THE MISSISSIPPI WHITEWATER PARK DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

	Mississippi Whitewater Park
	Development Corporation
	Home page

THE MISSISSIPPI WHITEWATER PARK DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION:

A Minnesota non-profit organization formed to develop a whitewater park on the Mississippi River open to the general public

THE VISION:

Re-creation of rapids below St. Anthony Falls
A riverside park landscaped with indigenous flora, rock and earthen materials to compliment the Stone Arch Bridge, bike paths, and river walkways
A diversion of water from the Mississippi that flows into a channel meandering through the park
Water flow would be controlled by a headgate so water levels can be adjusted to accommodate different uses and all skill levels of rafts, canoes, and kayaks (recreational, beginners, competitive)
The park would be located downstream from the Historic Stone Arch Bridge, at Lower St. Anthony Falls and across the river from downtown Minneapolis
The park would be used by picnickers, bicyclists, walkers, recreational rafters, canoeists, kayakers and world class competitors

BENEFITS:

Youth programs to provide outdoor challenges and promote self-esteem for kids from the Twin Cities, the State of Minnesota, and Upper Midwest
A riverside park: greening a currently desolate historic section of the river, restoring an abandoned industrial site and increasing the constituency of the Mississippi River
Economic development in the form of recreation, neighborhood improvement, tourism and international competition, including Olympic level events

THE TREND:

Sites exist or are being built in Indiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Maryland, Idaho, New York...and all over Europe: France, England, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic and elsewhere
In 1996, while open for only 42 days, nearly 15,000 people used the course in South Bend, Indiana, 80% of them rafters with no whitewater experience
River recreation in the form of rafting, canoeing, and kayaking is the second fastest growing sport in the United States with nearly 25 million people participating annually

A PARTNERSHIP OF IDEAS:

$3.35 million already appropriated to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with an authorization for an additional $6.65 million appropriation in the future. Plus $1.4 million appropriated to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, partly for a 35% match for the federal funds & partly for DNR staff.
$100,000 appropriated by the MN DNR for study of the park in 1998. Feasibility Study’s final report was very favorable for the park. The Study concluded that the project is both technically and economically feasible and would pay for itself once it is built.
Encompassing the vision of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association, Old St. Anthony Business Association, Mississippi Corridor Neighborhood Coalition, Minneapolis Parks & Recreation, Minneapolis City Council and others
To expand the concept of a “user friendly” river, increasing environmental awareness, giving Minnesotans the opportunity to make the Mighty Mississippi a part of their lives
Furthering the hopes of communities to make our neighborhoods safer and more family-oriented by offering diverse recreation

ABOUT THE PROPOSED PARK

The park would restore some of the original elegance of cascading whitewater to this area of St. Anthony Falls, which is currently an abandoned industrial site on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River just below the U of M Southeast Steam Plant. It would create a green space on the banks of the river, provide a link to the trail system along the river and stimulate economic growth to the local area.

The park would include a diversion of water from the main stem of the river into a new river channel that would flow through the park. The diversion and cannel will create an island a few acres in size and a creek/whitewater course as much as 2000 feet long. This would be a park open to the public and landscaped with local flora and rocks.

The channel would be constructed with a headgate to control the flow of water. At normal flow levels the channel would be a modest creek including a series of small waterfalls. At supervised intermediate and high levels the channel would produce the hydraulics necessary for whitewater boating with canoes, kayaks or rafts. The course would be ideal for competition, from beginner’s level to Olympic competition.

Based on a survey of some of the two dozen other such whitewater parks around the world, this park could serve 100,000+ citizens per year as users of the whitewater channel. It is anticipated that ten times as many people will use the park for recreational purposes other than whitewater boating. The whitewater channel would be used for recreational as well as competitive purposes and would be appropriate for all skill levels of boaters. The channel would also be used to teach whitewater safety to the public and provide a training site for search & rescue and emergency services organizations. The park would be used as part of local schools’ curriculum in environmental studies, history and water safety. It would also provide the opportunity of an outdoor experience for inner-city youth and be a crossroads for people from all over the state to experience the challenge and exhilaration of whitewater rafting and boating.

THE PARK WOULD:

Enhance the state and regional park system. It would fit ideally into the developing MNRRA corridor and the renovated Stone Arch Bridge.
Restore, protect, and enhance the St. Anthony Falls area, which is unique and sensitive from a natural, environmental, and historical perspective, but much of which is now an abandoned industrial site (a former NSP/Xcel power plant).
Restore an island in the Mississippi River below St. Anthony Falls. This area of the river had several islands prior to the building of the lock and dam system on the river.
Help restore the historical shoreline in this area of the river.
Provide water access for non-motorized craft to the river.
Help to acquire park land on the river in the heart of the urban area.
Encourage improvement of water quality by educating people about the importance of improving water quality of the Mississippi River. In fact, this park may be the only place in the Metro area that people actually see people in the river.
Be designed to rejuvenate the land by utilizing natural and native rocks and flora. The objective will be to create a natural setting to encourage native birds and fauna to return to the area.
Provide a unique recreational opportunity for whitewater boating, both on recreational and competitive levels, including Olympic level competition.
Promote use of the river and shoreline with a focus on recreation, water safety and education.
Provide a training site for search and rescue organizations, which currently travel to South Bend, Indiana to train at the whitewater park in that city.

Adobe PDF Version of this information: Bull0704b.pdf