# Casper Whitewater Park Removal



## tskoe23 (Jun 19, 2010)

While this is a tragedy, I really don't think that removing the whitewater park is the right step. Personally, I think that river education is something that should be more prevalent. People love spending time on rivers, whether it be a class 1 tube float or class 5 gnar, but no matter what, hazards always exist. People neglect to see this and pay for it. Whitewater parks are incredibly beneficial in a number of ways but when people use them unsafely, as with anything else, they're bound to get hurt.


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## commanderfun (Nov 4, 2011)

This Guy failed to realize that rivers are full of hazards, man-made and natural. Education about these hazzards is key, and the only real option to prevent these tragedies, as no matter how many obstructions are removed from the river, it will never be "safe".


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

Er, he also threatened to rip the whitewater park out while surrounded by armed guards to keep the police at bay. I wouldn't start the hand-wringing just yet.


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## Learch (Jul 12, 2010)

Let them freak out a little. It's okay. Remember, they are in a grieving process. You and I both know the river is no more dangerous than it ever was, and if the risk was that great, then the parents should have made the decision to play there. They have a lot more emotional connection to this situation than any of us have. 
We just had a family of 4 drown in a lake close to my house. Pretty sad to hear about any preventable drownings. I know some of the divers that were out there searching for a 13, 25, and 42 year old. The 3 year old was discovered Monday. No pfds, but loaner pfds were available to them at the picnic area they were at. Could not imagine having to go through any of that.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

It occurs to me that some basic signs around white water parks that mention common dangers such as reversals and foot entrapment as well as rope hazards and safety equipment would be a worthwhile expense.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

I totally agree about mandatory signage at all river parks, including one that says it is required to wear a pfd anytime entering the water.


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## wyosam (May 31, 2006)

lmyers said:


> I totally agree about mandatory signage at all river parks, including one that says it is required to wear a pfd anytime entering the water.


And some level of enforcement, even if local authorities are only able to be there occasionally, to make people think its real.


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## BoilermakerU (Mar 13, 2009)

Learch said:


> ...We just had a family of 4 drown in a lake close to my house...


And I don't imagine they plan on draining that lake just because of the incident...

I am all for making improvements to try and make things safer, but eliminating things altogether is going way overboard. If we did that every time we had an incident, there would be no water left!


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## The Kooz (Sep 22, 2013)

Casper whitewater park has signage. education is the issue. i've been there several times on travels, and i've rarely seen a pfd on anyone, despite (seemingly) common swims through the park. for a state that is fanatical about personal responsibility, i find this response wildly hypocritical.

Wyoming has an issue with water safety. A Fish and Game ranger told me (while handing out tickets for no pfds on children) that more people die in Wyoming on the water than while hunting.


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## FrankC (Jul 8, 2008)

PFDs should be mandatory for kids at these whitewater parks. In Golden I actually saw a baby get tossed from a tube and swim one of the drops. Luckily it popped back up and was recued (didn't even cry actually) but it could have been a drowning.


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## 2kanzam (Aug 1, 2012)

The Kooz said:


> Wyoming has an issue with water safety. A Fish and Game ranger told me (while handing out tickets for no pfds on children) that more people die in Wyoming on the water than while hunting.


 
This doesn't seem surprising at all to me, in fact it seems right.

I know a handful of people who float/whitewater/fish or otherwise spend alot of time on the river....and I know a handful who have lost their lives in water.

...however everyone I know hunts, and not a single one has been injured worse than a broken arm.


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## Pizzle (Jun 26, 2007)

What need to do is damn that river. Create jobs for now and let are children figure out how to clean up our mess. Maybe the good folks in Casper would like a Nuclear Power Plant.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

Same thing happened when a boy died in Pueblo at the WW park. I talked to a city councilmen and several of us went down and presented to the city council. As a result there are signs requiring PFD's and they changed the jurisdiction to make it easier for Pueblo cops to write tickets.


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## commanderfun (Nov 4, 2011)

Learch said:


> We just had a family of 4 drown in a lake close to my house. Pretty sad to hear about any preventable drownings.





BoilermakerU said:


> And I don't imagine they plan on draining that lake just because of the incident...





I'm coming to drain this lake, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop me and my armed guards.


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## Puddlcruiser81 (Jun 8, 2012)

So a little about the river. It comes from a lake, the flow is very much controlled by the state as Nebraska owns the water. There are signs before the river enters the park warning about the dangers. The biggest problem is people float the section above the park in inner tubes and decide to go through the park most of them have had a few drinks in them by this point and do not wear any form of PFDs. I and other kayakers have made comments to them about the dangers. They pretty well ignore us and go about their day


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## skico (Sep 3, 2014)

I guide on the North Platte river in casper and have run my driftboat down the whitewater park. yes it does get used as a swimming pool from many of the locals. most locals have no clue about river safety and jump right on in with the walmart float mattress. Every year someone dies on the river do to lack of respect for moving water. Closing down the park is not going to happen because fine groups such as the Platte River revival coalition continue to keep river projects moving forward and not backwards. They have political ties in casper and are well respected for their effort to bring a $23 million river restoration to life. Casper wants very much to improve the trout habitat through town and keep fly fishers spending money in casper instead of Alcova. They will not let a whitewater park fatality detracked from their overall goal.I thing what will happen is more PR of water safety through town and that is the right direction to go.

The river fluctuates on average from 500cfs to 4000cfs and is regulated flow at alcova dam. high water years have had it at 8500cfs and is a very real danger through town and up stream for that matter. Other than the whitewater park it is a class II from alcova to past Douglas Wy.Glennrock power station is where boaters must exit as the water diversion is not runnable. about 1mile down there is a put in and you can float all the way to Glendo Reservoir with a class III section before it hits Glendo.


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