Construction is underway on a whitewater river wave feature in the Animas River at Gateway Park in Farmington. Once completed, surfers, rafters, and kayakers will be able to enjoy the wave this summer. It’s one of many recreation initiatives that seeks to attract residents, tourists, and businesses to Farmington. By Ryan Simonovich. This story is sponsored by Distil Beer Wine Spirits and M&R Plumbing.
Whitewater Wave Feature - https://farmingtonnm.gov/1254/Whitewater-Wave-Feature---IN-CONSTRUCTIO
Distil Beer Wine Spirits - https://distilbeerwinespirits.com/
M&R Plumbing - https://www.mandrhomeservices.com/
It's easy to forget that the Animas River is just steps away from the hustle and bustle of East Main Street in Farmington. But that proximity will be convenient for river users when a new Whitewater River Wave feature opens at Gateway Park. You're watching Farmington Local News, brought to you by distilled beer, wine and spirits, and MNR Plumbing. I'm Ryan Simonovich. Construction began in January on the wave that's expected to attract river surfers, whitewater rafters, and kayakers.
Back in 2020, we actually did a study that evaluated all the opportunities in the Animas River within the Farmington boundary, and we identified six priority areas with several projects, but this one felt like the highest priority and the most impactful out the gate. This is a $3 million project. It's a river wave, first and foremost, that's adjustable, so that you can actually surf in the river on a surfboard, but it also has a fish ladder built in to allow for the natural progression of the wildlife in the river, and also is a partnership with North Farmington Ditch Association to be able to help divert the water into their ditch more efficiently and avoid log jams that have happened in the past that have required a lot of expensive maintenance and issues with clogging up of the ditch diversion. So really accomplishes all three goals in one fell swoop.
The city of Farmington studied similar river waves in locations like Boise, Idaho, and Salida, Colorado, for inspiration. Then, engineers created a custom design for the Animas River. The wave should be available this summer. The project is one of many that hopes to be a draw to residents and tourists as well as attract outdoor recreation businesses to town.
We're really trying to become a destination overall. We've invested in our mountain biking, we've invested in our river trail system and expanding it. We've are the process of building an all abilities park. You know, we're really trying to hit it from all angles in terms of creating a holistic experience for people of all ages and abilities and desires in terms of recreation preference. And so we're just excited to add one more beautiful amenity to our community.
Additional recreation projects include a mountain bike park off of Foothills Drive and an extension of the Animas River Trail System. At Gateway Park, a covered pavilion is under construction to provide a covered space for the grower's market and other events. At the east end of the park, the city hopes to attract commercial development such as a restaurant or hotel.
Come and visit Farmington. If you haven't been here in a minute, it's definitely high time you did. You know, we've invested in our downtown, spent over 12 million on street scaping down there. We're just about to place our next round in our third year of our outdoor sculpture exhibit downtown. We have 18 pieces this year, and so that's going to be art from all over the Four Corners area from all four states. Really great opportunity to enjoy the arts and enjoy some great food and shopping while you're downtown.
To learn more about this and other local news stories, visit FarmingtonLocal.News. Thank you for watching this edition of The Local News Network. I'm Ryan Simonovich.
