Huron River's record high water flow prompts Ann Arbor to restrict canoe & kayak rentals
Water levels are high at Island Park in Ann Arbor on Wednesday. Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
Cheryl Saam, facility supervisor for the Ann Arbor canoe liveries, said the Argo rental site is closed Wednesday and rentals at the Gallup site are restricted to still-water paddling only on a 2-mile portion of the river.
Saam said the current water flow is at 1,770 cubic feet per second, a level that breaks a record set in 1973 of 1,190 cubic feet per second.
City parks officials temporarily halted canoe and kayak rentals for a few days in July because of heavy rainfall, she said, and water levels had just begun to descend as storms settled into the area with added precipitation this week.
“We had just got down to a level where we weren’t restricting who was going out and it was totally opened and then it rained again,” she said. “It’s been tough.”
Saam said phones have been ringing off the hook Wednesday as people call, wondering when rentals will be fully available—a question she’s had trouble answering because levels during the summer usually are far lower.
Signs posted at the Argo livery in Ann Arbor on Wednesday. Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
Meteorologist Karen Clark at the National Weather Service’s White Lake station said 4.73 inches of rain fell in July at a recording site in Ann Arbor, a level that was significantly higher than the 1.35 inches that fell there in June.
As of Aug. 10, she said, 2.31 inches of rain had fallen this month—the majority, 1.77 inches, during a storm on Tuesday.
“Once all that water channels down to the creeks and rivers, it really starts to get things moving more swiftly,” Clark said.
Saam advised those planning a trip in a personal watercraft to exercise extreme caution. While on a normal weekday the river may be filled with 300 paddlers, few, if any, appeared to be out Wednesday, she said.
“I would follow the same restrictions we have and I would not recommend people go out there until the water level comes down considerably,” Saam said. “It’s just a big, powerful river with the force of the water.”
To check on updated conditions, contact the city’s parks department at 734-794-6240.
Heidi Fenton covers police and courts for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heidifenton@annarbor.com or 734-623-4673. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
hmsp
Sat, Aug 13, 2011 : 5:11 p.m.
Hey, Kodemonki, Back in the '80s, I took a few classes at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, which was then known as "the Oxford of canoeing schools." Fabulous place, down in the Smokies. And in the mid-'00s, I took my kids up to the Madawaska Kanu Centre a couple of years in a row for week-long whitewater classes. The MKC is about 4 1/2 hours North of Toronto, just outside Algonquin Provincial Park. Another great place. My wife and I took solo canoe classes there, but I signed my kids up for kayaks, as they are so much easier to paddle, with a much shorter learning curve. They really enjoyed it. Fabulous, healthy food at both places, and don't be surprised if you bump into an Olympic hopeful or two training at either place. Around here (and for a lot less money!), get in touch with the RSCK at the U of M. You can practice your roll at pool sessions with the help of more-experienced paddlers, and go on trips with the group, gradually building your skills while surrounded by some of those same more-experienced paddlers. There's also a guy down in Toledo named V'Soske (or V'soske) who can often be found teaching on of his classes at the Delhi Rapids just West of town here. I might be able to come up with his edress... H
Tru2Blu76
Thu, Aug 11, 2011 : 6:20 p.m.
"... all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." So it came to pass that the Huron River flowed at a record rate, and the sensible and righteous canoeists saw this and canoed not, but the foolish and unrepentant canoeists went against advice and were swept to their doom. Genesis not withstanding, this is a good article with good advice, particularly that provided by "hsmp."
julieswhimsies
Thu, Aug 11, 2011 : 3:58 a.m.
Dancer Road around and under the I-94 viaduct has been underwater for two days. Roon Farm (an equine facility) in Dexter is accessible only by boat or big pick-ups. County Road dudes finally came out a day after the fact, standing around looking dazed and confused. We could not TALK to them, because they were across the road! Meanwhile, if one of the horses at this barn gets injured or becomes ill, we CANNOT trailer them out!!! Note to A2.com. Were you also unaware of flooding outside of the A2 area?! I have photos to send, if you wish.
hmsp
Thu, Aug 11, 2011 : 12:02 a.m.
