For years, whitewater enthusiasts have dreamed of a slalom course at Lake Natoma to complement the existing flatwater facilities and to provide a year-round venue in which to train and compete. BASOC has joined with this group and is working with the California State Parks, the Bureau of Reclamation and several other agencies to bring this dream into reality. Expert course designer John Anderson has designed the course to emerge from above the Nimbus Dam and snake alongside the dam. He has completed studies for its development, and other studies are under way to ensure that the gravity-fed system does not in any way disturb the ecological conditions downstream from the dam.

When complete, the Lake Natoma Slalom Course will provide the region and the entire country with a much-needed site and a superb venue for the 2012 Olympic Games. Additional facilities will include a training course to encourage more participation in the sport.

The Slalom Course will be supported by the California State University at Sacramento Aquatics Center, so that the venue is supported by first-class facilities for competitors, officials and the Olympic Family. For the Olympic Games, BASOC will provide at least 4,000 seats along the course for spectators. As with the flatwater facilities at Lake Natoma, an important feature of the Slalom Course is its easy accessibility from the adjacent freeway, and its proximity to the state capital Sacramento.