Surfers, tubers, kayakers and other whitewater enthusiasts will ride the newest waves in Southern Colorado tomorrow, Saturday, May 24, as part of a celebration for the new Water Works Park in Pueblo.
Pueblo Water spent about $11 million to turn a dangerous spot on the Arkansas River into a free, family-friendly, all-levels recreation area. The public utility replaced a small century-old diversion dam with wading ponds, tubing areas and whitewater challenges. Walking paths wind along the riverbanks and now two new pedestrian bridges cross the river.
Folks have already been testing the water at the site.
"It's a jewel,” whitewater expert Bob Walker said. “It’s probably one of the finest water parks in the state, if not the nation. It's just kind of one of those pinch me things - that it is hard to believe that we're doing this in Pueblo and it came out so wonderful.”
Walker owns the Edge Ski, Paddle and Pack shop where he sells and rents all kinds of gear, including river tubes, kayaks, surfboards, boogie boards and paddle boards. He said he’s spoken with river surfers who have come from out-of-town and even out-of-state to ride the new wave in Pueblo.
“People are literally changing their travel plans to be here,” he said. “I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten ‘We never got off the highway in Pueblo. We thought this was the ugliest, scariest place (because that’s what) we've heard.’”
But now, he said, they come to town and while they are visiting, they check out the local restaurants and explore the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk and downtown. Then they tell him they think it’s a great place.
“The economic impact (of the new water park) on Pueblo, I believe, is going to be felt,” Walker said.
Local doctor and avid river surfer Brad Roberts shared a similar experience. He said he’s been meeting river surfers from all over the country at the park. Like Walker, he also thinks it’ll be a boon for the city because he’s already using it as a marketing tool to attract new medical talent to the area.
“When I'm talking to people who maybe we're recruiting to come work with us for different things,” he said, he takes people to the park and says, "Look what we have here in Pueblo. This is an amazing spot to say, 'Come out here and play.'”
For those who have never tried river surfing, unlike in the ocean, river surfers don’t have to paddle and catch a wave. They can walk to the wave and then step onto their boards. They stay balanced as they guide their boards back and forth along a steady stream of river water gushing over a man-made stone feature. However, when they fall, they have to swim out of the river to try again.
Roberts described how it feels to surf.
“It's awesome,” he said. “You kind of hit that high where you're just floating on the water and it just feels like you're almost floating in air. It just catches you at the sweet spot. It's just like flying, almost. You're just floating on top … and there's a rushing river coming down at you and you're doing it.”
The park covers about an acre and a half of the river and its banks. Pueblo Water executive director Seth Clayton said it was important to make the park fun for many people.
“What we really wanted to do is make this a family-friendly environment and something people could come down just enjoy (for free).”
They made adjustments to the design and placement of the stones to make sure the experience was good for as many recreational users as possible at all kinds of skill levels.
Clayton said he's in awe of the construction workers and heavy equipment operators, who placed the rock while working in the river environment. ”You're moving these huge boulders and they're putting them on a dime.”
Walker said he is also impressed with the design and construction work that went into the water park.
“I mean, there's not a rock that I've seen that was just thrown into place,” he said. “It's like somebody looked at the pile (of stones) and said, that's the one we need and it goes there.”
There are benches for people to sit and watch and areas of calm water areas for wading. There are also stone stairs leading in and out of the river in multiple spots.
“When they first said they were going to have this whitewater park be family accessible. I thought, are you nuts? Now I see what they're talking about,” Walker said.
The river is now floatable for about eight miles from near the dam at Pueblo Reservoir to the Runyon Lake area. That doesn’t mean it's a lazy float without challenging sections, so people need to check the level of the water in the river, wear good quality certified life jackets and be prepared to swim.
“You may end up upside down and having to crawl back on your tube,” Walker said. “But that's about the worst that'll happen.”
It’s also critical for people to understand that the river can change from day to day, hour to hour, and minute to minute, according to Walker. One time, it might be safe for a novice or child to try something, and later, with a different water flow, it could be dangerous. There are apps and websites that report what the current water level is. Less experienced folks could also check with seasoned river users like Walker for advice on river safety.
Clayton said the park will also improve the fishing by creating passages for trout and other species to get through that section of river. The Arkansas is already considered a Blue Ribbon fishing river and fly fishermen are in the water year-round in many locations.
He also said the utility was able to secure a low-interest loan and that the cost of the project doesn’t affect the bottom line on water bills. “It really doesn't move the needle for our rate payers,” he said.
Tomorrow’s big celebration goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes whitewater activities, demonstrations, food trucks and more. Waterworks Park is located east of Pueblo Boulevard and north of Pueblo City Park.
Also, the students and faculty of Villa Bella Expeditionary School are hosting a Better World Day event at Waterworks Park from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28. That event is also open to the public.
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- Progress on a 70-year-old promise to pipe clean drinking water to southeastern Colorado
- How water in Southern Colorado’s rivers gets divvied up before crossing state lines
- 100 Years Ago, A Devastating Flood Changed The Course Of Pueblo's Future
- With A Splash Of Paint, Pueblo's Arkansas Levee Mural Is Born Again
