Post- Eau Claire Flooding

Flotsam by the foot bridge on campus.

The Leader Telegram reported that damages following the floods in Eau Claire a week and a half ago were very minimal due to prevention methods that were taken in the early 1990's after the 1993 flood.  The current river on campus crested at 777.5 feets and was the 5th highest on record.  Another article on UW-Eau Claire web site noted that they kept the compus from flooding by using the pump we had seen the other day to pump water overflow from Little Niagra Creek back into the river.  The pumping began on Friday night and continued until Sunday evening.  There was some seepage in the University Bookstore and the Haas parkinglots were shut down over that weekend due to flooding.  Another interesting aspect that came out of the flooding was that officials were able to confirm that their 2004-05 riverbank stabilization project did in turn lower the river levels through campus by 1/2 foot.  This was successful because reduced friction along the sides of the river plus a more gentle curve in the bank moved the water through more swiftly than during past floods.