# High water



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 9, 2014)

The CT River is in the way of my afternoon walk dammit.


----------



## matt267 PE (Apr 9, 2014)

Wuss, It's not that deep.


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 9, 2014)

I know a certain consultant in Central Fla who could help mitigate this problem.


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 9, 2014)

I wondered how long...


----------



## knight1fox3 (Apr 9, 2014)

Can RFQ's be sent from his website. I dare you..... :eyebrows:

You could even include the pic.


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 9, 2014)

I can't do that. I'm mature these days (somewhat) and don't poke the bear anymore (unless drunk).


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 9, 2014)

Sapper said:


> I wondered how long...


sorry. I was working again. I'll try not to let it get in the way come monday. I have a title to defend.


----------



## roadwreck (Apr 9, 2014)

I bet you wouldn't even get wet if you were driving the Jeep...


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 9, 2014)

No, it isn't all that deep really, but I certainly didn't want wet shoes and trousers. I mean, I actually was coming back to the office afterall... not sure why since I've basically done nothing all day.


----------



## Dexman PE PMP (Apr 9, 2014)

Wait, you wear pants to work?


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 9, 2014)

Dexman PE said:


> Wait, you wear pants to work?


No "trousers"


----------



## Dexman PE PMP (Apr 9, 2014)

That's where I tell the ladies snakes are from.


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 15, 2014)

This was yesterday.. today it's even higher. There's usually a road at the bottom of the fill slope.


----------



## matt267 PE (Apr 15, 2014)

is this what happens when you fill in wetlands?


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 15, 2014)

I don't know. This is the CT River near Hartford. Basically, the slope on the left is a massive berm, probably 30 feet tall and on the other side of the berm at the same elevation as this picture is another road and a bunch of office buildings. So the berm was built as a flood control measure some number of years ago. It's pretty clear that the flood plain is actually quite wide, and they decided to build the berm in order to build office space.


----------



## frazil (Apr 15, 2014)

The guy who regulates the CT river sits about 2 doors down from me. They're expecting a huge amount of flow in the next few days with rainfall and snowmelt so they've been releasing all the water from the dams up north to make room for the water that's coming.


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 15, 2014)

Yeah, that's what we were talking about here in the office is that this must be because of all the snow melt from Vermont. So, are you telling me it's going to get higher still? It's been rising all day. And tell your buddy that he's messing up my running route!


----------



## matt267 PE (Apr 15, 2014)

frazil said:


> The guy who regulates the CT river sits about 2 doors down from me. They're expecting a huge amount of flow in the next few days with rainfall and snowmelt so they've been releasing all the water from the dams up north to make room for the water that's coming.


A March 2010 storm here in RI caused a river to rise 20' above flood zone and flow over a 9' berm and completely flood a major WWTF. One of the contributing factors were upstream dams releasing water.


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 15, 2014)

Here's a view from my office window. So, I'm on the 16th floor, which means you lose some of the scale of this, and I zoomed in to show some detail, but the berm is the grassy strip, it's probably 30' high. On the other side of the berm, the water has already risen well over 6' or so, because where the water is now, is usually a road, some picnic tables, and then there's a fairly good sized bank, and docks and all kinds of stuff. All of that is completely submerged now.


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 15, 2014)

matt267 said:


> is this what happens when you fill in wetlands?


wetlands are a fictional constraint created by tree huggers. oking:


----------



## frazil (Apr 15, 2014)

Sapper said:


> Yeah, that's what we were talking about here in the office is that this must be because of all the snow melt from Vermont. So, are you telling me it's going to get higher still? It's been rising all day. And tell your buddy that he's messing up my running route!


I don't know if it'll get higher still where you are. I think the goal is to prevent that water plus the 6 ft of additional stage they're expecting to come down all at once. So it may just remain that high for several days. It's a pretty amazing &amp; effective system, and that's what those floodways are for. It's better than what Hartford looked like in 1936 after heavy snowmelt and rain:


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 15, 2014)

Sapper said:


> Yeah, that's what we were talking about here in the office is that this must be because of all the snow melt from Vermont. So, are you telling me it's going to get higher still? It's been rising all day. And tell your buddy that he's messing up my running route!


Sapp, you can easily check the the historical data as well as current data on the USGS website for said river.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ct/nwis/uv?site_no=01190070


----------



## Master slacker (Apr 15, 2014)

Just make sure your snow melt doesn't f**k us up like it nearly did in 2011. K thx

Before -





After -


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 15, 2014)

Good stuff, and what'd I tell you, 6'! I've got one hell of a well calibrated eye!!!!


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 15, 2014)

Connecticut snow melt effects MS in LA?


----------



## matt267 PE (Apr 15, 2014)

NJmike PE said:


> matt267 said:
> 
> 
> > is this what happens when you fill in wetlands?
> ...


I bet "they" use holograms to make us think they are there.


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 15, 2014)

No, CT snow melt doesn't effect LA. VT snow melt effects CT. CT snow melted weeks ago.


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 15, 2014)

Sapper said:


> No, CT snow melt doesn't effect LA. VT snow melt effects CT. CT snow melted weeks ago.


