A student from Fort Hill nudges his kayak out of the eddy and onto the whitewater below a small drop in the Cumberland Whitewater Park. He does a series of donuts where the kayak seems to turn in endless circles as he plays the hole. Watching from the Route 28 "Blue Bridge" that crosses the Potomac River are several people who find the span an excellent vantage point. On shore, a couple of local residents out for an afternoon stroll in Canal Place walk over to the whitewater park to watch the kayakers. As they pause, a jogger runs by. The jogger changed at the Riverside YMCA and connected with the Cumberland Whitewater Park trail just around the bend from the Moose Lodge. She takes a quick glance at the boater playing the whitewater and continues on with her trip toward the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail.

This scenario describes what could be.

Last month the Whitewater Courses and Parks Conference conducted its biannual international conference on the construction and development of recirculating whitewater courses at the Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI) on top of Marsh Mountain, a uniquely international attraction in Western Maryland.

The conference and pending opening of the whitewater course have particular significance for the future development Cumberland. Underneath the Route 28 bridge is a 14-16 foot low-head dam. With the success of the recirculating course on Marsh Mountain, Cumberland has the opportunity to convert the low-head dam into a whitewater park similar to those found in Reno, Nev., and Denver. The whitewater park would complement Canal Place and the Passage Trail. For Cumberland, the creation of a whitewater park would re-open and reconnect the city with the Potomac River, an important part of its heritage. As we are finding with the Passage Trail, the whitewater park would serve the local population as well as bring tourist dollars into the community. The whitewater park in downtown Reno draws 75,000 visitors each year.

Historically, the Potomac River and Wills Creek are the lifeblood of Cumberland. The river and the canal provided the initial road west. The railroad and the highway followed and the canal fell into disuse. To prevent flooding, levees were constructed on each side of the river. They were functional. However, an unintended consequence of the levees was that they formed both a physical and visual barrier to the river. The creation of the whitewater park would reestablish the link between the community and the Potomac River.

The creation of a whitewater park underneath the Route 28 Bridge provides additional benefits to the community and the river. As noted above with the Passage Trail, it would be for the local citizens. It would help revitalize downtown Cumberland and stimulate economic development. It would eliminate the hazard of a low-head dam. Such dams are killers and this point by itself is sufficient justification for the whitewater park. It would also improve water quality, create new fish habitat, and returns the Potomac to a free-flowing river.

The development of a whitewater park on the Potomac River next would complement Canal Place and the Passage Trail and it would reconnect the city of Cumberland with the Potomac River.

Robert B. Kauffman
Frostburg