Geeking on Hydrology

Zeke Lunder, a geographer, discusses hydrology, focusing on the current storms in Northern California. He explains hydrology as the study of water movement, distribution, and management, emphasizing its importance in everyday life. Lunder highlights the role of hydrologists and describes various hydrological features, such as Butte Creek, which is currently running at 9,000 cubic feet per second (CFS). He critiques a new road project near the Chico airport, which failed to account for proper drainage, leading to flooding. Lunder also uses LiDAR data to illustrate flow accumulation and stresses the impact of grading projects on hydrology. He concludes by mentioning the California River Forecast Center and the importance of stream gages in hydrological studies.

Hydrology Overview and Introduction

• Zeke Lunder introduces the topic of hydrology, defining it as the study of water movement, distribution, and management on Earth and other planets.
• He explains the role of hydrologists, who are scientists in earth or environmental science, civil engineering, and physical geography.
• Zeke emphasizes the importance of hydrology in everyday life and mentions the current storms in Northern California.
• He begins a montage of footage from various locations, starting with Butte Creek, which is currently running at about 6,000-7,000 CFS.

Butte Creek and Chico Creek Observations

• Zeke describes the flow of Butte Creek, comparing it to a two or three-year storm event.
• He shows footage of the covered bridge in Butte Creek Canyon, highlighting the water flow in the area.
• Zeke discusses the dam at five-mile Chico, which controls the water flow into Chico.
• He explains the role of the dams in regulating water flow into Lindo Channel and Chico Creek, and the role of Sycamore Diversion in shunting floodwaters around the Chico Urban Area.

Hydrology Failures and Tools

• Zeke highlights a hydrology failure in a new major road construction project near the airport, where improper drainage has led to flooding.
• He explains the importance of understanding hydrology to avoid such failures and mentions the use of tools like LiDAR for flow accumulation analysis.
• Zeke shows how LiDAR data can be used to create detailed models of the landscape and analyze water flow.
• He discusses the impact of grading projects on hydrology and the importance of not running amok with your bulldozer.
• Zeke uses LiDAR data to show how water flow accumulates on the landscape, highlighting the new road project’s drainage issues.
• He explains how Cohasset Road intercepts drainage from a large area, overwhelming undersized new drainage ditches and flooding the new highway.
• He emphasizes the importance of understanding the underlying geology and hydrology when planning infrastructure projects.

Impact of Development on Hydrology

• Zeke discusses how new developments in flood plains can alter water flow patterns and increase the risk of flooding.
• He explains how small grading projects or roads can significantly affect the hydrology of a large area.
• Zeke highlights the importance of proper planning and understanding the underlying geology to avoid hydrological issues.
• He mentions the role of stream gages in monitoring water flow and the use of telemetry to gather data.

California River Forecast Center and Stream Gages

• Zeke introduces the California River Forecast Center, which uses stream gage data to create flood maps.
• He shows an example of the Red Bluff stream gage, which crested at minor flood stage and is forecast to enter moderate flood stage.
• Zeke explains how hydrologists study the shape of the hydrograph curve to understand the character of the watershed.
• He discusses the current high flow rates in local creeks, such as Deer Creek and Mill Creek.
• Zeke highlights the impact of the Park Fire on the watersheds and the current high flow rates in Deer Creek and Mill Creek.
• Zeke mentions the California Data Exchange Center, which provides resources and data for hydrologists and researchers.