The Grand River?! You mean GR has a River?

[GRDadof3]

I was in Dayton recently and biked around downtown for a bit. The Miami River apparently floods like the Grand River so they have miles of big earthen berms along both banks of the river through downtown. It's rather unattractive if you ask me. 

However, the meaning of my post, they removed one of the dams and created a whitewater rapid as well as stepped stones that you can walk way out on. That was pretty cool. They advertise whitewater kayaking even though that's really the only drop in the whole River that I could see.

Otherwise, Dayton felt like a Grand Rapids from 1995, without an arena and new convention center being built. In fact, their convention center is quite old it looked like. 1970's maybe. There were some nice new townhouses and apartments mixed in throughout the downtown area, and their baseball stadium is right in the downtown area. 

 

 

 

[joeDowntown]

FYI- The river restoration is in the phase of public comment for the lower stage of the rapids. If you are so inclined, you can send a letter of support here (EGLE is one of the last major hurdles to getting the restoration started):

https://grandrapidswhitewater.org/time-sensitive-we-need-your-support/

Joe

[joeDowntown]

Public hearing for the lower reach of the rapids. EGLE had a year to review the application, so earliest they can be in the river is next July (if everything goes well): 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2022/09/public-hearing-set-for-decade-long-push-to-restore-grand-rivers-rapids.html

[joeDowntown]

Got this interesting email from Grand Rapids Whitewater. It almost sounds like the City of Grand Rapids has decided to take over the project. Anyone have an inside scoop on this:

 

Quote

We are writing to share an important update regarding the Grand Rapids Whitewater (GRWW) project. Today, the City of Grand Rapids announced that they have reached an agreement with the Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to withdraw the current permit application for the Grand River Revitalization project and begin working on a new framework that will explore alternative design elements by removing the standing whitewater wave features from the proposed design.
  
For the past 14 years, we have worked tirelessly with multiple agencies to create a proposed design that maintains grade control, minimizes barriers to fish passage, creates new opportunities for aquatic habitat and provides enhanced whitewater recreational opportunities for both residents and visitors. Although the new framework may not include whitewater waves, it aligns with the spirit of our original vision to safely bring the rapids back to the Grand River for everyone to enjoy.
 
Chris Muller and Chip Richards' original vision to Restore the Rapids has already done so much for our city and has changed the way we talk about the river. It has sparked economic development, revitalized riverfront property and led to millions of dollars in funding for riverfront parks and trails.
 
We know this new design is a departure from our founding vision, but we remain committed to working with the City and hope you will continue to support this catalytic community project. Together, we can continue to build a better future for Grand Rapids and all who call it home.
   
Thank you for your continued support of the Grand Rapids Whitewater project

 

[Prankster]

If the city has taken over, that will add another 10 to the projected start date. 

[joeDowntown]

Here's an article that further explains the decision. Sounds like like EGLE would not approve the plan with the wavewater pools. I don't know if this means the whitewater kayaking component will no longer be included at all, or if will just be a gentler, more natural flow of the river. 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2023/03/decade-long-grand-rapids-whitewater-project-to-be-scaled-back-amid-objections-from-state-feds.html?e=69f13d8e2e2955495a1e18ecc37ea763&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter_gr_breaking&utm_term=Newsletter_grand_rapids_news_alert

[Prankster]

I especially like this quote from Steve Heacock, the director of GR Whitewater:

“We were being too progressive,” he said. “We were pushing beyond where the state was comfortable in going, and so we’re going back. They’re offering up kind of a 1970s-model of the engineering, and we’re going to go back and look at it and see what can be done within that structure.”
 

Makes it seem like they were dealt quite a big blow to their plans. 

[Matchetes]

Man that's a bitter pill. I kept track of this over the years but I've gradually lost faith. If something happens one day it will be a pleasant surprise but I'm expecting the river to run dry before the rapids are restored

[RiversideGR]

I don’t get the feeling that this means the rapids won’t be restored…I think it just means they won’t be artificially enhanced for rafting purposes. 

[gvsusean]

21 hours ago, RiversideGR said:

I don’t get the feeling that this means the rapids won’t be restored…I think it just means they won’t be artificially enhanced for rafting purposes. 

That was the part that was exciting… it was something different. Now we are just going to have some more ripples in the water and at what cost? This was going to drive tourism which would help offset the great cost of all of this. Maybe there is still some economic impact, i just cant think of any. It seems about as impactful as the fish ladder.

[cstonesparty]

On 3/11/2023 at 12:22 PM, RiversideGR said:

I don’t get the feeling that this means the rapids won’t be restored…I think it just means they won’t be artificially enhanced for rafting purposes. 

