St Louis is flooding, eh?

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BW23
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by BW23 »

It's certainly a man-made problem, but it's not global warming.

I have a meeting in Clayton tomorrow. Biggest meeting of my professional life by far. Looks like I'll have to fly in.

Freed Roger
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

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Joe Shlabotnik
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by Joe Shlabotnik »

So I am headed west this weekend and I can either go north through St. Louis or south through Tulsa. Is Missouri still going to be under water this weekend?

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IMADreamer
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by IMADreamer »

Yesterday there was an article in the post dispatch blaming upstream levees for the rain. Specifically the Sny Island Drainage District which is the largest drainage district in the world and the one my farm happens to be in. Yes we've built up our levees. We did it because the corp refuses to dredge the river, because the corp is holding water back at the lock and damns to create a higher river for barge traffic because they refuse to dredge the river. Our levees are not causing this flood because while we are flooded right now the river is actually not the problem. Our problem is the rain fell and washed down the creeks into our fields and now that water has to be pumped into the river. The river which is not in major flood stage. So our levees are not sending more water down to st. louis.

The problem there is concrete. Miles and miles of concrete where trees and grass used to be. Trees and grass that used to soak up and hold back the water. Now instead of that the concrete insures it all goes into the local streams and rivers immediately.

Then there is climate change. One of the known problems of climate change is more extreme periods of weather. We are definitely in a wet period. Someday we will be in a dry period. We know that both of those will be more extreme because of climate change. To deny it is just ignoring science, it's just stupid.

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IMADreamer
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by IMADreamer »

Joe Shlabotnik wrote:So I am headed west this weekend and I can either go north through St. Louis or south through Tulsa. Is Missouri still going to be under water this weekend?

I would certainly take the southern rout. This weekend is going to be tricky traveling in Missouri.

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GeddyWrox
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by GeddyWrox »

Either route may have issues. Arkansas has been flooding in places too. Here, the waters should be receeding again after this current round of rain. But who knows what state the flooded roads will be in. There is a stretch of I-44 near Rolla where the flood ruined the concrete.

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Famous Mortimer
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by Famous Mortimer »

IMADreamer wrote:Yesterday there was an article in the post dispatch blaming upstream levees for the rain. Specifically the Sny Island Drainage District which is the largest drainage district in the world and the one my farm happens to be in. Yes we've built up our levees. We did it because the corp refuses to dredge the river, because the corp is holding water back at the lock and damns to create a higher river for barge traffic because they refuse to dredge the river. Our levees are not causing this flood because while we are flooded right now the river is actually not the problem. Our problem is the rain fell and washed down the creeks into our fields and now that water has to be pumped into the river. The river which is not in major flood stage. So our levees are not sending more water down to st. louis.

The problem there is concrete. Miles and miles of concrete where trees and grass used to be. Trees and grass that used to soak up and hold back the water. Now instead of that the concrete insures it all goes into the local streams and rivers immediately.

Then there is climate change. One of the known problems of climate change is more extreme periods of weather. We are definitely in a wet period. Someday we will be in a dry period. We know that both of those will be more extreme because of climate change. To deny it is just ignoring science, it's just stupid.
Indeed (and I'm sorry to hear about your farm).

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Farewell Friends
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by Farewell Friends »

BW23 wrote:It's certainly a man-made problem, but it's not global warming.
Oh.

Another 3 inches of rain expected in the next 24 hours. Nothing to see here.

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lukethedrifter
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by lukethedrifter »

Farewell Friends wrote:
BW23 wrote:It's certainly a man-made problem, but it's not global warming.
Oh.

Another 3 inches of rain expected in the next 24 hours. Nothing to see here.

I think the experts believe it has more to do with river management and development of flood plains and buildup of levees and loss of water absorbing wetlands.

But it should not be that hard to figure out if climate change is contributing. Are rainfall accumulations occurring over shorter time spans? Is total accumulation up in certain regions?

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Farewell Friends
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Re: St Louis is flooding, eh?

Post by Farewell Friends »

I understand that we've created a lot of the flooding issues, but getting 9-13 inches of rain in a 5-day span is not normal and it's happened twice in 16 months. Like I said, maybe it's a fluke. I sure hope so, but I doubt it.

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