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Wildwater races set
Friday, April 15, 2005
By TED LaBORDE
tlaborde@repub.com
HUNTINGTON - River conditions are expected to be near perfect for this weekend's
52nd annual Westfield River Wildwater Races.
Organizer Jeffrey M. DeFeo said yesterday high water, which canceled two of
three pre-race clinics in recent weeks, will not be a factor when the novice
racing begins tomorrow.
"The Army Corps of Engineers is holding water at Knightville Dam, and their
release schedule for Saturday and Sunday provide our normal race levels in the
river," he said.
Water release from the flood control system is measured in cubic feet per
second, DeFeo explained. "Our normal race level is 1,000 cubic feet per second
from Knightville and 300 cubic feet per second from Littleville dams," he said.
DeFeo said a clinic scheduled for April 10 had to be canceled because engineers
were forced to release water from the dam system at 3,700 cubic feet per second,
"nearly triple what is needed for a safe race."
The race is sponsored by The Republican and hosted by the Westfield River Canoe
Club.
Novice classes will compete tomorrow on an eight-mile course beginning at 10
a.m. while on Sunday professional and expert racers will face a 12-mile course
beginning at 11 a.m..
Racing tomorrow will begin at the state Department of Public Works yard at the
intersection of Routes 20 and 112. Racing on Sunday begins at the base of the
Knightville Dam located off Route 112.
The race draws more than 200 novice and more than 100 experts annually for the
race that originally started as a bar-room bet among eight friends.