NARRATOR: The right kind of boat
can turn Oregon's placid Willamette River
into a place that feels more like the ocean.
This wake boat is designed to create a three-foot wave
that sets the stage for spectacular water sports.
DAN: Yeah, Grant.
Scarecrows are popping.
NARRATOR: Wakeboarding is just one of the ways
people are enjoying the river
that runs through downtown Portland.
[rowers cheering]
Decades of cleanup have transformed the city's waterway
from a dumping ground to a summertime playground.
For about a century,
industrial waste and raw sewage
poured freely into the Willamette.
But in recent years,
big sewer projects and clean water laws
have dramatically reduced that pollution.
So, the river's a lot cleaner now,
and so many people are using it for recreation
that there's growing conflict
over who can use the river for what.
In North Portland,
industry and toxic pollution that hasn't been cleaned up
are blocking some people from using the river.
DAN: Ready?
♪ Then everybody'd be surfing ♪
NARRATOR: But in popular recreation areas,
some users, like this wake surfer,
are getting pushed out by people who want calmer water.
DAN: Oh yeah!
Nice, Anthony.
NARRATOR: Dan Lay has enjoyed water sports
on the Willamette River since he was a kid.
I've lost many a hat.
NARRATOR: Now, he works for a company
that sells the boats you need for wake surfing.
Wake surfing, it's really fun.
Anyone can do it.
The difference between ocean surfing and wake surfing
is the wave is endless on a wake surfboard.
You can go for miles if you wanted to.
[boat engine humming]
[Kaspar yodeling]
NARRATOR: But those endless waves can be hazardous
for other people on the river.
KASPAR: There's some serious paddling
going on over there.
NARRATOR: Paddlers in Portland's iconic dragon boats
say large wakes can send water pouring into their vessels.
So, the first time I was in a dragon boat
that got swamped, that was in 2017.
And so, we were 20 paddlers sitting in that boat
and all of a sudden there's this wall of water
coming over her shoulders,
and the boat was half full of water
within just a few seconds.
NARRATOR: As wake surfing and other water sports
have gotten more popular,
Kaspar says they're making too many dangerous waves.
Some paddlers have capsized and one boat even broke in half.
Wakes also impact the river itself.
They can cause erosion, and harm fish and wildlife.
Welcome to River Huggers, good morning.
Make sure your buoy is fully inflated.
If it's not.
NARRATOR: So, people started getting organized
to protect the calmer waters they prefer.
I'll probably jump in and swim, kinda like.
NARRATOR: Now that the Willamette
is clean enough for swimming,
groups like the River Hugger Swim Team
are spreading the word.
We're in the water six days a week now.
When people actually went to work downtown,
they would see the River Huggers swim every day
and it would help address that question,
if I swim in the Willamette, will it kill me?
NARRATOR: Willie Levenson wants to get more people
in the river.
[swimmers laughing]
He helps organize early morning swims
and got a whole dock designated just for swimming.
People protect what they love.
If we get people in the water,
if we can get people to see the value of the river,
they're way more likely to fight for it.
[water splashing]
NARRATOR: His group helped form a Calm Water Coalition
to build a case against motorized boats
towing water skiers, tubes, and wake surfers.
We have the rowers, the paddlers,
the people on the standup boards.
We have the swimmers.
We have the floating homeowners.
People started to complain and say,
"Hey, this is dangerous."
We can't deal with these big wakes.
[water lapping]
NARRATOR: They got the state to pass new rules
banning motorized water sports
in crowded stretches of the river.
KASPAR: People don't like it when they get told
to go play in another sand box,
but sometimes that's just what has to happen
if you want to prevent serious accidents.
NARRATOR: State surveys show the Willamette River
now sees hundreds of thousands of user visits every year.
More than any other water body in the state.
So, we are now in the surf zone.
You are allowed to wake surf through this area.
NARRATOR: Dan took us to a stretch of the Willamette
just south of Portland near West Linn.
At the time, it was one of the few places
where he could do what he loves.
DAN: So, this area will get super congested
during the summer.
I mean, you can see,
you add too many more boats in the mix
and it can get overcrowded really fast.
You might want to hang on
'cause we're gonna go over some bumps.
NARRATOR: Dan says adding more restrictions
makes the few open areas even more crowded and chaotic.
After we visited, a new law passed
banning wake boats from this area altogether.
So, now there's even less space for boaters like Dan.
I fear that there won't be a Willamette River
for my kids to teach their kids on,
and where does it stop?
NARRATOR: Nate Thompson's job
with Clackamas County Marine Patrol
is to enforce the new rules and all the old ones.
That means looking out for all kinds of users
in this increasingly crowded river.
NATE: Did you guys bring life jackets with you?
Yes.
NATE: Okay.
They're just down on the shore.
NATE: Okay, do you know that you have to have them
on board the boat when you're out here?
NARRATOR: Lately, he's noticed more paddlers on the river
who aren't following safety rules.
So, everybody goes to Costco, they go to wherever.
They buy a stand-up paddle board.
They don't look at any of the rules and regulations.
They have no idea what they need or should need.
NARRATOR: He says a growing number of novice paddlers
are unknowingly putting themselves
in conflict with motorboats.
But there's also a lot of motorized motors
who aren't following the new rules on towed water sports,
simply because they don't know about them.
The rules prohibit summertime tubing and water skiing
on a narrow stretch of the river near Sellwood.
That's where Renee Morgan lives
in a floating home with newly-cracked walls.
RENEE: So, I don't know if the light
is gonna allow you to see,
but it's goes straight down to the door.
NARRATOR: She led the Calm Waters Coalition
that fought to ban water sports on some parts of the river.
It makes me very emotional thinking about it now
because we won.
We did it.
It was right.
NARRATOR: She says the rules have cut down
on the wakes that damage her property.
But as we're talking on her deck,
one boat after another passes by,
towing people on tubes and water skis.
Her husband, Rich, takes photos.
Well, they're tubing in a area
where there's supposed to be no towed water sports
and it's right in the middle of the wrong place to be.
Look at these guys are airborne.
Whoo.
MICHAEL: So, just kind of tuck these things in here.
While some river users fight over congestion,
North Portland resident, Michael Pouncil,
has the opposite problem.
I understand that they may have their issues
with overcrowding there as well,
but we have no access to the river here.
Our river is totally behind an industrial wall.
NARRATOR: In his community, many stretches of the river
are still contaminated from decades of industrial use.
While they wait for cleanups,
residents don't have many safe places to get in the river.
Michael finds a way to swim or paddle whenever he can.
He often rides his bike
to the somewhat accessible beach
next to the Daimler Truck's Manufacturing Plant
on Swan Island.
There's no public transportation
really down here that's regular.
I mean, it's a beautiful, beautiful spot,
but it's hard to get to.
It's hard to get to.
So, this is about access.
NARRATOR: He's hoping the contaminated area
known as Willamette Cove
could one day be a safe new access point for North Portland.
It's gonna happen.
We're gonna get it cleaned up.
[paddleboard inflating]
Today, the beach looks great.
The river's calling, and folks are are out and about,
and I'm excited to get in the water. [laughs]
This is an amazing resource that we have right here
that is flowing through our city,
and this is about equity.
We have to make our river accessible
to low income folks and working class people,
and let them know that, "Hey, this is your river.
"You have every right to be on the river."
NARRATOR: As the river gets more and more crowded
with paddlers, swimmers, and all kinds of motorized boats,
Michael says cleaning up contaminated areas
could help make more room for everyone.
[water lapping]
[no audio]
Great people just doing their thing
in their own Northwesty way.
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