Chattahoochee

Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 12:00 PM

To: 'Paddlers4Christ@yahoogroups.com'

Subject: RE: [Paddlers4Christ] Chattahoochee at Columbus

Looks like you have gotten interested in something I have been wanting to do

ever since a couple Columbus, GA paddlers put me onto that spot. I was

leading them down Potato Creek when they told me about it and they said they

often play it after work in the evenings when they release. They said the

flow does not usually come up to a good playable level until after 5 or 6

PM, but then again that info was based upon the drought years we have been

having before this year; this year I am sure the release is a different

story with more water being released more often. The gauge to look at to

check and see if it is running is at

http://ga.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv/?site\_no=02341505

http://ga.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv/?site\_no=02341505&agency\_cd=USGS

&agency_cd=USGS which is located at US280 which is just south of this park

and play spot. I have been down there a couple times to check it out and

possible put-in and take-outs and to look at the dams they are talking about

removing. There is an awesome river walk they are developing on the

Columbus side that is going to go several miles all the way from well below

the last rapid/the play spots clean up to the dam at 'Bibb City'. That

river walk they are developing looks like it is going to be a real family

friendly environment for family walks or bike riding. You could bring both

your boat and mountain bike down to this one. The parking and put-ins for

the park and play spots are right now on the Phenix City, AL side to the

north of the Dillingham Street Bridge and south of 13th Street. To bad the

river walk and the park-and-play put-ins are not on the same side of the

river. The rapid there is called Rock Shoals and the dam on the upstream

side at the top of the shoals is I believe called the Eagle Phenix Dam. I

ended up finding three different places to park and then carry the boat to

the base of Rock Shoals. The next dam just a little further upstream is

like approximately a 12 foot high dam and then there is the City Mills Dam

further upstream. Then another couple miles or so further upstream is

approximately a 35-40 foot high dam that they generate electricity at around

the 'Bibb City' area of north Columbus. It would really surprise me if they

take that dam out at 'Bibb City' but I imagine there is some really good

whitewater behind it. Further yet upstream above US 80 is a substantial dam

called Oliver Dam. Probably zero chance that one is coming out, but we can

always dream. :-) When I have seen the play spots at the base of Rock

Shoals I think the flow was around 10,000 CFS. The Eagle Phenix Dam is at

the top of the rapid. You can paddle up to the bedrock at the base of the

shoals and carry your boat up the portions of the bedrock that is out of the

water and either run a very creekish type of run on the far river right, a

high volume flow run down the middle with a huge hole at the bottom, or a

high volume run down the far river left that ends in some good size wave

train waves at the end. Looked like several of those waves in the wave

train were very playable. I would like to find out from the locals what

that center hole is like before I pop into it or at least paddle out there

and get right to it and study it for a while before I jump into it. Since

the Eagle Phenix Dam is your basic low head pour-over type of dam, the

danger here is the water could rise on you very quickly when they start

releasing water from the dam at 'Bibb City' so be careful if you decide to

hike up the shoals itself and have an idea when they tend to increase the

flow amounts. From the times I have checked the internet gauge, I have seen

it go from 1000 to 10,000 CFS very quickly. If it looks low and you do not

know when they will be increasing the flow, then the safe thing to do is do

not climb up on the shoals. At 10,000 CFS there are definitely play spots

to be found; my guess is at 1000 CFS there is nothing there worth the drive

to get there. Let me know if anyone else has any other info. Thanks,

Mark Hicks <><