Articles tagged with Rivers
The USGS is reporting record-high floods in several states, including West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The Little Kanawha River in West Virginia peaked at a historic 57,200 cfs, while the Ohio Brush Creek reached an 71-year high of 80,000 cfs.
The USGS network has been severely impacted by recent floods, with 146 streamflow measuring stations damaged or destroyed. This has hampered efforts to provide basic floodflow measurements, particularly in California where 79 gages were affected.
In 1996, 50% of streamgaging stations reported above-normal flows, while 29% reported below-normal flows. Record wet years on both coasts led to high loads of sediment, nutrients, and chemicals affecting water quality and living resources.
The Cheseapeake Bay experienced record flows in 1996, with rivers carrying a combined average of 87.5 billion gallons per day, affecting water quality and ecosystem health. Environmental effects could have been worse, but management actions and favorable timing reduced the impact.
A new USGS report explores the environmental consequences of dams, including erosion, waterfowl habitat changes, and loss of river sand bars. The report emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary scientific approaches to minimize negative impacts and promote informed decisions about dam management.
A computer-based system aims to establish a scientific basis for equitable and sustainable water resources management. The integrated decision support system uses hydrometeorological data to simulate the response of rivers and reservoirs to different climatic inputs, water and power demands, and decision policies.
The Yanomamo tribe, numbering around 25,000, is facing a major survival crisis due to the devastating floods in Venezuela's Amazon region. The flooding has imperiled clusters of Yanomamo living near the Orinoco River and destroyed their staple food crops, leading to increased sicknesses and potentially uncontrollable epidemics.