| Return | On Oct. 7, at 4:30 in the Council chambers at City Hall, I will speak on
safety improvements at Scott Ave. dam, large object trash pickup at Harriet St. boat ramp,
and posting of Des Moines River Water Trail signs. City Hall is located at E. 1st
and Grand, next to Embassy Suites. I am one of the first presenters on the agenda. My name is Gerry Rowland. I live at 3521 Franklin Ave. in Des Moines. I am the coordinator for the Des Moines River Water Trail project and the Iowa Water Trail Association. Over the past several years there has been quite a bit of work done to improve the recreational facilities on Iowa rivers. But more needs to be done. On August 10, 2002, Steven Nourse drowned in a tragic boating accident at the Scott Ave. dam on the Des Moines River. The diligent efforts made by police and fire units were praise worthy. The difficult circumstances surrounding the recovery of his body were reported in the media, and were very traumatic for family and friends. I did not know Steven, but I was one who was very much touched by his death. I found myself by the river keeping vigil with many others for several days, and the following Saturday I kayaked the river down to Yellow Banks searching for him. I was at Yellow Banks just after the search units found him. I was very moved by the memorial service. He was such a good person, and talented. His drawings of the outdoors show how much he loved nature. He will be missed by his mother, his brothers and sister, his children, and by the nearly 200 who came to say goodbye. Since the service, I have become acquainted with family and friends, and have learned more about that tragic day. I know that Steven and a friend were kayaking from Sycamore access near Johnston. They portaged around Center St. dam. They got up on the shore and checked out Scott Ave. dam before Steven decided he could run it, a tragic mistake. A mistake should not, however, be a death sentence. I believe it is time to take steps to make sure that there are no more drowning deaths caused by "low-head" dams on Iowa rivers. The danger is man-made, and can be eliminated by re-engineering the dams. Dams such as the one at Scott Ave. are deceptively dangerous. At times they are easily paddled over, and I know several paddlers in my immediate circle who have done so. At other times they are killers. There is something relatively simple that can be done to ensure that no one else dies going over these "low-head" dams as they are called. I had an opportunity to talk recently with the Public Works director for Englewood, Colorado. He said that several kayakers had tried to run a dam on the South Platte River in Englewood and drowned back in the 1980's, so the city and the Army Corps of Engineers built an angled extension onto the base of the dam that eliminated the "boil" and kept the daredevils from being sucked under. He said that the city understood that kayakers were not going to stop running the dam, so the best thing to do was to eliminate the danger. This approach would work for Iowa rivers as well. I think a good name for this would be "drown-proofing." Steven Nourse’s family and I would like to bring this option to the attention of city leaders. Please consider an effort to "drown-proof" the "low-head" dam in Des Moines. I would also like to request that a weekly trash pickup be started at Harriet St. boat ramp. Despite several clean-up efforts by local paddlers, large items such as sofas and air conditioners continue to be left there. I can get volunteer groups to pick up small trash, but the big stuff needs to be picked up by the city. I’m also asking the city to endorse the Des Moines River Water Trail, which was dedicated in June of 2000, and to authorize the posting of water trail signs. Gerry Rowland
Letter to Mayor Daniels from St4eve Weliver of the Prairie River Paddlers in Cedar Falls:
Dear Mayor, |