Gorge improvements

gabe · Since 16 May 2005 475 Posts Obsessed

Instead of dinkering around with slider contraptions, it would be cool to create some artificial reefs in the big swell spots of the gorge to turn them into real waves. This has been done in the surfing world. Just put it somewhere outside of the barge lanes… You could practically charge for it. Vary the heights so one of them always works at different river levels. Angle the reef to create peeling side on waves. Rights and lefts. How cool would that be?

Monkeyboy can now salivate over all the environment permits and government acronyms this project would involve.

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jul 31, 06 11:39 pm

Sounds good to me, just do it at night.

Hein · Since 08 Mar 2005 1313 Posts Possessed

I think they need to divert some of the water coming
over the Dalles Dam into a big pipe. Run it over to a
park and build a monster standing wave.

The fish got ladders. We humans deserve a place to
enjoy some of that hydraulic power.

-Hein

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2025 Posts Windward

Gimme some of that cheap hydro power

And right next to the pipe we could have a Big air windmill

Hein · Since 08 Mar 2005 1313 Posts Possessed

I'm thinking something like this but B-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-IGGER

http://www.wavetheplanet.com/2005/05/brave-new-waves.asp

Imagine what 50,000 cfs could do. Shocked

And with no pumps!

-Hein

J.P. · Since 10 Mar 2005 638 Posts Addicted

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

I was just doing a little "research", and though I'm sure the graphs are slightly dated, most say that the Columbia flows ~250,000cfs (average)... And being that most of those FlowRider standing wave's pumps push ~100cfs, we could build something ENORMOUS! I say screw the fish, boats/barges, and let's divert half of the flow to a huge wave/roller! Wink

gabe · Since 16 May 2005 475 Posts Obsessed

it could actually be a good investment for one of the little towns to make. i heard of some places have created whitewater kayaking parks right in the downtown. doing these kind of cool hydro engineering things could create very unique world class water parks for surfers, kayakers, kiters, windsurfers, and other sports to be invented. make the underwater features mechanically controlled, and people could put their little punch card in a jukebox style machine and choose their favorite wave style.

Hein · Since 08 Mar 2005 1313 Posts Possessed

Welcome to the City of Dalles Port, Washington
Home of the biggest Man made wave on the Planet.

NateDogg · Tue Aug 01, 06 8:08 pm

Honestly, for the giant park you could create it really wouldnt cost much to actually do it. What, a little diversion pipe, some land, water rights and some serious concrete hydrodynamics work over a few acres? Thats nothing! The japanes built their own fucking island for one of the biggest airports on earth! I think it was Qatar that built that giant indoor ski resort in the middle of the desert! This would be peanuts compared to that. Now to get past that whole liability thing when people get drilled by a 15 foot standing wave into a bed of reinforced concrete and we have ourselves a serious investement opportunity. eh? eh?

lance_k · Since 04 May 2005 561 Posts Hood River Photographer

Peg- the founder of the gorge games, tried to get a water park/hotel going in the dalles... she was getting some inital support from the town she told me last year i think.

she mentioned that some of the water used on the dam is actually heated to a high temp(?) and she was hoping to use it in the water parks.

imagine a 80 degree year round wave...

pdxmonkeyboy · Wed Aug 02, 06 12:43 am

We might as well divert the whole damn thing through downtown portland while we are at it. Would could pipe it down I-84, just put some plywood on all the guardrails.

Once we get it down town, we could just built some walls betwteen the existing buildings so that everything is water tight. People could leave the office and step right onto a giant wave! I could kiteboard to work!!

kiteboard117 · Since 02 Mar 2005 450 Posts PDX McLovin

a little creek in munich makes this wavehttp://www.juicemagazine.com/MUNICHSURFOPENRIVERSURF.html i cant even imagine the size of a wave made by the columbia

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

gabe

you might want to take a look at some of the artificial whitewater parks. they work great for kayakers, not exactly world-class for surfers.

the ones i've seen all have a fair amount of exposed rock/cement above or around the wave features. no problem for kayakers but i wouldn't go zipping around one towed by a kite.

they also may require some natural gradient. generally there was some sort of class II rapid there in the first place. (not 100% sure on this)

finally, a lot (though not all) had some water hazard on or near the park, and thus modifying the river was proposed as a "two kill birds with one stone" idea to the city.

not to rain on your parade or anything just fyi : we're trying to get a park built here in eugene so i'm somewhat familiar with these issues.

gabe · Since 16 May 2005 475 Posts Obsessed

these would all be different.

1. artificial reefs in the columbia for kiters, windsurfers, and maybe surfers if they paddle hard.
2. giant standing wave for surfers and maybe surf kayakers
3. whitewater park with normal standing waves for kayakers
4. others...

DukeONuke · Since 24 Aug 2005 26 Posts

FYI: There's already a huge pipe and water out flow at the Bonneville Dam. Very similar to that doctored pic. that Hein threw in on this thread.

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4907 Posts Portland Unstrapped

We used to surf our kayaks on the Skookumchuck Wave in BC - totally awesome it would form on the incoming tide (peaking around 14 knots). Starts out as a small glassy hump and builds into a 100yrd wide wall of whitewater. I was waiting for some friends to show up and surfed this thing for 37 minutes - would be cool to try with a kite until you wiped out and drowned.

http://www.paddleguides.com/rivers/bc/skook/skook.html