Dear COS:
I want to alert you to a major runoff event that happened at Hubbard Brook yesterday. The most important message is to be careful in the woods and drive carefully. There is some damage to the road between weir 1 and 4, and to shoulders,
which may not be safe to park on in some places. There may be major erosion around some streams and trails. Anyone who has crews working onsite now, please pass on a safety message to your crews.
Preliminary data show a peak stage of 2.26 ft at weir 3, which would place this as the 8th highest flow ever measured (moving Irene to 10th place). Weir 9 appears to have peaked at 3.6 ft, which is likely a record
there. The last streamflow event that was larger than this was in January 2006. The last big event this time of year was on June 29, 1973, when weir 3 peaked at 1.97 ft (28th largest).
Beyond the safety concern, there may be implications and opportunities for science, particularly for those working on streams. I have never seen suspended sediments so high and large trees were transported downstream along the main stem
of Hubbard Brook. This was a major channel scouring event and there may have been quite a bit of channel erosion or re-routing in some areas. Any reports along these lines would be appreciated.
Stay safe!
-
Scott
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