Abstract

"The year 1943 will be remembered for a long time as a year of great floods in the Middle West. Floods were occurring in some section of Missouri from April to June. The period of highest stream flow in general occurred during the month of May, and it is the May flood to which this paper pertains. It is quite possible that the importance of this flood is not generally recognized. Although everyone realizes that it was a major catastrophe, only planners for the future, particularly designing engineers, can fully appreciate the benefits which will be obtained from the information which was collected as a result of the flood. It is almost universally recognized among engineers that the best indication as to the behavior of a stream in the future can be obtained from a study of its behavior in the past. The designer of a flood-control project, a hydroelectric development, a bridge, or any structure adjacent to a stream, must obtain all the information he can as to the maximum flow and the highest water-surface elevation likely to occur in the stream. In 1921 the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Geological Survey and Water Resources, began the systematic collection of stream-flow records in Missouri. The probable frequency of a flood such as that of May 1943 is much greater than the length of time from 1921 to date. For instance, at certain points on the Osage River the highest flood known prior to 1943 occurred in 1844. In May 1943 the river was from four to eight feet higher at those points than it was in 1844. Therefore it can be seen that, strange as it seems, the catastrophic flood of May 1943 may prove invaluable to planners and designers for years to come"--Introduction, page 4.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Degree Name

Professional Degree in Civil Engineering

Publisher

Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy

Publication Date

1944

Pagination

ii, 58 pages, maps

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (page 58).

Geographic Coverage

Missouri

Rights

© 1944 John A. Short, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Floods -- MissouriFloods -- Statistics. -- MissouriStream measurements -- Missouri

Thesis Number

T 738

Print OCLC #

5972400

Electronic OCLC #

741309553

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