Iowa’s largest white-water course opens

MANCHESTER - The state's newest and largest white-water course will entertain hundreds of visitors this weekend at a celebration marking the official opening of the $1.8 million Maquoketa River project.

Unofficially, the 800-foot-long white-water course with its six 18-inch drops and rocky pools has been open for several weeks. But the opening will be formally observed during 'Let It Flow - Riverfest 2015,” which gets underway Friday evening and continues Saturday.

'It's been very well received,” said Mayor Milt Kramer, who has 'been down there nearly every day” collecting feedback from river visitors.

Kramer said he considers the white-water course one of the top development efforts accomplished during his nearly 41 years in office.

'It's all ages using it,” said Kramer, who on Memorial Day weekend spoke with a 75-year-old man and a 7-year-old girl, both of whom had run all six drops in a kayak.

License plates from several states can be seen in the parking lot on weekends, he said.

'It's really generating some buzz among paddlers and in the community,” said Shane Sigle, a project engineer with Recreation Engineering and Planning in Durango, Colo.

With recent projects at Charles City, Elkader and now Manchester, 'Iowa is becoming a white-water hotbed for paddlers around the country,” Sigle said.

'It's incredible - better than I ever imagined it would be,” said Doug Hawker, a member of the city's recreation committee.

The white-water park, he said, has changed the dynamics of downtown Manchester.

'People out for their evening strolls now head to the water park to see what's happening,” Hawker said.

City Manager Tim Vick said the course 'is getting way more use than I'd anticipated.”

People lining the riverbanks typically outnumber the kayakers, tubers, anglers, waders, swimmers and paddleboarders in the water, he said. Sigle said studies show that three of four visitors to white-water facilities don't even go in the water but come to enjoy the atmosphere.

'It's really having a positive impact on people using the river. It's made it much more of a family venue,” said Jeff Ogden, who with his wife, Diane, runs the Watershed, a non-profit kayak and canoe rental and livery service.

The Watershed will make available 30 float tubes for free use this Saturday, he said.

The new white-water park 'is a tribute to Manchester's passion and dedication to reconnect residents and visitors to the Maquoketa River,” said Jerry Peckumn, board chairman of Iowa Rivers Revival, which in March named Manchester its 2015 'River Town of the Year.”

Iowa Rivers Revival said the park enhances safety for river uses and restores the river to a more natural state, providing better fishing, more aquatic life and a healthier, cleaner river.

Construction began in September with the removal of an obsolete 9-foot dam. Funding included $600,000 from the city, $50,000 from Delaware County, $600,000 in state grants and $630,000 in private donations.

The white-water course is expected to contribute an estimated $2 million in local economic activity through increased use and satisfaction from paddlers, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts.

'A critical mass of these white-water facilities - along with outfitters and campgrounds that have sprung up along rivers - is putting Iowa on the map as a destination for active professionals,” said Iowa tourism manager Shawna Lode.

Saturday's events include white-water kayak and standup paddleboard demonstrations as well as a ceremony at 11 a.m. on the riverfront. The celebration kicks off Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. with a street fair featuring live music and food vendors from the area.

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