Grand Rapids Whitewater’s Progress
After an intense interviewing process, Grand Rapids Whitewater has chosen an engineering firm to come up with plans for returning the Grand River back to its natural state: River Restoration. The firm began surveying the Grand River last week, according to this article by Howard Meyerson in the Grand Rapids Press.
Here’s an excerpt:
GRWW wants to restore about a mile of river from the low-head dams downtown upstream to the head of the historical rapids coursed through the downtown area.
River Restoration was contracted to start the surveying process. The company eventually will develop a concept. If the concept gains community approval, then engineering, construction and additional fund-raising would follow.
Carey said community support is crucial on projects of this sort. He saw some important things during his stay in Grand Rapids.
“Thursday was a great steelhead day,” said Carey at a gathering of supporters held at Founders Brewing Co. “We saw that steelheaders were not just taking fish off the dam and that they had insight about where the fish were and when we mapped the bottom, we found they were hanging out on nice gravel beds. That’s important to know because the river is so straight and uniform.”
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Read the full article for more information about River Restoration’s next steps and our involvement with GRWW.
If you visit our taproom, you can support GRWW’s efforts by adding $1 to your tab (as a straight donation), donating $1 when you refill a growler, or when you buy our custom GRWW growlers ($1 of your purchase goes directly to GRWW). Ask your server or bartender about it next time you grab a pint!
Here are some photos of the folks from River Restoration surveying the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.
