Current too strong for regatta on Oak Ridge rowing course, forcing cancellation

Posted at 10:28 pm April 27, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The destruction of the Oak Ridge rowing course is pictured above after heavy rains in the past week led to flooding and now strong currents on the Clinch River, causing the cancellation of the Dogwood Regatta on April 29-30, 2017. (Photo courtesy Explore Oak Ridge)

The strong current on the Oak Ridge rowing course forced the cancellation of the Dogwood Regatta this weekend, April 29-30, a press release said.

“The rain over the last several days has caused major flooding in the area,” said Sarah McAuliffe, Oak Ridge Rowing Association regatta director. “The current is about 10 times the norm and has done damage to our race course and other infrastructure, but the larger issue is athlete safety. “

The Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Coast Guard have confirmed that the water flow rate will remain too high for safe rowing regatta operations over the weekend, the press release said.

“It is a regrettable situation to have to cancel a regatta,” said Lisa Kendall, sales director for Explore Oak Ridge, “but the overriding concern is the safety of the athletes, and everyone has been very supportive of the decision.”

The Dogwood Regatta will not be rescheduled this year. Next year’s Dogwood Regatta will be held on April 28-29, 2018.

For more information about this event or other ORRA questions, contact McAuliffe at (508) 488-0868.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

This press release was submitted by Explore Oak Ridge.

See our previous story on the regatta cancellation here. Upstream from Oak Ridge, the Tennessee Valley Authority is spilling water over Norris Dam for the first time since 2013.

The Oak Ridge rowing course is pictured above before any damage. (Photo courtesy Explore Oak Ridge)

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