[Awclist] Fwd: Takeout Road at Pearce Ferry Rapid Under Consideration

[Thomas Robey]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: RRFW Riverwire <riverwire at rrfw.org>
> Date: October 9, 2008 3:22:24 PM MDT
>
> RRFW Riverwire -
>
> Takeout Road at Pearce Ferry Rapid Under Consideration
> October 9, 2008
>
> River Runners for Wilderness has learned that construction of a road  
> extension from the old Pearce Ferry river take-out to the Colorado  
> River, over a mile away, may be constructed with private funding.
>
> The former Pearce Ferry boat ramp, used for Grand Canyon river trip  
> take outs, closed in 2000 as reservoir levels dropped enough to  
> close access to the Pearce Ferry ramp. Once the ramp closed, river  
> travelers were required to continue 15 miles to the next take-out,  
> at South Cove.
>
> In the last three years, a significant rapid has formed near Pearce  
> Ferry. Grand Canyon river concessions have encountered increasing  
> difficulty in jet boat up-runs of the rapid to pick up and haul out  
> passengers from their commercial river trips as the rapid has  
> increased in intensity. Hualapai River Runner float trips have also  
> had to add additional miles to their trips. For more information  
> including a photo of the rapid, click here: Pearce Ferry Rapid Now  
> Class Four Drop.
>
> The private funding would come from a joint venture between the  
> river concessionaires and the Hualapai Nation.
>
> An access road from Pearce Ferry to the area just upstream of the  
> rapid would eliminate the need to travel to South Cove, the current  
> takeout location. The boat ramp would allow concessions jet boats  
> and commercial trips, Hualapai River Runners and public rafters  
> conducting their own river trips to take out above the rapid.
>
> Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA) officials looked at the  
> option of building a road to the Colorado River above the rapid in  
> their 2005 Lake Management Plan amendment http://www.nps.gov/lame/parkmgmt/upload/GMPAEA.pdf 
> . At that time the NPS/LMNRA found there is a good likelihood any  
> road would be destroyed, either due to soil heave caused by rain or  
> inundation in the case of a rise in the reservoir water level. LMNRA  
> officials noted that the soils pose difficulties for building and  
> maintaining a road, given the abnormally high concentrations of clay  
> and fine silt deposited by the Colorado River. The NPS also decided  
> not to build the road project given the estimated cost of  
> construction of almost two million dollars.
>
> The Park Service requires any road construction to adhere to public  
> standards, and would also require any private funder to provide for  
> ongoing maintenance costs. Any road built, even with private funds,  
> would be on public land and would be open to the general public.  
> Such a road would need ample parking for all river runners finishing  
> Grand Canyon river trips, and may create new demand for day trips or  
> overnight trips paddling the Colorado River from the road to South  
> Cove.
>
> The river concessions, Hualapai and Park officials have tentatively  
> identified a location suitable for a take out a quarter mile  
> upstream of the rapid. Park policies require environmental  
> compliance for the proposed road-building project, possibly  
> including public comment opportunities, according to NPS sources.  
> Though the area is greatly impacted through the rising and falling  
> reservoir levels, the NPS recognizes the area's natural resources  
> need to be protected in any construction project. The NPS would  
> oversee the construction to assure all compliance requirements are  
> met.
>
> While no proposal to construct the road in the LMNRA with private  
> funding has been received by Lake Mead officials, discussions are  
> ongoing. The annual invitation-only river concessionaires, National  
> Park Service and Hualapai River Runners meeting, scheduled for  
> October 28, will most likely address this issue.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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