SOUTH BEND — When was the last time you thought to yourself, “I want to go whitewater rafting. Let’s go to South Bend?”

That may sound odd, but the fact is, South Bend has been providing adventures for whitewater rafters and kayakers for decades on its East Race Waterway. In fact, the waterway will be celebrating its 30th anniversary when it opens for the summer on June 7.

“Something you should know is that, where the whitewater is, it’s a natural part of the St. Joseph River,” said Amy Roush, administrative assistant supervisor of aquatics and volunteers with the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department. “We just took a natural thing and cemented it, put in marks and so forth, so it could be used for recreational purposes.”

While that portion of the St. Joe is short—just 1,900 feet long, it normally runs at a flow rate of 450 to 500 cubic feet per second. In fact, it’s such a powerful stretch of the river that it was used to generate power by many factories in the 1840s.

The East Race Waterway has also generated a sizeable amount of income for the city of South Bend since it opened in 1984. While it originally cost $5 million to build the course and surrounding park facilities, the Parks Department reports that the East Race is in part responsible for more than $78 million in economic development, including apartments, town homes, restaurants and businesses in that area.

“The Indiana DNR, the Parks Department and the City of South Bend all collaborated on the project,” Roush said. “The DNR was interested in the project because it included a fish ladder and it would also be a place for their people to do their swiftwater training.”

In fact, as Roush noted, firefighters from all over the country come to South Bend to do swiftwater training at the Indiana River Rescue School.

That alone should be a clue that taking a ride on the East Race is not for the faint of heart, and the Parks Department takes safety at the park very seriously.

“It’s kind of like a rollercoaster in water,” Roush explained. “I don’t want people to think it is just canoeing. It’s ranked as a 2 on the scale, so there is some whitewater. There are drops and swells and eddies.”

For that reason, all rafters must be at least 54 inches tall and at least 16 years of age or accompanied by an adult. That doesn’t mean that beginners aren’t welcome, however. The Park Department will supply all of the necessary gear, including rafts, helmets and life jackets. Each rafting trip costs $5 per person, and rafters do not need to carry their rafts back to the start of the course.

“About 80 percent of our rafters are new to rafting, so it’s important that people know that we have lifeguards all down the waterway in case anyone needs help,” Roush said. “They are not just lifeguards. They all go through swiftwater training.”

Similarly, beginning kayakers also like the East Race because it’s a controlled environment where they will be supervised, and it provides a good place to learn new techniques like rolls. However, kayakers must supply all of their own equipment, and there are certain requirements that must be met.

“All kayakers must have kayaks with inflatables in them as well as skirts. They also need to have their own life jackets and helmets,” Roush said. “They also have to transport their own kayaks, and it’s a half-mile back up to the start.”

Because kayakers are supplying all of their own equipment and transporting their crafts, the cost for them to use the waterway is only $15 per day. In order to minimize the trek, many kayakers make use of a boat launch located about half-way down the course, staying in either the lower or upper stretch of the river there.

With more than 300,000 people having used the course recreationally over the last 30 years, the East Race Waterway is a unique amenity that South Bend has to offer both area residents and tourists. And, with a variety of other facilities at the park, including the fish ladder and five miles of lighted walkways, it is a pleasant place to visit even if you plan to stay dry.

More information about the park, which is located at 126 S. Niles Ave., can be found at www.sbpark.org/parks/east-race-waterway, and Roush can be reached at (574) 235-9372 by those with additional questions.