Final Thoughts

I started the semester wanting to know more about the effects of flooding and erosion, and what can be done to prevent them. The current flood in Colorado and the Missouri River Flood of 2011 provided great examples of two very different types of floods and their impact. The Colorado Flood was a "flash" flood and preventive measures were nil; while the Missouri River Flood was predicted a few months out so many preventive measures were used to protect lives and property. I found a great piece by the Missouri River Institute that explained how the Missouri River's channel changed due to the flood and the effects on flow and species habitat. It also gave some great pros and cons of flooding; noting most think of the negatives but many good things come from flooding. Erosion control was more difficult to research but the conservation methods used along the Bad River provided examples of the many small things that can be done to significantly reduce erosion. Also, a scientific article proved that some types of vegetation provide better erosion control then others. The most fascinating topic of my blogging experience was School of Mines seminar "A History of Especially Large Floods for the Black Hills Area" by Dan Driscoll. Not only was it exciting to understand much of the seminar due to what was covered in Hydrology class but the techniques that were used to estimate historic floods before there were records was very interesting.

I personally enjoyed blogging. It was a little bit more time consuming then I originally thought but much better then writing a paper. In writing a paper there tends to be a single topic but in blogging I was able to cover many subtopics under one broad topic making for a more diverse experience. It was also interesting to read the other blogs. I felt I received a broader range of knowledge this way. The most difficult things was finding a scientific article and getting it to post, which really isn't related to the actual blogging. I think blogging is a good media for students to learn, as not only do you learn about your own topic but the topics of the others as well. For example, I would have never given much thought about the laws over water rights but I found the "Politics in Water" blogs very intriguing. Blogging would be a great tool to use in future classes.

Missouri River Flood of 2011

In our hydrology class we have talked about a few methods fir predicting and modeling flood events. The Missouri River Flood of 2011 proved that it is not always a perfect system and that nature has its own set of rules. My family is from Fort Pierre, so I was able to see the affects of the flood firsthand. This flood was due to excessive snow pack in Montana and an unusually wet spring, so there was time to take precautions to reduce the effects of the flood. Both Pierre and Fort Pierre built a levee system to protect many of the structures within the cities. Storm drains were plugged by divers so the water would not back up into the streets. Pumps were brought in to pump rainwater out of the streets and back over the levees. Below are a few newspaper articles from the Capital Journal (Pierre, SD) that my Dad saved. Also there are some pictures showing the affects of the flood waters.

Photograph by South Dakota Highway Patrol

 This picture is just below the Oahe Dam on the west side of the Missouri River. The river typically flows several feet below the yards of these houses, the trees help mark where the yards once were. The water spread out to Highway 1806, which can be seen near the trees in the background.

Photograph by South Dakota Highway Patrol

 The causeway, indicated by the waves, typically is quite a few feet above the water level. The road connects Pierre (in background) and La Framboise Island (indicated by trees at right). Later in the summer the force of the water washed away part of the causeway.

Photograph by South Dakota Highway Patrol

 The stilling basin is located at the foot of the Oahe Dam and is used to release excess water. All tunnels were opened during the flood, a first in the Dam's history. When standing near this area you could feel the power of the water by vibrations in the ground. The waves reminded me of something you would see on the open ocean, not a river.

Photograph by the Capital Journal, Chris Mangan

A vortex appeared above the dam due to the turbulence of the water flowing from the stilling basin. The pontoon boat on the right can be used as a scale to determine the size of the vortex.