First we dam the rivers, changing their flow and character. Now we manufacture white-water features to create a more "natural" recreation experience. Ah, human intervention, is there anything you won't try? Ann Arbor joins a hand full of Michigan cities, which are engineering their rivers to appeal to more outdoor sports types.
Excerpt:
"Cities such as Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Flint, Traverse City and Eaton Rapids are considering engineering steps that will alter local rivers to increase drops, create obstacles and pools and manufacture eddies for safety — upgrades designed to provide paddlers with a white-water experience.
It's a technique that has been successful in communities such as Petoskey and Williamston and, to a greater degree, in nearby South Bend, Ind.
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