Evaluation Process for Proposed Nichols Basin Cable Park

[phazle5499]

Actually, the basin was not "man made". The basin was once part of the Hood River delta, and water flowed into it from the Hood River before the dams were built, the Hood River was diverted and Columbia River waters flooded the basin.. As evidence, there are pictures of sailboats in the basin during the early 1900s, well before the dams or the Nichols Boat Works even existed.

[CUSalin]

[phazle5499]

Great day for a paddle in the boat basin. Lots of folks out enjoying the water today !

[bensound]

Yes, the dog days of August are one of the best times to play in the basin. My kids and I started using it last summer for SUP. Its great for us --the kids get the fun of feeling independent to paddle wherever they want, and the parents get the peace of mind that comes from knowing that the kids are in a protected bay-they won't be swept down river or blown so far away you can't help them if they get into trouble.

[CUSalin]

[merriam]

[isobras]

Thank goodness!

[phazle5499]

Well of course the river has changed in the last 100 years. But that doesn't make the boat basin a "man made" basin. I don't think anyonw would call the Columbia River a "man made" river because of the Bonneville dam. Take the dam down and the river would run as it did before. Take out the jetty on the east side of the boat basin and the Hood River would continue to periodically flood the basin as shown in the Army Corps of Engineer's survey of the Hood River delta in the 1930s. Water from the Hood River still seeps under the jetty and enters the boat basin.
And yes, the basin was a navigable waterway for boats in the early 1900s and probably before that The western edge of the boat basin is clearly defined and pleasure boats enjoyed the waters.
The Port, the Army Corps of Engineers and Nichols did not excavate a "man made" boat basin from dry land and voila, all of a sudden there was a navigable boat basin. I think it is more reasonable to say t that the pre=existing navigable waterway from the Hood River, and then the Columbia River (after the dam was built) created the opportunity for Nichols to build the Boat Works exactly where he did--in the basin.

[STAUDA]

I'm another local windsurfer, kiteboarder and frequent waterfront user that doesn't think the park is a bad idea. I doubt I will use it but think it will benefit the community from a tourism standpoint. I think the Hook provides a much better SUP launch/opportunity at the waterfront. I suspect that the hotel itself is going to affect my waterfront experience in a much greater way.
Dave

[merriam]

"This view of the Hood River delta circa 1915 shows it before dams, before fill for the highway, before engineering of the Port and Nichols Basin."

http://historichoodriver.com/index.php?showimage=37

Also check out a few photos following this one for other interesting views of history.