Windsurfing at Tempe Town Lake

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Tempe, Arizona - September 29, 2004

A meeting to discuss issues and concerns to permit windsurfing on Tempe Town Lake was held Wednesday afternoon. Chris Anaradian, the Rio Salado Manager with the Economic Development Department, presided over a gathering of Rio Salado management and legal representatives, and local windsurfers. The information gathered at this meeting will be presented to the Tempe City Council on October 22.

The forum was very open and cooperative, and the various benefits and issues were presented so that all in attendance recognized their legitimacy.

The attraction that windsurfing provides could have a positive impact on attendance and tourism at the lake, and it appeared that everyone in attendance was interested in finding a solution.

Mr Anaradian explained that the Tempe Town Lake was built primarily for flood control and has certain restrictions placed on it by Maricopa County. The County classifies windsurfing as a full-body-contact sport, as it does swimming, and requires that stringent water testing be conducted as often as people are using the lake in such a manner. Testing is an expensive endeavor and increased funding would have to be provided to meet the County requirements. The County also requires that shower facilities be provided, but Mr. Anaradian stated that providing the showers at Town Lake is not a large challenge and can be provided by the City of Tempe at certain locations.

Another issue is establishing a location for rigging and accessing the lake, as well as assuring that there were no challenges in sharing the lake with other current and planned activities on the lake. The windsurfers suggested that the east end of the lake was probably most suitable for windsurfing, considering typical wind conditions, space, and lower 'usage' by other activities.

This was acceptable by Tempe; however current access to the lake is further to the west. A park is being developed on the northeast edge of the lake which would be suitable, but this will not be completed until late next year.

There are often special events and planned activities that use the entire lake and at these times the lake may be closed to windsurfers. It was stated that this should represent no problem, and that most of the time that windsurfers would desire to be out, the higher wind would discourage other uses.

Another concern was in regard to safety and any liability the city would have. With one exception, the lake has no 'beach access' and the sides of the lake are steep walls. In some cases, structural hazards may project from the sides. It was suggested that a waiver could be signed and some "pre-training" on rules and requirements of lake usage must be attended before usage. The issue of providing some insurance was also mentioned.

Anaradian suggested that "special events" are often easier to implement, and the windsurfers agreed that an 'event' could provide an excellent opportunity to promote a general positive perspective for windsurfing. Those in attendance will initiate some ideas for such an event.

In summary, the Tempe City Council may consider allowing windsurfing on October 22 or at a later November meeting. Even if the results of these considerations are positive, general access to windsurfers may still be unlikely on a regular basis until sometime next year.

If you are interested in participating in planning a "special windsurfing event" at Tempe Town Lake, please let me know by sending a note with your email address via the 'Feedback' link on this site.

Len