Below is info from American Whitewater (AW) on the new whitewater
releases on the Swan river in Bigfork, Montana. Thanks AW for all the
work, in particular John Gangemi. The Swan is an awesome class IV run
and you can walk into Bigfork for food and drinks after paddling. See
the details below. If you are a paddler, you should be an AW member.
They are doing some great things.
Todd Spangler
Celebrate the New Summer Whitewater Releases
Swan River--Bigfork, Montana
Time to celebrate. American Whitewater invites paddlers to celebrate
the new Whitewater Paddling Resource in the Flathead Valley. Each
Wednesday night, July through August, PacifiCorp will provide
whitewater releases in the river channel from 5 to 9 PM. In the past
whitewater boating was non-existant on the Swan in July and August due
to water diversions to the powerhouse. American Whitewater will be
grilling burgers and providing beverages (free beer) to celebrate
restoration of summer paddling on the Swan.
Whitewater Releases are scheduled July through August each Wednesday
evening from 5 to 9 PM when Swan River flows are equal to or greater
than 800 cfs. You can check the flows for the "Wild Mile" on the
American Whitewater website:
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/1028/
These whitewater releases are the direct result of American
Whitewater's work on the relicensing of the Bigfork hydropower
project. American Whitewater negotiated a summer whitewater release
schedule with PacifiCorp, the hydropower operator at the Bigfork Dam.
This work was funded by American Whitewater memberships. Membership
in American Whitewater is $35 annually. This membership includes a
subscription to the American Whitewater journal (6 issues annually) as
well as supporting program work in river conservation and access.
The Swan is a mile long class IV run that ends in the town of Bigfork,
Montana. In the summer the water is warm enough to paddle in a
shortie. There are a couple major drops, several play waves/holes and
a couple squirt spots on the run. If you are new to the Swan, make
sure to walk down a hundred yards from the dam to look at the big
drop. A solid roll is essential as the riverbed is shallow and the
rocks are sharp from past blasting.
PacifiCorp operates a hydropower project on the Swan River. The dam
diverts water from the river to the powerhouse one mile downstream.
The canal has the capacity to divert 670 cfs thereby significantly
dewatering the river channel. In the summer this diversion results in
a loss of paddling opportunities. The scheduled releases will restore
this opportunity in the summer months. Check the Swan River gage link
below and if the flow is over 800 CFS the release is on
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/gauges/id/4886/
It is important that paddlers take advantage of this great
opportunity. PacifiCorp will have staff on site to get a count of
paddlers and monitor the use. Releases in future years are contingent
on sufficient demand for this whitewater resource.
Meet at Sliter Park by the Steel Bridge in Bigfork Wednesday evening.
Most paddlers take several runs and it should be no problem hooking up
with people. The second best part of this run (after the whitewater)
is being able to walk into Bigfork for food and the beverage of your
choice afterwards.
Please be sure to thank PacifiCorp and American Whitewater for all the
hard work to make this possible. Also, please make sure to join
American Whitewater if you aren't a member. They are doing great
things for paddlers in Montana as well as other areas in the nation.
There are several local camping options. The closest is Wayfarer
State Park:
http://visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordID=3069&SiteID=1
John Gangemi
Conservation Director, American Whitewater
482 Electric Avenue
Bigfork, MT 59911
phone/fax: 406-837-3155/3156
email: jtgangemi RemoveThis @centurytel.net
www.americanwhitewater.org
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