Just Add Water

ANAHEIM —  Holding a nationally televised personal watercraft competition in a river in the middle of August seems like a natural. Except when you’re talking about the normally dry Santa Ana River, where summertime recreation is usually limited to the bike and horse trails lining its banks.

But on Friday, a dramatic metamorphosis of the riverbed began to take place. Crews started building two temporary dams that will enable them to fill a 1,000-foot-long portion of the river with about 15 million gallons of water.

All of this is being done for Jet Jam ‘96, a sports and entertainment festival that begins Aug. 16 in front of the Pond arena.

The river is a flood-control channel that is dry except during heavy winter rains. The portion of the riverbed being used for Jet Jam ’96 consists of sand and rock. Other portions of the riverbed are made of concrete.

The idea of temporarily filling a part of the river for a recreational event is unprecedented and, organizers said, quite daunting.

“Logistically, it’s been a challenge every step of the way,” said John Nicoletti, spokesman for the Pond. “As far as we know, this is the first time the riverbed has been used for an event.”

It will take about five days to complete the dams, which will be built with existing sand and rock from the riverbed. Crews will then lay down and seal a plastic material on the bottom and all four sides of the temporary basin.

This process is expected to be completed Friday. If all goes well, water will then be pumped in from Anaheim and Orange, said Ric Miller, president of event organizer United Sports Entertainment.

When completed, the competition area will be 1,000 feet long, 360 feet wide and 2 to 12 feet deep. The water will be purified and recycled after the event, said Martin G. Higby, associate manager of the Orange County Water District.

“Just as a precaution, we’ll be monitoring the pre-event and post-event water. If there is nothing in it that is of concern, it will be pumped into our [storage] basin a half-mile away,” Higby said.

The county will also have to temporarily reroute bicycle and equestrian trails because of the event. Those details are still being finalized.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about the event, including Gordon LaBedz, a founding member of the Surfrider Foundation, an international nonprofit environmental organization based in Orange County.

“Water is so cheap, and because of that, it is so wasted,” LaBedz said. “If we paid for water what it’s worth, we wouldn’t use it for things like this.”

LaBedz also expressed concern over pollutants in the Santa Ana River that run off into the ocean.

“We’re real worried about that river,” he said. “We’d like to see it as natural as possible. But instead, it is used just as a flood-control channel to bring water to the ocean. It would be nice if it would also bring sand, clean water and provide wildlife habitat.”

The Santa Ana River winds 75 miles through Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and poses the largest flood threat west of the Mississippi River, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Although the river isn’t really much of a river most of the year, it has overflowed several times in the county’s history during heavy storms and caused major flooding.

The $1.3-billion Santa Ana River Project, designed to prevent catastrophic flooding, is scheduled to be completed in 2001. The river has already been rechanneled away from freeways and houses, removing curves and waterfalls that naturally slow water flow.

Before any of the preparations for Jet Jam ’96 could begin, organizers had to gain approval from hundreds of agencies. Complicating matters was the fact that the portion of the river being used for the event is on land that a variety of agencies control.

To the west is the city of Anaheim, and to the east is the city of Orange. Down the center is a portion of the riverbed owned by the county and under the management of the Army Corps of Engineers.

“We went into the meetings expecting everyone to say no,” Miller said. “But instead, they started scratching their heads and said it was a really good idea. No one took the position that it was impossible.”

Several local, state and federal officials said they were initially taken aback by the request to fill a portion of the river for a recreational activity.

“You can’t just go in any river and just do what you want to,” said Mona Gross of the Army Corps of Engineers. “These kinds of things are protected and regulated.”

Herb Nakasone, the county’s flood program manager, said: “We certainly felt they needed to jump over a few hurdles before they could do it. We wanted to make sure that it is safely done and will not damage the river. We also need to be sure that the dams are structurally sound. We don’t want to have a major washout and have the water go rushing down the river.”

Competitors in Jet Jam ’96 will ride personal watercraft, including Jet Skis and wave-runners. In addition to the water sport activities, an in-line skating championship for women will be held in the parking lot of the Pond. The rock group the Doobie Brothers will perform on the final day.

“There are thousands of Jet Ski enthusiasts in Southern California who have to travel many miles to enjoy their sport,” Nicoletti said. “This brings it to them. We want this to become the signature event for the end of summer in Orange County.”

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The River Runs Through It

Bringing Jet Jam ’96 to the Santa Ana River, adjacent to the Pond of Anaheim, requires some adjustments. The riverbed is dry now, but by the time the weekend of competition (featuring Jet Skis and other personal watercraft) and exhibitions is ready to begin, an artificial lake will have materialized.

DAMMED RIVER

1. Sand and rock bulldozed to create two levees, each about 18 feet tall

2. River bottom and walls covered with heavy-gauge mesh

3. Heavy plastic liner (white) placed over mesh

4. With sandbags holding seams in place, 15 million gallons of water added

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JET JAM RIVER COMPLEX

Diversions

Alongside the personal watercraft competition, there will be 300 exhibits and displays, also:

* Hot car contest

* Boat show

* In-line skating contest

Pond of Anaheim just to the west.

The Extreme Zone

Activities at the Extreme Zone include:

* Rock climbing

* Reverse bungee jumping

Ticket Information

* General admission tickets are good for access to the midway and Extreme Zone only.

* Reserved grandstand seating will allow the viewing of water sports and main stage performances. Tickets available through TicketMaster, or call (714) 740-2000.

General admission: $5-$12; three-day pass: $12-$35.

Reserved grandstand: $12-25; three-day pass: $50.

Parking

At Anaheim Stadium, with free tram service to and from the main gate entrances.

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Jet Jam Web site: https://www.teamwpp.com

Fast Facts

* It will take several days for 15 million gallons to fill the basin.

* After event, water will be pumped back to Santa Ana and Anaheim water districts, purified and returned for residential use

* Crowd estimate is 60,000 to 70,000

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Fast Moves

Personal watercraft freestyle competition involves two-minute routines with radical moves:

Aerial Barrel Roll: After several momentum-generating hops across water, rider and craft lift from water, roll sideways, spin 360 degrees, land rightside-up.

Headstand: Rider performs headstand on personal watercraft; not considered as exciting as “big air” tricks but demonstrates terrific balance.

Tall Stand: Personal watercraft stands on end while rider works throttle; variation is to spin during tail stand.

Sources: Ogden Facility Management, United Sports Entertainment and Atherton Communications, LP; Researched by APRIL JACKSON/Los Angeles Times