OK, Tom, Here's one scenario for you illustrating why it's not always such a good idea for novices (which most people are, whether they know it or not) to go out in high water: You come around a bend in the river, and find your path blocked by a downed tree. There is a nice gap over by the right bank, but you're on the left. You aim for the gap, but the current is pushing you towards the tree. So, like 9 out of 10 people, you backpaddle to slow yourself down, and give yourself more time... ...And end up sideways, pinned on that tree. What happened? Well, let's pretend the river is a road, and you are driving your car on it. Point your car towards the right curb, and put it in reverse, and what happens? You end up in the middle of the street, or on the other side. Everybody knows that. And it's exactly the same in your boat, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be intuitive. Add in the downstream flow of the river, which cancels out the upstream aspect of your paddling, and you go sideways, right into the obstruction. And every year people die in strainers, which is what we paddlers call those downed trees. At least two of the pinnings this year on the Zeeb Rd. abutments were caused by this kind of backpaddling right onto the obstruction that the kayakers were trying to miss. So get some instruction -- as much as you can -- learn to paddle, and maybe I'll see you out there some day when the Huron is running at 3,000 cfs and we're playing in the Delhi Rapids in our solo canoes!
kodemonki
Fri, Aug 12, 2011 : 8:12 p.m.
hmsp, I try to kayak about once per week on the Huron and would love to get into some more active water, but not at the expense of life and limb. Do you have any suggestions for group runs, training classes, etc., for paddlers to grow their skills? Thank you for your post!
free form
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 10:15 p.m.
Honestly, I think it might be nice to get down river without hitting all the rocks near the arb. Oh well...
Gordon
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 8:29 p.m.
All must be more experienced then I. Would it not be a bit more exciting and fun for experienced canoists? More difficult going up stream; but not everything has to be a hold hands kind of trip?
braggslaw
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 8:28 p.m.
It will take about three weeks to get back to normal. no more flyfishing for three weeks.
Joel Abernathy
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 8 p.m.
Jason, what are you working on?
Jason Sampson
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 7:55 p.m.
That water looks pretty brown, I hope someone checks it for MSMQ.
Joel Abernathy
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 8:04 p.m.
I've contacted the state, Jason, and they told me they can't even begin to test for that. But I'm just not going to take no for an answer. I'm not taking this lying down. I'll get them fired. They don't know who they're messing with. By the way, what are you working on?
pvitaly
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 7:45 p.m.
Oh noooo, I was supposed to rent a canoe this Saturday. Go away, water!
amlive
Thu, Aug 11, 2011 : 12:59 a.m.
Ha - good point Sofia. There are a lot of people in the southwest would would hate anyone who could say "go away water". Of course they could always do the obvious, and move from that desert they so stupidly decided to settle in, and come on up to the great lakes.
Sofia Toti
Thu, Aug 11, 2011 : midnight
There speaks a person who doesn't live west of the Mississippi.
amlive
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 11:35 p.m.
If we don't get any more rain I'd say it's a safe bet that the flow will drop below 1200cfs before Saturday, but I doubt we'll see the 800cfs threshold for children and inexperienced paddlers until early to mid next week.
Tag
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 7:35 p.m.
Please fix the typo in the headline. Kayak would be correct, instead of "kayal"
Nathan Bomey
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 8:03 p.m.
Thanks, the headline has been fixed.
Russ Miller
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 7:15 p.m.
This is a very sensible precaution! Please be careful in personal boats too. It may not be clear from reading the article that the record this flow breaks is for August 10th. Though this flow is far above average for this time of year the river has often, including much of May and June this year, been at higher flow levels. The highest recorded flow was 5840 cubic feet per second in March 1918, but there are many days with maximum records over 3000 cfs
Joe Hood
Thu, Aug 11, 2011 : 5:12 a.m.
Before the rains, the river was a rock scraping 125 cfs. No fun at all.
Cash
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 9:37 p.m.
Russ, thank you very much for this explanation! Now the measurement issue makes sense. Thanks again. Cash
hmsp
Wed, Aug 10, 2011 : 8:08 p.m.
Right, Russ, this is just a record for this date. Back in May, when the river was running at 3,000 cfs-plus, I had to sneak down Mill Creek from the firehouse in Dexter to paddle it. Now, THAT was high water! Current levels are nothing in comparison, but most people don't know how to paddle.