The Cave's Archive of Missouri River Flooding 2011 Daily Updates: MISSOURI RIVER 2011 FLOODING UPDATE

Flood Information Terminology

100 year flood -- A level of flood water that occurs every 100 years on average. This can be more accurately described as flood conditions that have a 1 percent probability of being met or exceeded each year.

500 year flood -- Flooding with an annual probability of 0.2 percent that conditions would be met or exceeded.

Berm -- A raised barrier or shelf separating two areas. Often built to control erosion by slowing or directing surface runoff.

CFS (Cubic feet per second) -- The measurement used to describe the the amount of water flowing through a river or released by a dam. A cubic foot has the volume of a cube with sides of one foot in length.

For example, an Olympic-size swimming pool holds about 88,000 cubic feet of water. The highest release expected for this flood is 150,000 cubic feet per second from Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton, S.D.

Dewater -- The process of removing groundwater or surface water, usually by pumping.

Intentional breach -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sometimes breaches levees to relieve flooding upriver, including to relieve pressure on floodwalls or other structures protecting critical land.

Levee (or dike) -- A constructed slope or wall to keep floodwaters from an inundation area or adjacent land. Can be permanent or temporary and made of earth, concrete or other materials.

Pooling -- As the water table rises with flooding, water can collect in low areas, including near levee bases. Water from pooling is not considered seepage, because it's from the water table or rainwater, rather than a leak through a levee.

Piping -- Erosion along the base of a levee from strong river currents. This can cause failure as the levee foundation deteriorates too far and its structure collapses.

Riprap -- Rock or concrete rubble often placed on shorelines and bridge abutments to prevent erosion from water and ice.

Sand boil -- Sand boils form on levees when water pressing down on the river side pushes water through to the dry side. Not all sand boils are the same:

Carlos Lazo, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said boils leaking clear water are generally routine fixes. However, he said dark water coming from boils indicates sediment erosion and is more serious.

Scour hole: A hollow in the bed of a stream caused by the erosive action of rapidly circulating flow.

Seepage -- Water that travels through or under a levee. Some seepage is considered normal or expected, but too much can indicate big problems within a levee, and lead to breaking.

157000 CFS June 23, 2011
150900 CFS June 22, 2011
150000 CFS June 21, 2011

percentage of flood control capacity left in that particular reservoir/lake
66.3% June 23, 2011
62.8% June 22, 2011
51.6% June 21, 2011
52.3% June 15, 2011

Kris Kitko's new song/video "Love & Shovels" for free

http://www.facebook.com/NDFloods?sk=wall

KrisKitco.com - "Love and Shovels" to help with donations for North Dakota flood donations

KrisKitco.com - "Frack Pit Love Song"
Kris Kitko's song about pits containing toxic frack waste water and chemicals. $0.99
ALL DOWNLOAD SALES GO DIRECTLY TO BAKKEN WATCH

NORTH DAKOTA'S ONLY NON-PROFIT DEDICATED TO RAISING AWARENESS OF THE DANGERS OF FRACKING (HYDRAULIC FRACTURING).

LIVE Video of Gavins Point Dam

HYDRO-ELECTRICAL GENERATION

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nTbfogjRPdU/TgT0SM6gE3I/AAAAAAAARYk/_7cXyY5opTQ/s400/Gavins%2B-%2Bpower%2Bhouse%2Bflows.JPG

GAVINS POINT DAM'S SPILLWAYS
2008

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_JtMAgKT1RI/TgT60XaV6_I/AAAAAAAARZE/HkdWK5LGSy8/s1600/Power%2BHouse%2BSMALL.jpg

Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kkp2FRZqvHA/Tf_SI-QqvDI/AAAAAAAARI8/2eX7ezaI7Y4/s1600/flood%2Bcalhoun.BMP

20 Miles North of Omaha, NE

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A0Xq-cIlXZ4/TgCdRKiYbpI/AAAAAAAARKU/DIzCFXauwas/s1600/cooper%2Bsm.JPG

