Missoula Area News

Missoula's Brennan's Wave repairs estimated in the thousands

Posted: Feb 6, 2013 9:09 PM by Mike Powers - MTN News

MISSOULA - It has turned into a magnet for outdoor adventurers and tourists in the Garden City, but now it's in trouble. Brennan's Wave near Caras Park needs some immediate attention.

Brennan's Wave is a man-made engineered structure under the Clark Fork that made the flow of the river safer and enhanced recreational opportunities, including world class kayak competitions.

But after nearly seven years, it's believed that high runoff eroded the riverbed below the structure, causing a crack and dislodging a large boulder from the channel.

It will cost thousands to repair, explained Trent Baker.

"Cause it's in a river, you have to get special permits, you need special equipment, you need people really qualified to do the work to protect the river. So that's what makes it so expensive. If this was on dry land, it wouldn't be a big deal," he said.

The non-profit Brennan's Wave organization has some money for repairs in an endowment. It has less than a month to raise $25,000 toward the goal.