[Awclist] Fwd: RRFW Riverwire – Pearce Ferry Rapid and Road Photo Update

[Thomas Robey]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: RRFW Riverwire <riverwire at rrfw.org>
> Date: September 30, 2009 9:25:07 PM MDT
> To: trobey at cybermesa.com
> Subject: RRFW Riverwire – Pearce Ferry Rapid and Road Photo Update
> Reply-To: riverwire at rrfw.org
>
> RRFW Riverwire -
>
> Pearce Ferry Rapid and Road Photo Update
> September 30, 2009
>
> Work is progressing well on the public access road to the Colorado  
> River at Pearce Ferry Arizona. Heavy equipment is actively working  
> on the road at this time. River runners will see a water pump at the  
> river side where the proposed take-out ramp will be located.
>
> According to Lake Mead officials, the road is projected to be open  
> by January 1, 2010, and is being constructed with funds from Grand  
> Canyon National Park's Recreational Fee demonstration Program. River  
> Runners for Wilderness is please to have worked with Lake Mead  
> officials to make sure this road is built to public road standards  
> with public funds.
>
> Lake Mead officials note that the road will be constructed on sand  
> and gravel where the road travels over lake sediment. The project  
> will include a parking area, jet boat dock, and boat ramp.
>
> The only location where paving is used is about 250 feet of the road  
> where it slopes down to the proposed ramp.  There may be paved low  
> water crossings included where the road crosses large drainages.
>
> At this time Lake Mead planners are not going to allow downstream  
> river runners to launch at the ramp. It is estimated that it may  
> take as long as a year or more for planning to be completed to  
> possibly allow this activity.
>
> As of this writting, all river runners arriving at the ramp from  
> upstream, having launched upstream at either Lee's Ferry or Diamond  
> Creek, may travel on downstream to South Cove if they wish to bypass  
> the new ramp facility.
>
> Photos of the road construction taken September 29, 2009, can be  
> viewed at the River Runners for Wilderness web site photo gallery at  
> this link:
>
> Pearce Ferry Road Construction Photos
>
> Meanwhile, just a half mile below the location of the new ramp,  
> Pearce Ferry Rapid continues to occasionally flip watercraft and  
> scouting is recommended.
>
> According to National Park officials, on September 1, 2009, a  
> Wilderness River Expeditions 37- foot-long motorized tour boat  
> flipped in the rapid. The craft was operating without its outermost  
> side tubes attached and overturned in the rapid, resulting in the  
> loss of approximately $10,000 worth of river gear.  The boat was not  
> carrying any commercial passengers at the time and there were no  
> reported injuries.
> An important new feature in Pearce Ferry rapid is the appearance of  
> a new rock mid channel in the exit flume of the rapid. Scouting on  
> river left is recommended, though care must be used to stay well  
> back from the edge of the unstable sediment cliff on the shoreline.
> Photographs of Pearce Ferry rapid, including the new mid channel  
> rock taken September 29, 2009, can be viewed at the River Runners  
> for Wilderness web site photo gallery at this link:
>
> Pearce Ferry Rapid Photos
>
> River runners are reminded that there are two additional rapids near  
> Mile 292.5 at the end of Iceberg Canyon. National Park Service  
> officials are attempting to recover a twenty foot jet boat that sank  
> in the rapids here Sunday September 27, 2009. All four passengers in  
> the boat were wearing life jackets and were not injured in the boat  
> sinking.
>
> The present reservoir level is 1094 feet, which is ten feet lower  
> than at this time last year. The present level is still six feet  
> above the historic low of 1088 last seen in 1964 after the closing  
> of the Colorado River to collect water behind the newly constructed  
> Glen Canyon Dam.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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> .
>
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> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> # # #
>
> River Runners for Wilderness | PO Box 17301 | Boulder | CO | 80308
>

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