Of Interest...

Dam Failure Temporarily Shutters Streamgage.

1/26/2012 --The low-head dam just downstream from the White Oak Creek near Georgetown, Ohio streamgage collapsed during high flow conditions early Jan 18^th. The 12-foot high low-head dam was built for the Georgetown Waterworks Water Treatment Plant around 1930, but was no longer in use. Low-head dams appear innocuous during lowflow conditions (pic), and may be hidden during high flow (pic), but are always dangerous and considered by some to be “drowning machines.” The stretch of stream upstream from the dam is popular for whitewater paddlers and the USGS has measured streamflow at the site since 1923. Current gage height data will be unavailable until modifications are made to the streamgage and streamflow data will not be available until a new stage-discharge rating can be developed.

Monitoring The Effectiveness Of Rain Gardens, Pervious Pavers, And Bioswales.

1/9/2012 -- Low-impact development (LID) is an approach to manage storm water as near to its source as possible by minimizing impervious surfaces and promoting the natural movement of water. Two newly constructed low-impact development sites in northeastern Ohio were monitored to document their hydraulic characteristics. One site consisted of replacing roadside ditches with a rain garden/bioswale combination to reduce flooding; the other site consisted of a rain garden and pervious pavers to reduce and delay runoff from a newly constructed building and parking lot. Rain gages, crest-stage gages, and sensors measured rainfall, water levels, and runoff. Results are described in a new report and indicate that low-impact development can be a useful approach to managing stormwater at these sites. The results will be used in conjunction with water-quality data collected by the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc., to better define the performance of bioswales, pervious pavers, and rain gardens.

Ottawa, Ohio, Now More Prepared For Floods.

12/1/2011 --Data from streamgages and flood-inundation maps serve as a flood warning that emergency management personnel use along with National Weather Service flood-forecast data to determine a course of action when flooding is imminent. New digital flood-inundation maps of the Blanchard River in Ottawa, Putnam County, Ohio, are available in a new report and will be part of a forthcoming Web-based flood-warning network. Maps of the Village of Ottawa showing flood-inundation areas are presented for 12 flood stages with corresponding streamflows ranging from less than the 2-year and up to nearly the 500-year recurrence-interval flood. As part of the flood-warning network, the USGS upgraded the streamgage at the Blanchard River in Ottawa and added two new streamgages, one on the Blanchard River at Gilboa  and one on Riley Creek, a tributary to the Blanchard River.

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