MINDEN: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the level of the Gull: how can I find the level from a guage?

Dave Ness, a PWGSC employee managing flows on the Trent Severn Waterway provided me recently with a stage flow table for the guage at the dam at the Minden Wildwater Preserve.

Dave Ness
Water Control Engineer
Trent-Severn Waterway
Telephone: 705 750-4902

In this table, one converts the "stick" measurement into a flow measurement using a specific table. I am including a photograph of the stick at its location below the dam in the pool: The guy with the fishing rod is standing right next to it.


unfortunately... there is no online guage for this "STICK"

The number in the chart are "cubic meters per second". These are matched to the guage reading.




There is an online guage upstream at NORLAND

http://scitech.pyr.ec.gc.ca/waterweb/formNav.asp

search under "GULL AT NORLAND" and apply these conversions to their number to achieve release data on a cubic meters per second basis:




Here is the cms /cfs methodology

Note: 1 foot = 0.3048 meter

foot^3 per second = (foot x foot x foot) per second = (0.3048 meter x 0.3048 meter x 0.3048 meter) per second =
(0.3048 x 0.3048 x 0.3048 meter^3) per second = 0.028316846592 meter^3 per second.

So

1 cubic foot per second = 0.028316846592 cubic meter per second.



Where abouts is this preserve?

Minden, Ontario, north of Lindsey on Hwy 35

What river is it near?

The Gull River - part of the Trent Severn Waterway, controlled by Parks Canada (PWGSC)





Information available at the Kiosk: click on image



Cost to stay?

Member/non-member camping fees,

$8.00 members, $12.00 non members.

Yes, there are yearly passes.


This info is directed towards encouraging campers to pay up and why this is in their best long term interests,

General info regarding garbage disposal:

Pack it out with you. Do not leave garbage behind!!!!.






Good for any freestyle stuff or is it more of a running river?

River reading and running. Good surfing hole on top section for experts and strong intermediates.

Flow/Level Info: compliments of BOATWERKS!!!www.boatwerks.net/wl/
Gauge: below gauge


The gauge on the Gull is a stick-gauge, just down from the parking lot. There is not an accurate online gauge.


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Description:

The Gull is a short - 600m - section of continuous class 2-3 whitewater. It is a great river for practicing technical river-running skills and playboating. Where the river empties into Minden lake is one of the most popular learning spots in Southern Ontario.


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Directions:

GPS: N: 44 58.430 W: 78 32.519

From Minden go North to Horshoe Lk Rd. Turn rt and follow (3.5km) to parking lot on right. Put-in and take-out are within walking distance of the parking lot.


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Flow Information:

Low: runnable down to 4 cms, but starts to get bony around 8 cms.
Ideal: 18 cms and above - lots of water and good play
High: none. Routinely peaks above 40 cms in the spring.

Flow on the Gull is affected more by the dam than by natural runoff. This means that flows can change dramatically in a short time, based on how many logs get put in, or taken out on a particular day. The flow will rarely change dramatically over a weekend. Ironically, once summer season hits, the Gull often flows better in hot, dry conditions than it does in cool, moist conditions.
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Gauge info: this applies to the stick gauge just down from the parking lot. Use these #s to comvert the stick reading to flow (cms)

Gauge Flow
7.6 6.2
7.7 7.4
7.8 8.7
7.9 10.2
8.0 11.8
8.1 13.6
8.2 15.7
8.3 18.0
8.4 20.7
8.5 23.7
8.6 27.0
8.7 30.8
8.8 35.3
8.9 40.2

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Season:
Dam controlled, the Gull is paddleable year-round. January - March can see some big ice shelves in the eddies, but the river and the lake stay open 12 months. Most years, there is paddleable water all year with best flows from May - October.


Wanna check water levels from your cell phone?
levels page www.boatwerks.net/wl/




A MWWP promo blurb

Some numbers to consider. The Preserve ran at a $6000.00 deficit last season. We spent a bit more than previous years on maintanence. Our first weekend open and we had several campers - but not a penny in the money box. Someone left a huge bag of garbage on the ground beside the bin. This is a no trace camping area: ie garge is to be packed out.

For the moment we have a 100 percent rate of non payment for the first weekend of the summer. Keep in mind these dollar figures of past losses due to camping delinquencies,failure to pay their camping fees etc. People should be more responsible for using the preserve and make sure the other campers are paying for their stay. Users mst pay before they set up camp. Any customer that doesn't pay is not a customer, They are a thief and should be treated as such. Trespassers, non payers, may be reported to the police.

Its time to get back to the values of appreciation of someone doing something for you without feeling that this somehow entitles you to get a free ride and feel good about yourself, while taking advantage of the situation.
Volunteers put in a huge effort to make the park useful for paddlers. They volunteered huge hours but the first weekend of the season, we get a 100 percent non payment.

Provincial parks have no problem filling up their sites all summer. No provincial park is going to accept your IOU or the promise to buy a seasons pass later on. No honour system. They also charge twice to 3 times as much for the same kind of camping that you get at the Preserve. The big difference is the Preserve is very casual, you can bring your dog, drink anywhere you like, choose your site, come and go freely and get a good nights sleep. Most of those things are out when camping in provincial parks.

Minden provides camping along side an amazing river that wouldn't even exist if not for the foresight and hard work of previous WO members, yet folks regularily come and don't pay, leave exess garbage, generally take advantage and think no one notices or cares. By "dissing" or cheating or condeming WO paddlers are just short changing themselves. In the end WO is an idea or a concept that tries to further paddling needs, create a membership and maintain the Preserve and by extension the Gull River and it's history and future.


NEW SIGN for HARRINGTON PARK

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