Whitewater Recreation and Fish Passage: Resolving Conflicting Design Principles

Whitewater recreation in the U.S. is a rapidly growing industry.  The American Whitewater Organization, which notes 75% growth in participation in kayaking and canoeing between 1982 and 2000, has acknowledged kayaking as “a major growth area in outdoor retailing businesses during the last decade”¹.  This dramatic increase in paddlesport participation has been accompanied by an increasing interest in incorporating in-river, man-made features that enhance whitewater recreation.  Despite the socio-economic benefits of whitewater parks and the pleasing aesthetic they create, there is growing concern that such features may actually inhibit the movement of aquatic organisms.  This is increasingly apparent in the design of nature-like fishways, dam removals, and similar projects that seek to restore ecological function to America’s rivers.  While this has spurred new research into fish friendly whitewater park design, conflicts will continue to arise among stakeholder groups involved in regulatory processes governing water resources, such as hydropower licensing.  To minimize such conflicts, subject matter experts from the whitewater park industry and fish passage field may find acceptable overlap in these disparate design methods by encouraging coordination and application of fundamental hydraulic principles and fish performance models.