Currently in cold shutdown following completion of a planned refueling
(core and spent fuel rods pool require ongoing cooling)

From Omaha Public Power District (OPPD)

Located about 19 miles north of Omaha, OPPD’s Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station is designed to withstand severe natural disasters, including:

1,000-year flood of the Missouri River

Authorities state Cooper Nuclear Plant, currently running 100% could be shut down in "3 seconds", critics still worry

Cooper Nuclear Power Plant

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oXcIKL-zujc/Tf_SI87DkAI/AAAAAAAARI0/pAe9NS9xvzw/s1600/cooper%2Bflood.BMP

Near Brownville, NE approx 75 Miles South of Omaha
Currently running at 100% - water levels have not reached the height for a cold shut down to take place

KFAB Omaha | Cooper Nuclear Plant in Nebraska Operating "Normally" Despite Rising Waters (AP)

Omaha Public Power District (OPPD): If you look closely in the photos, our plant, our substation and other buildings are dry behind berms, sandbag walls and AquaDams. The plant is secure from water to the 1,014 feet above sea level elevation (the river is now at 1,006). It also has diesel generators and additional fuel staged to provide power from on site...(read more)

Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD): There have been at least five situations of flooding around the Brownville area since 1952, and Cooper Nuclear Station, which has experienced several floods since it began commercial operation in 1974, was built to withstand various natural disasters, including tornadoes and earthquakes. The site was elevated 13 feet above the natural grade to 903 feet sea level elevation to accommodate the maximum, probable flooding event. (Earlier this week floodwaters came within 18 inches of 902 feet -- the mark at which Cooper would be shut down.)... (read more)

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

MISSOURI RIVER 2011 FLOODING UPDATE - Wednesday July 27, 2011

Omaha.com | Latest on Missouri River Flooding: July 27, 2011

Detour made shorter — A flood detour across the Missouri River between Iowa and Nebraska is getting shorter.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is adding a legal crossover south of the Interstate 29 interchange with U.S. Highway 34 to allow drivers to make a U-turn from one Interstate ramp to another. In addition, eastbound Highway 34 travelers will be able to drive south on the ramp and use the crossover to take the ramp north.

The department said that, beginning Wednesday, the crossover will shorten the distance by about 15 miles for drivers going east on Highway 34 from Plattsmouth and then north on I-29. Median crossovers along the Interstate are normally restricted to law enforcement officers.

Rising groundwater — The City of Omaha is extending a seepage berm near the Omaha Correctional Center to suppress rising groundwater that resulted from the Missouri River reaching a second crest last weekend.

Over the past two months, about 10 seepage berms have been built in eastern Omaha to counter the effects of flooding, said Marty Grate of Omaha's Public Works Department. Some have been built by the city or its contractors, some by contractors from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and some by contractors working for the Omaha Airport Authority. The berms typically are built with a layer of sand, then a layer of rock that holds the sand in place but allows the water to move, Grate said.

This latest berm, being extended by a corps contractor, should be completed by the end of the week. Grate said groundwater often percolates up after a berm has been built. When this happens, the berm is extended.
Tree woes: An official with the Nebraska Forest Service says flooding along the Missouri River could be hurting area trees. Eric Berg said the resilience of trees to flooding varies by species, age and health of the tree before flooding, among other things. Standing water, he said, is damaging, as tree roots need to obtain oxygen. Berg said symptoms of flood damage include leaf yellowing, early leaf drop and dieback at the crown. He said landowners can help alleviate damage by redirecting standing water, if possible, and covering exposed tree roots to the original soil depth.

Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant: Once the Missouri River floodwaters recede, a number of repairs will have to be made before Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant can resume generating electricity. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission scheduled a meeting for Wednesday with Omaha Public Power District officials to discuss Fort Calhoun’s recovery. Much of the nuclear plant about 20 miles north of Omaha has been surrounded by floodwaters, but the plant itself remains dry inside. Fort Calhoun will stay shut down until after the flooding eases sometime in the fall.
Airport pumping — The trouble spots popping up north and south of Eppley Airfield are not occurring on airport property, officials there say.

