engineers on such projects.  If Barr has not designed a whitewater structure, MOM might find it advantageous to use McLaughlin in some capacity.

The main costs for the City of Northfield would be to construct a walkway or stairs as part of its Bridge Square river wall reconstruction that would allow paddlers to portage upstream at river level to repeat the run.  The construction of a weir near the Second Street bridge could raise the level of the water one foot below the dam structure to improve the aesthetics and navigability of the two block stretch during July and August.  Andrew Berglund of Northfield designed a self-cleaning concrete weir in the 1980′s for use in the river.  The advantage of Berglund’s design is that it is simple and easily replicated, using wood forms. (We will forward a copy to the DNR and the Northfield City Engineer.) The city would also be responsible for maintaining the boat landings and warning signs.

Time is of the essence, since MOM would like to start the project this spring.  I have therefore opted for a blanket email to the main parties involved to expedite the discussion.

I must add the disclaimer that the law firm of Hvistendahl, Moersch & Dorsey is not representing any of the potential participants in this project.  We have initiated this communication in the public interest and for the long term benefit of downtown Northfield.  Each party should consult with its own legal counsel in determining its responsibilities and liabilities, as well as the wording of any final agreement.

Maybe some creative architect can “ghost it in” at the current location.

- Ross

That is a beautiful vision. After sitting through some Streetscape meeting I can almost share your vision. I am just worried about the historical significance for the dam. Especially if the original dam is under the one that is there now.

I am in agreement the dam needs to go it is just really sad for me…

Last night, I was imagining the Cannon River area from the 5th Street Bridge to the 4th Street Bridge…a cleaned up river bank, enhanced Riverwalk, and Ray Jacobson’s “Harvest” sculpture on the east side, and perhaps a new Skatepark, enhanced Ames Park, and maybe a kayak launch on the west side…with safe but stimulating stretch of navigable whitewater in between.

- Ross

As for how to get anything going in this or any town, you have to
be willing to give addresses of places, let up on the idea that all
know what you are talking about when you are talking in letters
and not words, be willing to change your normal meeting site
in favor of what others are able to navigate, AND how about
inviting more seniors with experience and know how to meeting
meetings. Our living ancestors should be honored in this way
every day., with special accommodations, special invitations
and special treatment at the meetings.

Since we have moved here, the only ones that have really reached
out to us and treated us like real people and not just possible customers,
are the elderly of this town. They have been very refreshing to socialize
with, full of useful information and wise words, and willing to share all they have…within reason, of course. They are Northfield’s greatest asset imho.

FYI: the plan for the dam initially proposed by Barr Engineering is described in this Dec. 12 article in the Northfield News: Bye Bye Waterfall?

­

Who is interested? What existing organization might best be suited to address this issue? Do we need yet another organization to take on this opportunity? (I hope not)