Each year, it seems, the same rumor eventually makes its way to Tracy Willette’s desk. When the water in nearby Kenduskeag Stream is low – as it has been in recent years – he hears a rumor.

And when the water’s high – as it is right now – he hears the same rumor.

They’re going to cancel the canoe race.

Willette, the race director and the city’s superintendent of recreation, chuckles about the rumor mill fueled by passion for the area’s biggest whitewater race.

And he assures you, there’s nothing to worry about: The Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, 41st edition, will go off as planned on Saturday morning.

“Obviously, as the race director you’re concerned about changes and safety and that kind of thing, but I also knew that the Kenduskeag goes up and down fairly quickly,” Willette said on Wednesday, after meeting with the race committee to make final plans.

“I knew [the rainy weather and high water] would make us aware that we need to keep an eye on the stream on a daily basis, which we’ve been doing, so that we can start thinking of options if we need to,” he said.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Kenduskeag was raging. But Willette said he thought even at its highest level during that span, the race probably could have been staged.

Now, with the rain over he expects the water level to drop steadily before paddlers begin leaving Kenduskeag Village at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Lew Gilman, who founded the race with Sonny Colburn, said that one year – 1970 – steady rain for three days made for harrowing conditions.

“They checked Six Mile Falls on the way up [to the start]. The water was a foot higher when they came down [two hours later],” Gilman said.

“[Conditions in] 1970 were just like they were today,” Gilman said after looking at the course on Wednesday. “[Back then] I said, ‘If it ever gets that high again, I won’t have anything to do with that race.'”

Gilman admitted that he was a bit worried earlier in the week, but is confident that conditions will be fine when race day arrives.

“It’ll be high, but fine,” he said.

High water means different things to different paddlers. For serious racers, it might mean the chance to challenge the existing course record in their class.

“Records are possible,” Willette said. “I’ll have [a copy of the records] with me, which I haven’t had to do the past couple of years because I was fairly comfortable with low water that we wouldn’t set any records. This year might be a little different.”

Colburn said that when there’s high water on the Kenduskeag, it opens up more options for experienced paddlers looking to post a fast time.

“[Today they could] cut right across that Davis farm and cut out a quarter of a mile,” Colburn said. “It’s faster water [in the stream] and you can cut corners. The guys who race to win or set a record, they know how to do it. I just paddle down through to enjoy it.”

Willette said race officials will keep an eye on water levels and tide charts for the Penobscot River on race day, and could easily make changes if they are warranted.

In 1999, the finish line was moved upstream because of an abnormally high tide that peaked during the time many paddlers would have been finishing.

In downtown Bangor, Kenduskeag Stream passes under a number of bridges, and at high tide that year, the paddlers wouldn’t have been able to get under the bridges.

“It was an unusual year because we had low water in the stream, but one of the highest tides of the year was the day of the race,” Willette said.

Race organizers could change the finish line again if the water proves too high, but this year’s high tide will come at about 2:30 p.m., and paddlers are expected to have finished by then.

Safety, however, remains a concern.

“The advice I’d have to participants is to know your paddling ability and be aware of that as you go down through the stream,” Willette said.

Race officials will continue to meet to determine whether any additional safety precautions are needed, he said.

“Part of our meeting before the race is to discuss with the safety teams if we need to be keener on some locations than others,” he said. “We’ll discuss that.”

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.