Wausau whitewater course cleaned up after flood damage to prepare for season

[Go Big Red!]

Wausau whitewater course cleaned up after flood damage to prepare for season

By Chad Dally • For Wisconsinoutdoorfun.com • May 25, 2011

Work is under way to repair downtown Wausau's whitewater kayak and canoe course after flooding left the course damaged and in disarray.

Flooding in September and again last month washed away parts of the bank along the course and moved around rocks along the bottom of the river. Movement of the rocks changes the water's flow through the roughly one-third-mile course and could create unseen hazards below the surface.

To return the course to its original design, the Wausau Kayak and Canoe Corp. hired Precision Grading and Utilities of Port Edwards to use a front-end loader to return rocks to their original spots. Wisconsin Public Service Corp., which operates a dam upstream under the Scott Street bridge, held some of the water back to allow the equipment to move into the water. Expert kayakers are testing spots along the course to ensure it is back to form.

At the same time, the Marathon County Parks Department is adding a walking path along the river and large, flat rocks for seating during canoe and kayak events. Anglers already use the rocks as a spot to stand while fishing.

The work is necessary to prepare the course for a summer full of events, including the start of the whitewater season -- Wausau RiverFest on June 11 and 12, said Ashley Knutson, operations manager for the nonprofit Wausau Kayak and Canoe Corp. The organization is paying about $1,000 a day for the work, which started nearly two weeks ago and should be completed early next week.

"The construction is important to maintain our premier venue, which is known across the world and continues to draw these high-level international races," she said.

One of those events will come in July 2012 with the Junior Canoe Slalom World Championships. That event will draw more than 700 participants and could pump more than $1 million in to the local economy, said Darien Schaefer, executive director of the Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"It's something that put Wausau on the international map," Schaefer said of the course.