The whole thing is artificial if you want to use that language...

[HavingAhoot]

I surprised this Whitewater being turned down hasn't got  more attention and angry mobs. Seems quiet, and telling friends about it their reactions are either; "I had no idea" or "figured".

[RegalTDP]

49 minutes ago, HavingAhoot said:

I surprised this Whitewater being turned down hasn't got  more attention and angry mobs. Seems quiet, and telling friends about it their reactions are either; "I had no idea" or "figured".

I was thinking the same… If I had contributed money for this, I’d want it back.

[wingbert]

On 3/10/2023 at 9:05 PM, Prankster said:

I especially like this quote from Steve Heacock, the director of GR Whitewater:

“We were being too progressive,” he said. “We were pushing beyond where the state was comfortable in going, and so we’re going back. They’re offering up kind of a 1970s-model of the engineering, and we’re going to go back and look at it and see what can be done within that structure.”
 

Makes it seem like they were dealt quite a big blow to their plans. 

Looking backward to the 1970’s is definitely the best way to find inspiration.  I’m going to send them a big bag of beer can pull tabs, cigarette butts, and McDonalds foam packaging to support this push for 70’s era environmental standards 

[RiversideGR]

[joeDowntown]

New article on Mlive about the rapids restoration project. Sounds like they’ll submit a new application this summer, start moving snuffbox mussel habitat in August, and hope for construction in river in 2025. While there won’t be permanent whitewater features, it still sounds like there will be a lot of rocks, small rapids, etc. :

Remove the four low head dams.

Place natural rock and boulders to install two expansive riffles with emergent boulders. Riffles are shallow, faster moving sections of rivers and streams.

Add four unique boulder drop structures. The boulder drops help create rapids and provide fish passage.

Add three boulder vane structures for access along the banks. The vanes help provide slow moving water that’s safe for wading.

Install approximately 125 scattered habitat boulders. The boulders help restore the river’s historical flow and river-bottom diversity. Each one creates an area of slower-moving water behind it, which serve as resting areas for fish.

Place about 5,000 tons of boulder and 15,000 tons of small, rounded rocks in the river.

Joe

[Zads]

23 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

New article on Mlive about the rapids restoration project. Sounds like they’ll submit a new application this summer, start moving snuffbox mussel habitat in August, and hope for construction in river in 2025. While there won’t be permanent whitewater features, it still sounds like there will be a lot of rocks, small rapids, etc. :

Remove the four low head dams.

Place natural rock and boulders to install two expansive riffles with emergent boulders. Riffles are shallow, faster moving sections of rivers and streams.

Add four unique boulder drop structures. The boulder drops help create rapids and provide fish passage.

Add three boulder vane structures for access along the banks. The vanes help provide slow moving water that’s safe for wading.

Install approximately 125 scattered habitat boulders. The boulders help restore the river’s historical flow and river-bottom diversity. Each one creates an area of slower-moving water behind it, which serve as resting areas for fish.

Place about 5,000 tons of boulder and 15,000 tons of small, rounded rocks in the river.

Joe

Fantastic news for our city. This should be great for not only the people but the wildlife in the river. I was not hopeful after last year's announcement of no whitewater.

Personally, I'd love to see whitewater in the rapids, but just bringing back the "rapids" in general is a good thing.

[GRDadof3]

The river restoration plan is back (again). 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2024/03/push-to-restore-grand-rivers-rapids-isnt-dead-despite-setback.html

I don't have a paid subscription so can't read the details...

[HavingAhoot]

— One year after suffering a big setback, the push is still on to restore the Grand River’s rapids in downtown Grand Rapids.

The project just won’t look exactly like how it was originally envisioned.

Grand Rapids Whitewater, a nonprofit working in partnership with the city of Grand Rapids, hopes to apply for a scaled-back permit from the state this summer, more than a year after federal opposition sank the effort’s founding vision of creating whitewater waves in the river.

“It’s not dead,” said Matt Chapman, project manager at Grand Rapids Whitewater. “We’ve been working really hard, and it still will be an exciting project.”

First envisioned around 2009, the project calls for the removal of four low head dams between Bridge Street and Fulton Street and the installation of thousands of pounds of rocks and boulders in the waterway. Doing so, supporters say, would create a more natural and safer river with improved fish passage and enhanced recreational opportunities.

 

One of the defining features of the project, when it was first envisioned, was whitewater wave structures. The idea of creating whitewater rapids in the river was championed by project supporters and tourism advocates who said the feature would draw whitewater paddlers and outdoor enthusiasts to the city, providing an economic boost to the local economy.

