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The Nebraska Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association (NeFSMA) is an active organization of over 100 members representing over 50 organizations. NeFSMA pursues multiple purposes including: 1.)promote public awareness of floodplain and stormwater management; 2.) promote the professional status of floodplain and stormwater management and secure all benefits resulting there from; 3.) promote cooperation and information exchange between individuals and entities concerned with floodplain and stormwater management; 4.) keep individuals concerned with floodplain and stormwater management well informed through educational and professional seminars and to provide a method for dissemination of information, both general and technical; 5.) inform and educate concerned individuals of pending floodplain or stormwater legislation, funding and other related management matters. Please browse our website to learn more about NeFSMA at www.nefsma.net. If you are interested in joining, either contact one of the board members or complete the membership form.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

2011 NeFSMA Conference - Reconstruction of Ames Iowa Storm for the Papillion Creek Watershed

Reconstruction of Ames Iowa August 2010 Storm for the Papillion Creek Watershed, Amanda Grint, Papio-Missouri River NRD, Omaha, NE and Laurie Carrette Zook, HDR Engineering, Inc., Omaha, NE

Could the Ames, IA storm that caused so much damage to Iowa State University have happened in the Omaha metro?  How would the Papillion Creek Watershed, which includes Omaha and surrounding communities, respond to a similar rainfall? August 8-10, 2010 three days of rainfall totaling 8 to 9 1/2 inches hit Ames resulting in 1 death, a community of 56,000 residents without drinking water and $30 to $40 million in damages to Iowa State University. 

Meteorologists used rain gage and radar data from the National Weather Service to reconstruct the Ames, Iowa August 2010 storm over the Papillion Creek Watershed.  The Papillion Creek Watershed (outlined in the figure on the right) was transposed over the storm event in such a way as to adhere to meteorological principles that are specific to storms that impact our area.  The graphic to the right shows the most intense rainfall over the three day period, on August 11, 2010, rainfall totals were 5-6 inches just upstream of Ames.  The rainfall distribution was analyzed and reconstructed for the Papillion Creek Watershed.  The rainfall data was used to estimate flows that were then modeled using the Papillion Creek topography and geometry to estimate the effect that the Ames storm would have here.  Areas predicted to be flooded were mapped and preliminary estimates of damages were conducted.
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