The River Height Stick

March 17, 2003
Doug Barker

Several members have asked when it is safe to row in terms of river current or water height. This has been a recurring question over the years. We spent several months last year studying the water level and getting opinions from coaches and experienced rowers as to safe conditions. The club’s Trustees and Officers formed a policy last year.

1. We now have a color coded height stick at the dock that shows whether you are allowed to take a club boat out. No club owned boats can launch when the height is in the “red zone”. This applies to all club boats: sweep, sculling, junior, adult. No exceptions. You may see privately owned boats or UD boats out. That does not matter.

2. The height stick only considers water height. You must still decide for yourself whether it is safe to row considering weather, wind, water temperature, experience, size of boat, presence of a launch, etc.

3. The U.S. Geologic Survey has an automated river sensor in downtown Dayton, a mile or so downstream from our dock. It can give you a feel for how high the water is. We have a link to it at www.daytonrowing.org. But, the USGS website is only a rough guide. It is affected by the Mad River and can be hours or days out of date. Recently, it has had real inconsistencies because they opened and closed a dam near it. So, do not expect it to correlate exactly with our height stick.

The height stick at our dock is the most accurate, and final, word. I hope that helps some. The height stick should help give you a better feel for conditions. If you have any questions, give me a call.

Thank you,

Doug Barker
GDRA Boathouse Manager