However, that element of the project nixed in March 2023.

That’s when the city of Grand Rapids withdrew its permit request for the project from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The city did so after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it opposed the project because of concerns the whitewater rapids would pose a safety hazard and damage the river.

Since then, Grand Rapids Whitewater and the city have been redesigning the project.

Steve Heacock, president and CEO of Grand Rapids Whitewater, said the whitewater rapids will be missed.

But, despite that, he described the redesign as “spectacular,” and said it still helps deliver on the goal of restoring the waterway to a more natural state before it was scarred by decades of logging and industrial use. Removing the dams will also make the river, between Bridge Street and Fulton Street, safer and better suited for wading, paddling and other recreation.

“It will recreate the rapids,” Heacock said. “It will put a number of boulder and rock in the river. It will sound good. It will look good, and it will be everything we wanted except for the standing waves.”

Elements of the redesign include:

• Remove the four low head dams.
• Place natural rock and boulders to install two expansive riffles with emergent boulders. Riffles are shallow, faster moving sections of rivers and streams.
• Add four unique boulder drop structures. The boulder drops help create rapids and provide fish passage.
• Add three boulder vane structures for access along the banks. The vanes help provide slow moving water that’s safe for wading.
• Install approximately 125 scattered habitat boulders. The boulders help restore the river’s historical flow and river-bottom diversity. Each one creates an area of slower-moving water behind it, which serve as resting areas for fish.
• Place about 5,000 tons of boulder and 15,000 tons of small, rounded rocks in the river.

“With the standing waves, we might well have had competitive kayaking,” Heacock said. With the redesign, he said, recreation will likely be geared toward casual paddling as well as tubes and floats rather than “kayaking with helmets on.”

Restoring the rapids is one piece of larger vision for the Grand River in Grand Rapids. For the past decade or more, the city has been working to capitalize on the river, with the goal of adding more parks, trails, access points, housing and development along the waterway.

After years of planning, some of those projects are now in the works. The redevelopment of Lyon Square and renovations to the Grand Rapids Public Museum kicked off last fall, and work is expected to start on the 12,000-seat Acrisure Amphitheater this spring. An effort to add more trails along the river is also in the works, supported by $55 million in state funds.

However, despite years of planning, the rapids restoration project has not yet begun. The challenges, officials say, has been the complexity of the project, and the requirement that at least seven regulatory agencies at the state and federal level that must sign off on the effort, Grand Rapids Whitewater says. The state and federal objections that caused the city last March to withdraw its permit has only added to the wait.

Despite that, officials say they are confident the state will approve the project’s permit when it’s resubmitted, potentially this summer.

“We’re happy, collectively, with where the design is at,” said Grand Rapids Deputy City Manager Kate Berens. “I think we’ve responded to the concerns that were raised that ultimately led us to withdraw the permit last year. We’ve responded to the agency concerns, partnered very closely with them throughout.”

Heacock said working with EGLE on the redesign has been challenging at times. What the agency would have preferred, he said, is that “we just take out the dams and let the river run.” However, as discussions progressed, the project’s design team and EGLE were able to come to an agreement to include rocks, boulders and other elements of the previous design — just without the whitewater waves, he said.

“We’re pretty excited about it,” Heacock said. “It really is everything but the standing waves.”

Looking ahead, if the project’s permit were submitted by this summer, construction in the waterway and removal of the dams would likely not start until next year, Chapman said. However, officials are hoping to begin relocating endangered snuffbox mussels from the construction zone within the river in August, he said.

“Construction, bulldozers and that kind of stuff probably won’t be until 2025,” he said. “But the goal is really to push hard and get the mussel relocation started this year.”

Estimates for the project are between $15 million and $20 million, Heacock said.

 

In addition to removing the four low head dams between Bridge Street and Fulton Street, the rapids restoration project includes a second phase, known as the upper reach.

For that portion of the project, Grand Rapids Whitewater envisions removing the Sixth Street Dam and creating a way to prevent the invasive sea lamprey from migrating further upstream. Work on that portion of the project isn’t expected to start until after a permit is obtained for the first piece of the project between Fulton Street and Bridge Street.

[joeDowntown]

The city submitted plans to the state today for the rapids restoration on the lower reach of the river (Bridge to Fulton). The new estimate is having crews in the river next summer, finishing in October (the upper reach will be much more extentsive work):

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/city-submits-new-plan-to-bring-grand-river-rapids-back/

Joe