The rains began in March, 2007.
By July, as the rains continued to fall, the USGS Oklahoma Water Science
Center sensed that water year 2007 (October 1, 2006 - September 30, 2007) might
become historic in terms of duration of high-water discharge (number of days)
and geographic extent. Because the
events of the year placed a stress on our Science Center’s resources (workforce
and equipment/supplies), our potential and preparedness for responding to
similar events in the future became a key topic of discussion in our office. We
felt that mutual benefit for Oklahoma was to be gained through the
collaboration of experts who have a role in the preparedness for similar events
in the future. So on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, the USGS Oklahoma Water
Science Center convened a “meeting of the minds” to discuss Oklahoma’s
extraordinarily wet year. The meeting
was held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma. We were hosted by the National Weather
Service (thanks to Dr. John Snow, Dean of OU School of Meteorology and
Geography).
The response to our November meeting was overwhelming. Based on
presentations from a range of technical experts, water year 2007 in Oklahoma
was indeed unique. The subjects discussed ranged from precipitation patterns,
river discharge and reservoir storage, economic and social impacts,
transportation, electric power transmission, and agricultural flood control.
To facilitate the dissemination of information presented at the meeting to
interested parties, we provide the presentations in a PDF format below. If you
have any questions about the meeting please feel free to contact Stan Paxton (spaxton@usgs.gov) or Carol Becker (cjbecker@usgs.gov) at the USGS Oklahoma
Water Science Center at 405 810-4400.
Stan
Paxton, Studies Chief, USGS Oklahoma Water Science Center: Goals
and Objectives
Steve Loftis, Kingfisher
City/County Emergency Management: Flood
effects in the Kingfisher area
Julia
Mathews, Miami-area resident;
Flood effects in the Miami area
Derek Arndt, Associate State Climatologist, Oklahoma
Climatological Survey: Unusual
Rainfall Patterns of 2007
Yang
Hong, Associate Professor, School of Civil Engineering and
Environmental Services, University of Oklahoma: Satellite Precipitation Records
for 2007
Baxter
Vieux, Director for the Center for Natural Hazards and Disaster
Research, National Weather Center, Norman, Oklahoma: Radar Precipitation Monitoring and
Flood Detection (What was so unusual about 2007?)
Rachel
Esralew, Hydrologist, USGS Oklahoma Water Science Center:
Stream
Discharge and Rating Shift Analysis for a Very Wet Year
Greg
Estep, Tulsa District Corp. of Engineers, Chief Water Management
Section:
Reservoir Storage and Flood Pool Levels: – It
was a “Hurricane” of a Year
Vince Hernandez, Regional CEO, American Red Cross of Oklahoma: Hurricane Erin
Leslie
Lewis, Hydraulics Engineer, Oklahoma Department of Transportation:
Mother Nature’s Fury on Oklahoma’s Roads
and Bridges
Christopher Clarke, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Materials
Division: Flood Effect Evaluation Study
Sid
Sperry, Director of Public Relations, Communications &
Research, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives: Ice, Snow,
Wind, Tornados, Tropical Storms and Floods: Keeping the Power Flowing through
Extremes
Note:
The four presenters below shared the same presentation
Larry Caldwell, NRCS Watershed Specialist: Using Precipitation Data
to Predict Watershed Dam Spillway Flow and Estimated Flood Control Benefits.
Jim Henley, NRCS GIS Manager: Using Precipitation Data and Storm
Frequency and Duration Data to Predict Spillway flows in Watershed Program
Project Dams.
Gary
Utley, NRCS State Hydraulic Engineer: Developing Water Budgets
for Individual Flood Control Structures to Estimate Flood Control Benefits for
Single Storm Events.
Ken Matlock, NRCS State Resource Conservationist: USDA-NRCS Tools and Techniques for
Evaluating the Impact of Large Storm Events on Cropland Erosion and Deposition
in Caddo County.