JAMAICA - To paddle or not to paddle, that is the question. At least that is what local paddling organizations believe as a result of shortened West River flow releases.

This Saturday marks the annual West River water release for whitewater paddling enthusiasts. The Ball Mountain Dam in Jamaica discharges water at 35 cubic feet per second as canoeists and paddlers make their way down the swift current. The West River also has a similar water release in April. The September event, like the one in April, draws paddlers from around the region. But paddling organizations claim state rules and regulations on water management are too stringent. Their solution is to return the water release to a two-day event that will benefit paddlers and the local economy.

The West River was a two-day fall event until the Agency of Natural Resources set new rules and regulations in 2003. ANR and US Fish and Wildlife officials determined two days of rapid increase in the river flow would create problems for fish and other aquatic wildlife. Paddlers requested that the Army Corps of Engineers, the organization that manages the Ball Mountain Dam, provide water pressure at 1,500 cubic feet per second over the span of two days.

Brian Fitzgerald, of the VNR’s department of conservation, said natural river flows of 1,500 cubic feet per second are not unusual during the spring and fall. Fitzgerald’s concern is how fast the river flow is increased and decreased. Fitzgerald said aquatic life cannot react quickly enough to rapid changes caused by a two-day release. “You get fish stranded in rocks and isolated pools,” said Fitzgerald.

Another expert said the West River is weather-dependent and may not provide enough water for a second-day release. Fitzgerald said the Ball Mountain Dam is much smaller in size compared to other Army Corps reservoirs and doesn’t always provide consistent water levels necessary for white-water paddling conditions. Storing more water in the reservoir has been considered but experts are concerned about potential consequences.

Bruce Williams, New England district natural resource manager for the ACOE, has been involved with the West River water management since 1989. Williams said refilling the reservoir is problematic when natural flows into the reservoir are low. In addition, Williams said that filling the reservoir to higher levels floods more of the river upstream and can negatively impact nearby habitat. “The Army Corps of Engineers’ policy is inflow equals outflow. There are no high flow periods in the fall and we’re creating an artificial one for white-water paddling,” said Williams. “At the volume of water paddlers are requesting, it’s just not possible If we used up water and end up with a 35-foot holding pool, we’re out of water.”

Charles Still, of the Friends of the West River, disagrees with Fitzgerald and Williams. Still says a June 2008 ANR basin management plan for the West, Williams, and Saxtons rivers claims “no site specific flow studies have to define (West River white-water releases).” Still said natural rainfall does occur in the fall and there may be no significant differences between natural and and scheduled flow. “(The ACOE) ramps it up to 85% whenever it rains. That’s faster than these scheduled releases. It’s an apples and oranges comparison,” said Still.

Fitzgerald could not comment about whether the Ball Mountain Dam would return to a two-day event.

He said decisions about operating protocols at Ball Mountain and the other Corps of Engineers flood control dams are made cooperatively by the corps, the ANR, and the USFW. “The ANR would have to see science-based evidence that the rapid changes in outflow do not result in negative ecological and biological consequences downstream,” said Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald acknowledged that studies have not been conducted on the West River. However, the ANR maintains there is still a significant amount of scientific evidence detailing the effects of river flows on aquatic resources. “It is well documented in the scientific literature that impacts such as flushing organisms downstream and stranding occur during rapid flow fluctuations resulting from dam operations, regardless of the reason,” said Fitzgerald.

Still, on the other hand, maintains a two-day release can occur. “If you do the math, you can change flow regimens and make it a two-day event. It’s not a matter of physics,” said Still. “A 2005 study, paid for in part by the town of Jamaica, estimated a $440,000 positive economic impact to Jamaica and surrounding communities for a two-day event.”