ADDENDUM TO THE RECREATIONAL FACILITY USE AND CAPACITY INVESTIGATION
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Prepared by: Kleinschmidt Associates
August 2005
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Copyright © 2005 New York Power Authority
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is engaged in the relicensing of the Niagara Power Project in
This report has been prepared as an addendum to the NYPA
Niagara Power Project Recreational Facility Use Capacity Investigation (RFUCI)
report dated May 2003. The purpose of
the addendum is to report on the results of additional recreation survey work
conducted at three recreation sites located on the Upper Niagara River:
In addition to collecting additional recreational use
data, NYPA has also updated its inventory and condition assessment to include
recreational facilities along the Upper Niagara River between
The objectives of the RFUCI were to estimate:
· current public usage of recreation sites at the Niagara Power Project and in its vicinity
· available capacity of each of these sites
· percent of capacity that is currently being used by the public at each recreation site
The study area for the RFUCI extended from the Peace Bridge northward to the mouth of the Niagara River at Lake Ontario (see Map 1.2-1), and includes the three sites addressed in this document.
Data collection and analyses methods utilized for this effort are identical to those used for the RFUCI. Methods are summarized below with additional details available in the RFUCI (2003). For this effort, a program of primary data collection was undertaken, which included counts of recreationists using each site on a selected sample of days. As with the previous investigation, a roving survey technique was used in which a monitor visited each recreation site multiple times a day on a set of pre-scheduled dates. Collected data included instantaneous vehicle counts, supplemented by occasional longer-duration observations to collect data on activities and people per vehicle. A stratified random sample that considered time of day and type of day (weekday, weekend, and holiday) was used. Holidays are also referred to as “peak weekends” throughout this report and include the holiday itself, such as the Fourth of July, and the associated weekend. An example of the data collection form and monitoring schedule are provided in Appendix A. The use of vehicle counts as a surrogate for visitor use and capacity utilization is a well accepted methodological approach that is commonly used in a variety of recreation settings. The approach serves as a good technique for estimating overall recreational use pressure and can be used to target the need for potentially more detailed investigations, particularly in terms of capacity utilization.
Data were collected from May 2003 through November 2003. Standard expansion techniques were used to extrapolate instantaneous vehicle counts into average daily use estimates by month and day type for summation and generation of monthly use estimates by site (Pollock et al. 1994). For the purposes of this study, recreation use is measured in “recreation days” as defined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC defines a recreation day as each visit by a person to a development for recreational purposes during any portion of a 24-hour period.
Parking capacity was used as the primary indicator of recreation site capacity and the percentage of parking space utilized at any given time was used as the measure of capacity utilization. Table 2.5-1 shows available parking at each site. None of these locations provide boat access to the river, nor parking for vehicles with trailers. Data collected during longer duration monitoring from June 2003 through August 2003 was used to develop shoreline activity profiles of recreation users for each site. As none of the recreation sites in this investigation have boat launching facilities, nearly all of the recreation use observed was attributed to shoreline activities. There were a few individuals, however, that were noted as having a primary activity of boating (either pleasure boating or boat fishing) during on-site monitoring efforts. However, these individuals were observed off-shore and, therefore, not associated with use attributable to the sites included in this investigation. These observations were dropped from the analysis as boating use is assumed to be 0% of total use and only shoreline activities were therefore evaluated.
Available Parking at Each Surveyed Site
|
Site |
Number of Parking Spaces |
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
50 |
|
|
76 |
Results indicate that these recreation sites supported
approximately 70,600 recreation days during the May through November 2003
recreation season. The heaviest used site
was
Overall, recreational use at these sites is within the
existing facility design capacities.
However, results show that use at
·
Use was relatively consistent during the summer
recreation season (May through August) at approximately 1,000 recreation days
per month.
·
Average weekday and weekend use approximately the
same.
·
Average peak weekend (holiday) use was more than
double average weekday use.
·
Highest observed use was 16 vehicles during the Fourth
of July holiday.
·
Highest monthly average weekday use was 4 vehicles in
May.
·
Highest monthly average weekend use 4 vehicles in
June.
·
A total of 189 users were observed over 15 one-hour
observation periods (average of approximately 13 people per hour).
·
The predominant shoreline activities observed at the
site during on-site monitoring were shoreline fishing (44 percent), parking (24
percent), and sightseeing (18 percent).
·
Use rarely exceeded existing parking capacity. The site was at or above 100 percent of its
capacity approximately 4 percent of the time.
·
High estimated use during the summer months - use was consistently
over 5,000 recreation days per month for June through August.
·
Average weekend use was slightly higher than weekday
use.
·
Average peak weekend (holiday) use was about double
average weekday or weekend use.
·
Highest observed use was 49 vehicles on August 17.
·
Highest monthly average weekday use was 13 vehicles in
August.
·
Highest monthly average weekend use was 21 vehicles in
June.
·
A total of 802 users were observed over 15 one-hour
observation periods (average of approximately 54 people per hour).
·
The predominant shoreline activities observed at the
site during on-site monitoring were parking (34 percent), walking (25 percent),
and shoreline fishing (21 percent).
·
Use was never observed as exceeding existing parking
capacity but did not come close to capacity on high use days such as the Fourth
of July holiday.
·
High estimated use during the summer months - use was
consistently over 7,500 recreation days per month for June through August. Use peaked in August at approximately 9,000
recreation days.
·
Average weekend use was about the same as average
weekday use.
·
Average peak weekend (holiday) use was about double
average weekday or weekend use
·
Highest observed use was 45 vehicles during the Fourth
of July holiday.
·
Highest monthly average weekday use was 23 vehicles in
August.
·
Highest monthly average weekend use was 21 vehicles in
August.
·
A total of 832 users were observed over 15 one-hour
observation periods (average of approximately 54 people per hour).
·
The predominant shoreline activities observed at the
site during on-site monitoring were parking (33 percent), shoreline fishing (31
percent), and sightseeing (14 percent).
·
Use was never observed as exceeding existing parking
capacity.
Use Estimates for Additional Niagara Project Recreation Sites (May 2003-November 2003)
|
Site |
Weekend |
Weekday |
Peak Weekend |
TOTAL |
|
Upper
River Sites |
|
|
|
|
|
Tow Path Park |
3,100 |
1,200 |
500 |
4,800 |
|
Bird Island Pier |
15,300 |
7,400 |
2,300 |
25,000 |
|
Broderick Park |
27,100 |
10,600 |
3,100 |
40,800 |
|
TOTAL |
45,500 |
19,200 |
5,900 |
70,600 |
Estimated Percent Capacity Used at Additional Niagara Project Recreation Sites (May 2003–November 2003)