Senator Tankerbell
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Has anyone ever floated (horrible pun intended - and apologized for) the idea of having boats out on the Scioto or Olentangy Rivers that would serve as entertainment venues (i.e. A Booze Cruise or evening dinner cruise kind of thing)?
I don't know of another major city with such close proximity to large rivers that has so little boat traffic.
groundrules
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Senator Tankerbell wrote >>
Has anyone ever floated (horrible pun intended - and apologized for) the idea of having boats out on the Scioto or Olentangy Rivers that would serve as entertainment venues (i.e. A Booze Cruise or evening dinner cruise kind of thing)?
I don't know of another major city with such close proximity to large rivers that has so little boat traffic.
probably has as much to do with navigability as anything. Olentangy is not a large river. Scioto barely counts, and there isn't a large stretch that is unimpeded by dams. You couldn't sail a boat up here, you'd have to build it, plunk it in the water downtown, and it would putz around in the duck pond right around there.
rory
NW Short North
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I used to take a little rowboat downtown and it's really shallow except for the channel. Most of the year you could probably walk across it. That being said the smallmouth situation is pretty good around the railroad bridge up to the confluence.
ToddAnders
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Delaware dumps their do-do in the river, pays the EPA fines, which Columbus happily accepts, and makes the river stinky.
When that stops, and the damn's near OSU and Battelle (for the do-do) are removed, it would be a wonderful idea.
And before anyone asks just google the evidence. I'm not going to be a research librarian on this topic.
groundrules
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ToddAnders wrote >>
Delaware dumps their do-do in the river, pays the EPA fines, which Columbus happily accepts, and makes the river stinky.
When that stops, and the damn's near OSU and Battelle (for the do-do) are removed, it would be a wonderful idea.
And before anyone asks just google the evidence. I'm not going to be a research librarian on this topic.
it aint just delaware. everyone dumps their doo in the river, including columbus (for now). Although New Orleans still has boats, so I don't think it's a poo problem. and when those damns are gone, the Olen'scrungy is going to be a shallow stream, not a boating river.
kcrissinger
Brookshire
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groundrules wrote >>
ToddAnders wrote >>
Delaware dumps their do-do in the river, pays the EPA fines, which Columbus happily accepts, and makes the river stinky.
When that stops, and the damn's near OSU and Battelle (for the do-do) are removed, it would be a wonderful idea.
And before anyone asks just google the evidence. I'm not going to be a research librarian on this topic.it aint just delaware. everyone dumps their doo in the river, including columbus (for now). Although New Orleans still has boats, so I don't think it's a poo problem. and when those damns are gone, the Olen'scrungy is going to be a shallow stream, not a boating river.
You are correct. Check out the warning sign at Northbank park. It cautions people to stay out of the water due to combined sewer overflows. Isn't that a great sign to see at a park?
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Columbus takes no drinking water from the Olentangy. There's an intake on the Scioto along Dublin Rd., and an intake on Big Walnut (I get my water from there, even though at Kenny/Henderson I'm much closer to the Scioto). There's also a wellfield that serves the south side, and according to Columbus' own data, that water tends be free of agricultural chemicals found in the other sources.
The cause for the sewer overflows is rainwater going through the shared storm/sanitary sewers. This works fine until there's too much rainwater, then they system activates relief points. Columbus has a map of them, with their discharge histories:
http://gis.columbus.gov/ssocso/
You can canoe or kayak just about anywhere on the local streams. If you're not on a reservoir like Griggs or Oshay, the streams tend to have pools and riffles and you can expect to have to get out of the boat and carry it over the rocks. On the "downtown pool" you can put a motorboat in at the city power plant, and go as far as the dam at the water plant on Dublin Rd., lots of people fish there. You can also put in at Greenlawn and go as far as the Town St. lowhead.
There are many places along the streams where you'd never know you're in the middle of a city, all you see is wooded streambed.
Parker
Franklinton
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Several years ago when Columbus dredged the river and built the walls along downtown, this was done with the intent to foster river recreation such as boating and other activities. It wasn't recognized at the time that the low-head dams near campus and south of downtown would inhibit this development because of limited travel.
These two dams will eventually be removed (the proposal has already been made), which will allow navigation of a much larger section of the river. The downside is that removal will narrow the river by nearly half and decrease its depth so the types of water craft will be limited. On the upside, a riparian park could be developed on both sides of the river. This was discussed in another CU topic thread.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Parker wrote >>
This was discussed in another CU topic thread.
Yep, here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/downtown-2010-plan-idea-12-river-greenway
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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There's a tradeoff between having the natural streambed, or having a pool behind a dam. The pool looks wide and smooth and inviting and stable, but it also tends to be stagnant and devoid of life. The natural streambed will always be shifting and braiding and full of life, and dangerous.
However, there is another alternative that has not yet received consideration in this thread. We have the expensive sewer tunnel project under the Scioto River, and we have the controversial proposal to place a racetrack in Franklinton.
We can solve two problems at once by routing the Scioto River entirely through the sewer tunnel, and using the existing concrete channel as a racetrack.
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alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Walker wrote >>
alexs wrote >>
The natural streambed will always be shifting and braiding and full of life, and dangerous.More dangerous than a low-head dam?
There are two different kinds of hazards here. Lowhead dams are obstructions to navigation, and they trap things in their rollers, while open streambed tends to present risks where you can drown by stepping off a riffle and into a pool.
byJody
Rural NW Columbus
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I learned to slalom water ski on the Scioto River (O'Shaughnessy), We also took a boat to listen to concerts at the zoo. It's patrolled by Columbus police boats.
I realize you were probably talking downtown. There is a lonely little launch ramp at the West end of Nationwide Blvd which goes to the Olentangy/Scioto rivers.
The main problem is the dams along the rivers which keep them from flowing naturally and being used more fully for recreation.
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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byJody wrote >>
The main problem is the dams along the rivers which keep them from flowing naturally and being used more fully for recreation.
http://www.columbusunderground.com/griggs-dam-removal-schedule-pushed-forward
artbomb112
The Heights
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I just got back from San Antonio and I can say with some certainty that using the river for something other than boat storage was pretty awesome. Walking from the old Pearl Brewery, through downtown, down to the Blue Star Arts Complex was amazing. Fountains, shops, restaurants, sculptures, their museum... all on the river. You could take a taxi. They drain it once a year to clean it.
Of course... they built it in the 1940s as part of the WPA. They have just done an amazing job of maintaining it. I don't see why our river couldn't be more active. How about kayaking and sculling teams? Spots all along the river for Food Carts to park... allowing business people and state workers to come down there for lunch? Seems like a nice little place for activity that we almost entirely ignore.
Or someone could give Tigertree $500,000 to get one of these going.....
jungaroo
Italian Village
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If we can't have boats, can we have an urban beach instead? Something likeNYC's Water Taxi Beach. Our beach could be in front of COSI, facing downtown. It'd be wicked fun.
byJody
Rural NW Columbus
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I loved this idea from Kyle Ezell's class
Seasonal beach: Greg Grippa suggested setting up a sandy retreat at North Bank Park for a month every summer. Boat rentals and a pool could accompany the beach.
CU Story with link to Dispatch article
http://www.columbusunderground.com/osu-students-pitch-ways-to-better-city
As far as no swimming in the poo stream, I like the guy's idea to bring in a floating swimming pool, basically on a barge. All the fun, none of the funk.
byJody
Rural NW Columbus
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I loved seeing these guys canoeing down the Olentangy, the water was so high they could navigate the dam without having to Portage (this is by the OSU Wetlands Park) on Thursday, March 17, 2011.
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