Further Improvements Sought at Oklahoma River

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Just when you thought, maybe, the people developing the Oklahoma River had run out of surprises, think again.

It's been pretty much nothing but smooth sailing -- or smooth rowing -- since the river became navigable seven years ago, but the water could soon get pretty choppy.

It started with collegiate rowing, regattas bringing large crowds to the banks of the once barren Oklahoma River.

Since then we've seen the addition of the Chesapeake Boathouse riverboat cruises have become a regular feature. There's an international triathlon scheduled for next weekend, and shoreline improvements are clearing the way for more boathouses. Next in the plans is whitewater kayaking.

"We've done a conceptual study just to see if it's viable, and what we found is it truly is viable, we have ample space here to do it," Mike Knopp with the OKC Boathouse Foundation said.

Knopp says this is something River advocates have been looking at for a couple of years. Last year he and members of the Oklahoma City Chamber visited this Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of only two such facilities in the country right now.

"It's really something you have to see to really understand, but if you can imagine going to Colorado, as so many people do, and getting in a raft and going down one of the rivers there, it's very much a similar experience except it's contained in one location," Knopp said.

The great thing about the facility, experts say, is that it would be perfect for training the elite canoe and kayak whitewater athletes, but also it would be great for novices. That's because the course can easily be modified to make it more or less challenging.

"The vast majority of the people that would be using it would be just people wanting to have fun, and getting in a raft, or a canoe or a kayak and going down the different channels," Knopp said.