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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 16, 2006 Flood waters could mean rocky summer Outdoor Journal By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — Winter flood waters could mean a summer of dented jetboats at the upper Rogue River’s only public ramp regularly used by the powerboaters. The waters at the base of the TouVelle State Park ramp have filled with gravel pushed around by the winter’s high upper Rogue flows. The result is that jet-powered boats have little room to maneuver and no clear path to the channel. Jetboats either need to quickly power onto plane to travel in shallow waters. The boats also need room to power down from plane when approaching a ramp. "It’s like trying to stop in a teacup," says General Manager Jim Bittle of Willie Boats, one of several aluminum boat-building companies around White City that test boats at the ramp almost daily. Advertisement Michael Boulton, owner of Boulton Powerboats in White City, says there is just enough room to drop a 21-foot boat off the trailer but little room to motor in or out. "You have to be an expert," Boulton says. "I can do it, but for some of my customers, it can be a real challenge." Boulton and Bittle also share concerns about summer access and the safety at the popular ramp, which is also the last downstream public take-out for driftboats and Tahitis on the upper Rogue. "You can get in and out of there now because of the higher water," Bittle says. "But we won’t come summer when the water drops." State Marine Board and Parks Department officials plan to look into the situation to see if there is a way to make the ramp more usable and safe. "I can understand the concern," says Andre Briggs, the state parks department’s assistant area manager who oversees TouVelle. "I’m hoping in the next week or two to get some people to look at it." When the ramp was built in 1994 at a cost of $139,000, the area was a shallow gravel bar. State parks, with help from the Marine Board, spent $30,000 dredging and moving rocks to create the configuration boaters enjoyed until last winter’s high water. Any moving of the streambed requires a review and permit from the Department of State Lands. Also, in-stream work on the upper Rogue does not open until June 15 for fisheries protection, and the project could need NOAA-Fisheries’ review for possible impacts on the Rogue’s wild coho salmon, which are a threatened species. "Whether something could be applied for and work done this summer is anybody’s guess," says Wayne Shuyler, deputy director of the Oregon State Marine Board. The Marine Board has emergency grant money available for such repairs, Shuyler says. The winter’s high waters have altered boat ramps and stream beds across Oregon, Shuyler says. They include the Willamette River access at Harrisburg and the Sturdivant Park Boat Ramp on the Coquille River in Coquille, he says. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail Flood waters could mean rocky summer ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Absinthe Supply Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Debt Consolidation California Casinos Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Hammocks Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada King of Spirits Advertisement s