Park of Deschutes River closes floater passage for summer

BEND, Ore. (AP) Bend officials have closed the floater passage at Whitewater Park for the summer because of safety concerns.

The Bulletin reports that Bend Park and Recreation District Executive Director Don Horton said Thursday that too many people are turning over in their flotation devices and having difficulty recovering.

The park on the Deschutes River opened in September and has a floater channel with a series of drops, a whitewater channel with standing waves and one with slow-moving water for wildlife habitat.

Horton says the park did not hear concerns about tipping over in September, but recent users have reported that the drops are too dramatic. He says engineers will look for ways to improve the drops, but any changes will have to wait until the water is lower in October.