River safe for rowing team, says consultant
Despite accidents at dam, Great Miami River ruled safe for high school team.
Friday, June 22, 2007
HAMILTON — The Great Miami River in Hamilton is a safe place for a high school rowing team to practice, according to a consultant hired by the Great Miami Rowing Center to organize the newly formed team.
Frances Mennone's remarks came days after a report released by the Hamilton Fire Department called a low-level dam on the Great Miami River in the city "a perfectly engineered, self-operating 'drowning machine.'"
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Concerns with the dam were sparked by several accidents in recent years, including the April 17 near-drowning of Hamilton Firefighter Chris Gabbard.
At Thursday's city of Hamilton Planning Commission meeting, Mennone maintained the river could be used safely as a rowing course but wants to ensure extra precautions are taken to prevent accidents at the dam.
There are no known incidents nationally of rowers drowning in a dam, Mennone said. She believes an enhanced buoy system would be sufficient for protecting the rowers.
The rowing course is planned to end 800 to 1,000 meters (about 2,600 to 3,300 feet) away from the dam, she said.
The Miami Conservancy District plans to hire a safety consultant to form a plan of action to minimize risks associated with the dam, said Hans Landefeld, manager of the organization.
Ideas being discussed include putting a notch in the dam to concentrate water flow to one area, thus deflecting its overall force.
The conservancy district is also considering putting strategically-placed boulders in the river to manipulate the dam's flow, Landefeld said.
MCD officials hope to be planning massive improvements to the dam by the end of the year, Landefeld said. He estimates the project will cost $2 million before the implementation of recreational improvements for the rowing team but does not yet know the source of the funding.
But Landefeld said he believes the rowing team could receive its permit to begin practice on the river by Sept. 1.
The GMRC plans to set dam safety rules for the rowing team that would include increased distance requirements to correspond with the river's depth.
"The Great Miami River is a real asset here," Mennone said. "We just want more people to access the park that is the river."
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2192 or at alutz@coxohio.com
