RICD requirements
As defined by the legislature in Senate Bill 01-216, an RICD is the “minimum stream flow as it is diverted, captured, controlled, and placed to beneficial use between specific points defined by physical control structures pursuant to an application filed by a county, municipality, city and county, water district, water and sanitation district, water conservation district, or water conservancy district for a reasonable recreational experience in and on the water.”
An RICD must provide for an appropriate recreational experience. An RICD Flow Rate appropriate for a particular recreational facility should be based upon more general characteristics of the stream reach, site, intended use, and efficient use of the flow.
A recreational whitewater boating course must include manmade hydraulic stream features that provide “control” of the entire RICD streamflow as required by engineering principles. The hydraulic engineering definition of control is: A section across the stream where a manmade structure causes the flow to pass through critical depth when flow changes from subcritical to supercritical. Control of the entire flow should occur and be effective within the river cross-section of interest for each RICD flow rate requested by applicants.
The CWCB recommends that proposed boating course is designed and will be (is) constructed in such a manner as to:
• Adequately pass all flows up to and including the 100-year (1% probablity) flood flow without causing adverse impacts to upstream, downstream or adjacentproperty owners.
• Adequately withstand stream forces for all flows up to and including the 100-year flood so that damage and failure of the boating course is avoided.