What is the Army Corps Doing on the West River (VT)?
On November 24, 2003, a reporter for Vermont’s Rutland Herald, Peter Crabtree, reported (http://www.rutlandherald.com/News/Story/75064.html) that “Boating groups are protesting a decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restrict whitewater releases on the West River. The Army Corps cut the fall release at the Ball Mountain Dam from two days to one in September, affecting hundreds of paddlers who turn out for the annual event. The Army Corps also intends to cut back flow levels for the spring release in April, making the river less challenging for whitewater enthusiasts.” The article attributes the cuts to a change in policy that would protect the river’s water quality and ecology by ensuring that releases resemble flows under a natural hydrograph. The article correctly observes that American Whitewater is critical of the agencies’ approach because the river is being artificially regulated, and quotes AW Board Member Tom Chrisptopher and a recipient of Perception’s River Conserva
