Triathlons scheduled at Tempe Town Lake in upcoming months are seeing some drastic changes while some businesses surrounding the lake are not experiencing any major economic setbacks because of the lake draining.
The west dam at Tempe Town Lake burst July 20 due to a tear in a dam bladder, possibly from the Arizona heat. City officials say the lake will be reopened by Nov. 1.
Triathlon changes Kimo Seymour, the president of the Red Rock Company, a Tempe-based sporting events production business, said there are three triathlons his company is putting together for the fall that will now have to be changed to duathlons.
The Nathan Tempe Duathlon will be held Sept. 26 in a run-bike-run format. The same goes for the PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon beer) Urban Dirt Duathlon on Oct. 10 and the Soma Duathlon on Oct. 24.
Seymour, a 1991 ASU finance graduate, said there is positive and negative feedback on the changes.
“Some athletes see it as a negative because they believe that to do a triathlon, you have to have the swim portion,” Seymour said. “Other triathletes…are just happy that we’re still having the event. Some people are actually excited that there is no swim.”
There have been requests for refunds, but there have also been inquiries about registration.
“I do think we’ll take a little bit of a hit this year,” Seymour said. “I think registration will probably be down some. I don’t know if it will be significant.”
He said the only other options for open-water swimming in Arizona are Saguaro Lake, Bartlett Lake and Lake Pleasant.
“Our experience is that the facilities there…are not designed to accommodate the numbers of people that we expect to have at our events,” Seymour said.
He added that events at the lakes generally have not been as successful. There is only a short time period to deal with the switch, and it’s difficult to get road closures and permits at those locations.
His business has been working with Tempe regarding the cost of renting Tempe Beach Park, and he said they’ve been supportive. Road closures and traffic control are usually outsourced, so he said those aren’t factored into the costs with the city of Tempe.
“We’re committed to staying there, and we’re committed to keeping our events there,” Seymour said. “They’re good economic drivers for the city of Tempe…It brings a lot of people, a lot of exposure.”
It’s been a “mad scramble” the last week figuring out how to still hold the events with the dam bursting, he said, and the city of Tempe and his business are still negotiating costs.
“There will be some reduced prices I would imagine, because a significant portion of the cost is the usage of the lake,” Seymour said.
The Ford Ironman Arizona triathlon is still set for Nov. 21. Jessica Weidensall, a public relations manager for Ironman, said in an e-mail that “the city of Tempe is taking every measure to make Tempe [Town] Lake race-ready by Nov. 1.”
“Race-ready encompasses ensuring the lake is filled with clean, quality water,” Weidensall said.
Business effects Businesses in Tempe near the lake haven’t been affected as much as companies putting on triathlon events.
Tempe Center for the Arts, which is located right next to the west dam of Tempe Town Lake, has seen some “foot traffic” since the dam burst, said Mary Fowler, management assistant for the center, and more people were buying water after looking at the lake and attending events at the center.
“There’s more people coming and taking a look,” Fowler said. “More people are coming in the building and taking a look at our exhibitions.”
She said she doesn’t know of any customers to have complained about the smell of the lake.
Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman mentioned in a press conference July 21 that the lake would noticeably smell because of the low water level with dead fish and debris.
“I’ve been here every day, and I haven’t smelled anything,” Fowler said.
Jamie Metzger, the general manager of Aloft Tempe, a local hotel, said the draining of the lake hasn’t affected the hotel.
The lake hasn’t affected the hotel’s business, except maybe the dragon boat races, he said.
Dragon boats are similar to canoes and in the shape of dragons, and there are races held annually at the lake.
He said one person did call Thursday the week of the dam bursting about renting a sailboat.
“I told them, ‘No, there are no boats going out,” Metzger said. “It was no big deal. They still came [to the hotel].”
Trespassing Surrounding businesses might not see a monetary impact, but anyone who decides to trespass and walk in the barren lake could face a fine of $1,000, according to Tempe spokeswoman Kris Baxter-Ging.
She said there hasn’t been a problem with trespassing in the lake since the first Friday after the dam burst.
“People seem to be getting the message to stay out of the bottom of the lake,” Baxter-Ging said.
There is heavy machinery in the bottom of the lake to help with grading - the process of leveling out the bottom of the lake - and also is keeping people out, she said.
“People get very curious about what’s down there, and I think sometimes they may not think about all the hazards that are down there, so we’ve been issuing quite a few warnings,” Baxter-Ging said.
Reach the reporter at reweaver@asu.edu
