AW Submits Weber River Safety and Access Proposal (UT)

During the ongoing dam relicensing process for the Weber Hydroelectric Project, stakeholders reached an agreement for the provision of four annual pulse flow releases to support whitewater paddling. Stakeholders agreed that American Whitewater would propose a safe and legal plan for river access, including potential infrastructure enhancements, for consideration in response to specific concerns voiced by the Forest Service. Releases will begin following a Forest Service determination that the proposed access is appropriate for public use, and the issuance of the Federal dam license which is expected any day now. American Whitewater has spent the past several months conducting legal and safety analysis, and last week we submitted our proposal that documents that recreational releases and public use on the Weber River are legal, reasonably safe, and appropriate. We are hopeful that releases can begin within the next couple years depending on when the dam license is issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Big shout out to the volunteer team who helped out on this project!

The proposal can be viewed here.

By Kevin Colburn

This was originally posted at americanwhitewater.org.