The 70 pumps that the Omaha Airport Authority has installed appear to be keeping groundwater from causing problems, said Steve Coufal, executive director. Coufal said no sandboils, sinkholes or similar indications of stress from groundwater have surfaced since July 17.

Installation of the wells was completed July 20. In addition to the pumps, the airport authority has laid down weighted blankets similar to the city's seepage berms. Those are in areas where sandboils had emerged before the pumps were installed, Coufal said.

As a result of the pumping, the water table has dropped by as much as 14 feet at the airport-area wellfields. Near the runways, the water table has dropped about 2.5 feet, Coufal said. The Airport Authority anticipates spending $26 million on its flood fight, including cleanup.
Water in, water out — The Omaha Airport Authority is pumping more water back into the river each day than is used on an average day by Omaha-area businesses and residents.

The airport is pumping out about 100 million gallons a day, airport officials say. That's well above the 88 million gallon average used daily by customers of the Metropolitan Utilities District.

Mark Doyle, an MUD senior vice president, said the figure is an average of all seasons' use. June use averaged 110 gallons per day; July has been averaging 132 gallons per day, he said.

"We're pumping it out, and we're pumping it back in," Doyle said.

BNSF Railway applied to Corps of Engineers to build bridge over Missouri River near Plattsmouth, Nebraska

RadiationNetwork.com

Live National Radiation Network Map

Updated in real time every minute. This is the first web site where the average citizen (or anyone in the world) can see what radiation levels are anywhere in the USA at any time

Missouri River Dams and River Levels Flood Map

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=https://sites.google.com/site/gmap4files/p/news/missouri_river.txt&ll=43.761599,-101.071993&t=h&z=6&label=on

US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS RELEASES NEW FORECAST SCHEDULE OF RELEASE - 6 MAINSTEM MISSOURI BASIN DAMS

Updated Daily

http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/twout.html

NOAA Hydrologic - Water Level at Gavins Point Dam, near Ft. Calhoun and Cooper Nuclear Plants

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/river.php?wfo=abr&wfoid=18696&riverid=203276&view=1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1&toggles=10%2C7%2C8%2C2%2C9%2C15%2C6&pt[]=145640&pt[]=142853&pt[]=144098&pt[]=144183&pt[]=142396&pt[]=143355&allpoints=143990%2C145585%2C145025%2C145026%2C144876%2C145027%2C143234%2C143184%2C145519%2C145640%2C144217%2C142150%2C142780%2C142853%2C145202%2C141586%2C144582%2C143543%2C144796%2C144098%2C144240%2C141320%2C141614%2C142968%2C144183%2C142574%2C143478%2C142193%2C142760%2C142003%2C142610%2C142396%2C144496%2C147345%2C141899%2C143355%2C142050%2C141570%2C144165%2C143476%2C141703%2C142023%2C144123%2C141863%2C143539%2C143436%2C141917%2C143009%2C142688%2C142640%2C143925%2C143734%2C142729%2C143790%2C142668%2C141962%2C142132&data[]=hydrograph&submit=Make+my+River+Page!

FT. PECK DAM - MONTANA

GARRISON DAM - NORTH DAKOTA

FT RANDALL DAM - NEAR CHAMBERLAIN SD

GAVINS POINT DAM - NEAR YANKTON SD

BLAIR, NEBRASKA NEAR FT. CALHOUN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

BROWNVILLE, NE - NEAR COOPER NUCLEAR PLANT

RESERVOIR CONTROL CENTER REPORTS

The following is the latest Reservoir Readings on the Upper Missouri River. This report is updated daily. Click on the picture for today's readings in reference to Gavins Point Dam, Ft. Randall Dam in SD, Big Bend Dam in SD, Oahe Dam in SD, Garrison Dam in ND and Fort Peck in Mt.

Link to daily report:

http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/reports/showrep.cgi?3MRDTAP7

July 27, 2011