"Paddle at the Point" Succeeds

In spite of a dismal, and fairly accurate, weather forecast, more than 1800 canoes and kayaks showed up at the Point to break the Guinness World Record for a flotilla of boats. The Mon Wharf was full of boat owners by 10 a.m., so the overflow went across the Allegheny to the Heinz Field ramp, where the renters were launching. Venture Outdoors organized and documented the event.

Everyone was in place well ahead of time, as ominous clouds rolled in from the Ohio, so boats dispersed early--just in time for a torrential downpour, but thankfully, no lightning. It seemed that all the boats wanting to return to the Mon Wharf were upstream on the Allegheny, and all the boats wanting to cross the Allegheny to the Heinz Field ramp were on the Monongahela side of the Point, so there was lots of head-on ramming as boats raced for cover.

The Post-Gazette reports that it will take a month or two for Guinness to validate Pittsburgh's new record. The current record is 1104 boats, held by the Inlet Business Areas of New York, which surpassed Cleveland's record of 776 boats.

Monongahela an Endangered River

American Rivers has released its 25th annual call to action: America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2010. The Monongahela, source of drinking water for 350,000 people, is listed number 9 of 10 because of the hydraulic fracking process used to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale.

American Rivers sees two big environmental problems with hydraulic fracking as practiced now: Water put back into waterways has a high salt content, which is unhealthy--even lethal--to freshwater marine life. Secondly, according to coordinator Jessie Thomas-Blate, drilling companies are allowed to keep secret the chemicals they inject into the ground. Thomas-Blate says this is because of an exemption in the Safe Drinking Water Act known as the "Halliburton Loophole". American Rivers is calling on Congress to close the loophole and for West Virginia and Pennsylvania to regulate the fluids put into the ground and waterways.

The Gauley River is number 3 on the list because of mountaintop removal coal mining.

Army Corps Ready for Flooding

Local Army Corps of Engineers officials say they will update state and local emergency agencies on the status of waterways in the region when the record February snowfall begins to melt.

Chief of the Readiness Office T.J. Fichera says the Corps communicates with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the National Weather Service, and county emergency agencies to prepare for possible floods.

Fichera says one example of the things they’re telling these agencies is that certain high-altitude reservoirs like the Youghiogheny, Tiger, and Stonewall Jackson Reservoirs have the capacity to take in a good deal of snowmelt because of their elevation.

Chief of the Corps’ Water Management Branch Werner Loehlein says we have yet to see a significant snowmelt, meaning that most of the water stored in the snowfall is still there.

Loehlein says the snow only looks like it has melted because sunshine melts the top layer, which compacts the snow beneath it.

The hydrologist says there is still potential for flooding, especially if temperatures rise quickly and it also rains. He says the Monongahela River’s tributaries are at the most risk, including the Youghiogheny and Cheat Rivers.

North Shore Trail Link

A half-mile section of the North Shore Trail that’s bumpy with old rail ties is receiving an upgrade for a smoother path. Friends of the Riverfront Executive Director Thomas Baxter says construction will begin within a week of Nov. 20 and finish up around the first week of April. This area is located between the Millvale boathouse and the 31st Street Bridge. The total cost will be about $5 million.

“It’s a very tight corridor along the riverfront,” Baxter said. “Instead of laying trail right on the ground, this is actually a suspended trail--sort of one long bridge along the riverfront.”

During construction, a pathway will be accessible for trail goers.

Green Vessel arrives

One of the first green-engineered passenger vessels is arriving in Pittsburgh today, after traveling through nine states to get here. The "Explorer" is to dock next to Carnegie Science Center to be used as a "green" classroom when the Coast Guard approves the boat for local use.

River Quest Executive Director Karl Thomas says the onboard class will teach kids about sustainability; specifically about the environment and how to be "greener."

The Explorer was delayed last year when it had engine trouble while being transported from a Florida shipyard. Thomas says with new things, such as the problematic green technologies, come new challenges. He is glad the boat has now surpassed those challenges.