Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Access, Rehab Projects, Derbyfests and more...
weber
Posts: 1017
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 5:44 pm

Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by weber »

Be very careful when climbing at Muir during the next few days. Flooding has destroyed the emergency road (sigh... again) and caused rock fall from the cliffs.

Rick
We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. - Randy Pausch
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. - Henry David Thoreau
dustonian
Posts: 3089
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:46 pm

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by dustonian »

Sorry to hear about the road, Rick. At the new culvert??
weber
Posts: 1017
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 5:44 pm

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by weber »

What culvert? Not sure there is anything left. Will have to wait until the water recedes. When the photos were taken, the culverts on the Emergency Road between the Hideout trail and Great Arch Trail were a couple feet under water. Probably 15 to 20 times the volume they could handle.
We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. - Randy Pausch
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. - Henry David Thoreau
weber
Posts: 1017
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 5:44 pm

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by weber »

Highway 11 is closed due to rockfall and land slides. Looks like it will probably be open tomorrow.
We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. - Randy Pausch
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. - Henry David Thoreau
dustonian
Posts: 3089
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:46 pm

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by dustonian »

Wow, that is a lot of water! Did all of that rain fall today? Maybe there is still a hope the road will be OK once the water recedes?
weber
Posts: 1017
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2003 5:44 pm

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by weber »

dustonian wrote:Wow, that is a lot of water! Did all of that rain fall today? Maybe there is still a hope the road will be OK once the water recedes?
Not sure of what actually happened, but it definitely was an unusual meteorological event. Instead of the usual front coming through, small, intense cells popped up and stalled in place. Our part of Wolfe County got 4 inches of rain in a couple hours. The Jackson weather station, 20 miles away, got barely a sprinkle. Down here, unlike the flatter parts of the Midwest, a relatively few number of creeks carry off water from vast watershed areas. When the rain comes down faster than the ground can absorb it, the creeks roar.

When we first started building the road through the Valley floor, I thought putting two 24-inch diameter culvert pipes at each creek crossing was absurd for those trickling little streams. But, during a gully washer like yesterday, a dozen of these size culverts could not carry all the water. I am now understanding the value of the low water crossing structures such as the one at NB park. They handle the water 99 percent of the time through little culvert pipes. Then when the creeks go nuts, the water just goes over the top of a concrete spillway.

Yesterday the campground near Natural Bridge was under 2 feet of water. By the end of today, all will be back to normal.

Rick
We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. - Randy Pausch
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. - Henry David Thoreau
Eric Cox

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by Eric Cox »

Life in the Red! I love this place!!
User avatar
ReachHigh
Posts: 1784
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2005 4:17 pm

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by ReachHigh »

Low water structures are the way to go when there is any chance of flooding. Much safer to surrounding property because they don't get backup with debris and overflow till there is a washout.
"there's a line between self improvement and self involvement"
"Dogs are nature's pooper scoopers ."
pawilkes
Posts: 1570
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 5:45 am

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by pawilkes »

Not to be an arm chair quarterback but would it be possible to use wired together rocks to instead of concrete to make a low water crossing? might be cheaper and easier than concrete.
Sand inhibits the production of toughtosterone, so get it out and send.
User avatar
ReachHigh
Posts: 1784
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2005 4:17 pm

Re: Severe Flash Flooding in Muir Valley

Post by ReachHigh »

I'm not a civil engineer but I did post on RRC, sounds good to me.
"there's a line between self improvement and self involvement"
"Dogs are nature's pooper scoopers ."
Post Reply