I'm with you. I thought MS was from LA and his post led me to believe that snow melt from New England somehow impacted him.


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 15, 2014)

matt267 said:


> NJmike PE said:
> 
> 
> > matt267 said:
> ...


that and VERY large permitting fees to build around them.


----------



## Master slacker (Apr 15, 2014)

I'm not a stormwater engineer (because it's too tough) and I'm busy eating french fries. Just keep yo damn melting snow up yunder in them northern river parts. Thanky kindly.


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 15, 2014)

Master slacker said:


> I'm not a stormwater engineer (because it's too tough)


this


----------



## engineergurl (Apr 15, 2014)

Master slacker said:


> I'm not a stormwater engineer (because it's too tough) and I'm busy eating french fries. Just keep yo damn melting snow up yunder in them northern river parts. Thanky kindly.




yes because when you build things at an elevation lower than sea level, it is a surprise when it floods...


----------



## knight1fox3 (Apr 15, 2014)

engineergurl said:


> Master slacker said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not a stormwater engineer (because it's too tough) and I'm busy eating french fries. Just keep yo damn melting snow up yunder in them northern river parts. Thanky kindly.
> ...


OH SNAP!!! hmy:


----------



## Master slacker (Apr 15, 2014)

engineergurl said:


> Master slacker said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not a stormwater engineer (because it's too tough) and I'm busy eating french fries. Just keep yo damn melting snow up yunder in them northern river parts. Thanky kindly.
> ...




I blame the civil engineers.

Those damn, dirty civil engineers...


----------



## engineergurl (Apr 15, 2014)

Master slacker said:


> engineergurl said:
> 
> 
> > Master slacker said:
> ...




See, now a smart man would have blamed the surveyors (sorry EM)


----------



## csb (Apr 15, 2014)

Did someone call for a dirty civil engineer?


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 15, 2014)

Master slacker said:


> engineergurl said:
> 
> 
> > Master slacker said:
> ...


see now I would have blamed those damn mechanical engineers who couldn't design a pump powerful enough to stay ahead of the rising flood waters. Slackers


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 16, 2014)

Wow


----------



## matt267 PE (Apr 16, 2014)

^ wow. That could get serious.


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 16, 2014)

are there any downstream flood controls (levees, etc)? Anything that can regulate the backwater effects? See Tmack was right. This stormwater modeling is so difficult!


----------



## engineergurl (Apr 16, 2014)

I actually grew up in an area that was prone to flooding... I thought that flood dams, levees, berms, flood walls and flood gates across the road were normal until I moved away. The last few springs have been brutal there, back in 2011 the water breached pretty much every measure in place. In the bottom photo you can see where one of the levees is near the golf course which is usually the thing that is impacted most. Lots of sports fields down by the river, lol. This is just south/west of the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Riviers.


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 16, 2014)

I know exactly what you are talking bout. Norther NJ is full of flood-prone areas.






Wayne, NJ (2012)






Wayne, NJ (2012)






Pequannock, NJ (2012)

You get the point


----------



## engineergurl (Apr 16, 2014)

I can't remember, but is this your first spring in that area Sapper?


----------



## frazil (Apr 16, 2014)

It looks like they're forecasting the river to peak tonight up here and sometime tomorrow down there.


----------



## Sapper PE LS (Apr 16, 2014)

As long as it doesn't rise another 25 feet, I think we're in good shape. It's flooded, but it's all between the flood walls and berms and has over 20' of headboard right now.


----------



## knight1fox3 (Apr 16, 2014)

Just in case, you'd better start building Sap. 






Good idea NJmike!


----------



## matt267 PE (Apr 16, 2014)

^ should read: "SAPPER - Bad A$$ Covert CIA Agent."


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 16, 2014)

knight1fox3 said:


> Just in case, you'd better start building Sap.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


awesome!


----------



## Dexman PE PMP (Apr 16, 2014)

Is there any way we could channel this through DC? That place needs a good "cleansing"


----------



## engineergurl (Apr 16, 2014)

I &lt;3 Russell Crowe, sigh

(he scores right up there with Harrison Ford but is starting to edge the old man out because of his music capabilities...)


----------



## knight1fox3 (Apr 16, 2014)

^ played really well on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Who knew.... :dunno:

To me he'll always be G L A D I A T O R!


----------



## engineergurl (Apr 16, 2014)

knight1fox3 said:


> ^ played really well on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Who knew.... :dunno:
> 
> To me he'll always be G L A D I A T O R!




I think he would have made a better Jean Valjen than Hugh Jackman did.


----------



## mudpuppy (Apr 16, 2014)

Meanwhile, the record flooding in Muskegon, MI continues. This follows the snow melt plus 6" of rain over the weekend:
















But this remains my all-time favorite flood picture (from downtown Grand Rapids, MI last spring):


----------



## NJmike PE (Apr 16, 2014)

MP, that last one is crazy.


----------



## Dexman PE PMP (Apr 16, 2014)

I love seeing some of the flood pictures that show fish swimming by the windows.


----------



## mudpuppy (Apr 16, 2014)

Here's some more flooding from Michigan, going on this week. Flooded one of our substations (as you can see in the video) so we had to install a mobile sub to pick up the customers.


----------

