Water Log: 2015

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Kissimmee River, Florida, Straightened and Unstraightened

The Kissimmee River flows south Florida and feeds into Lake Okeechobee. After hurricanes in 1947 Congress authorized the canalization of the river. From 1962 to 1970 the Army Corps of Engineers dredged a canal through the middle of the river valley, replacing 103 miles of river with 56 miles of canal. Almost immediately it was recognized as a mistake. Fish and bird populations plummeted, and the floodplain dried out. The canal brought many more pollutants to Lake Okeechobee. Efforts to restore the river did not begin until 1997, and only 43 miles will be returned to their natural state. Several locks have been removed, and others will be soon.

Chandler Ranch Road, Kissimmee River, Florida

Lock, Chandler Ranch Road, Kissimmee River, Florida

Artificial Channel, Kissimmee River, Florida

Restored River, Kissimmee River, Florida

Dry Floodplain, Kissimmee Valley, Florida

Friday, May 22, 2015

Brooklyn Water Supply Long Island Aqueduct, Part 1

The City of Brooklyn built its own water supply in the 19th Century. It was a series of wells, ponds and reservoirs, running from Massapequa to the Ridgewood Reservoir, connected by an aqueduct that ran parallel to Sunrise Highway, and then northwest under what is now called Conduit Boulevard. Robert Moses swapped most of the land with Nassau County so he could build highways. The wells are all gone, but the ponds and reservoirs remain, mostly as parks. the structures are in disrepair, or have been completely destroyed. I walked from Massapequa to Wantagh to photograph the section furthest from Brooklyn. I've included two earlier pictures at the bottom; the Massapequa Gatehouse in 1998, before it had a roof (and a coat of red paint) and the Wantagh Pumping Station, before it was walled in.

Massapequa Gatehouse

Massapequa Spillway

Seaford Creek

Seaford Gatehouse

Wantagh Upper Spillway

Wantagh Lower Spillway

Wantagh Gatehouse

Wantagh Pump Station

Walking Route

Massapequa Gatehouse, 1998

Wantagh Pump Station, 1997

Lake Okeechobee Part 3

Dams and Fish Ladders, Columbia and Snake Rivers

The Columbia River is the largest dam in the Northwest United States. The Snake River is its largest tributary. At one time the Columbia River was the most productive salmon river in the country. It now has 14 hydroelectric dams, which impede migration in both direction. The Snake River has another 15 dams. Salmon are anadromous; they are born and breed in fresh water but live most of the time in salt water. Many of the dams on these two rivers have fish ladders to allow adult salmon to return to their breeding grounds. And some of the dams have facilities to help young salmon swim to the ocean. Young salmon are also put in barges and carried towards the ocean. But these facilities and operations do not work that well. And other types of fish are hurt by the dams. Fish ladders must be designed for particular species, and one type of fish ladder may work well for only one species. Recent studies have shown that fish ladders may not work well at all: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/blocked_migration_fish_ladders_on_us_dams_are_not_effective/2636/

The Bonneville Dam is the last (or first) impediment to migration. The dams on the Snake River and much further inland. Many organizations have advocated for the removal of the Lower Snake River dams (some seen below), since they produce relatively small amounts of electricity.