Payette, ID - website - aw
Payette River
• Made by: McLaughlin Whitewater Group
• Predictable holes and waves during flows ranging from 1,300 to 19,500 cfs
• Video link: 01
• Site of the Boise County Throwdown Freestyle Kayak Festival
This was the first regulated hydroelectric project in the nation to facilitate whitewater recreation, and the first diversion design to include an integrated fish ladder with a whitewater course. For the first time, a fish ladder was designed to not only encourage upstream passage of breeding salmon, but also to encourage recreational access. While it was recommended for its economical efficiency, the inflatable bladder has become known for having created the first "adjustable whitewater."
