Spokane River To Get Cleansing

Washing machines, stoves, toilet seats, tires, bullets, condoms and aluminum cans.

No, the Northwest Whitewater Association isn’t conducting a scavenger hunt.

But those are some of the items picked up along the banks of the Spokane River in last year’s cleanup.

An estimated 400 volunteers are expected to join NWA club members for River Fest ‘94, which designates Saturday as the official river cleanup day.

Registration runs from 8 to 10 a.m. at High Bridge Park.

A 7-mile stretch of the river from the Maple Street Bridge to Seven Mile will be divided into 14 sections. Vans transport cleanup crews to their respective sections, then back to the park for a barbecue and prize drawing.

The 2-hour cleanup will concentrate on the riverbanks.

“The only people in the river will be club members on the west side where there is no access for picking up trash,” NWA member Bob Rockser said.

Rockser’s involvement with whitewater rafting started 18 years ago. The NWA formed in 1989, and this is the second year for River Fest.

“This could be the largest river cleanup in the country,” Rockser said of the volunteer work force. “There are a lot of cleanups with 20 to 40 people in remote areas, not in the heart of the city.”

The NWA has 60 members, including Rockser’s wife, Sherrie.

“We want to give back to the river and community, and give the community the opportunity to do the same,” she said.

Any river navigable by boat can be whitewaterrated, with Class I being flat water with no rapids and Class XI the most difficult.

At normal water flow, the Spokane River rates Class III and II.

“The lower Spokane River is an incredible river for having in your back yard,” Bob Rockser said of the Class III portion of the river. “I don’t think people appreciate it. Part of the idea of River Fest is to draw public attention.”

“You’d be hard-pressed anywhere in the country to find a river that has the wilderness aspect this one does within 10 minutes of downtown,” NWA member Paul Delaney said.

In addition to conservation, river safety is another primary NWA concern.

“Most whitewater accidents and injuries and deaths happen when people are not prepared and not knowing what they’re getting into,” Delaney said.

“In Washington, there are no regulations controlling (river) guides. Idaho is one of the better (regulated) states.”

NWA members wear lifejackets, helmets, shoes and sometimes wetsuits. The membership includes doctors, nurses and other first-aid trained people.

Safety boats scout the front and rear. On difficult stretches of rivers, a lot of teamwork is involved - stopping, surveying and mapping passage routes.

“We were down on the Salmon (River in central Idaho), and there was one rapid that was a little more technical for some people,” Sherrie Rockser said. “We regrouped and had a long talk.

“It was like a huge parade. The people did so well. We knew we had (safety) backup. Here we are, we did it. It was a whole huge effort.”

Added Bob Rockser: “We have a lot of members who are Class II boaters, who enjoy the river and are not out for the adrenaline rush. A lot of them are family oriented.”