News Release

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey

1993 and 1903: Time and Technology Change Effects of Floods

Today, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is introducing a fact sheet and Web page commemorating the anniversaries of the 1903 and 1993 floods in Kansas. Time and technology have changed the effects of flooding on people and their property. The results of the historic 1903 flood were very different from those of the 1993 flood because of changing times and technology.

One hundred years ago this Memorial Day, the Kansas River overflowed its banks, flooding North Topeka with up to 12 feet of water in some places, and 24 people were drowned. Ninety years later in July 1993, floodwaters again threatened the city, but time and technology changed the effects of too much water. ôFloodwaters in 1993 were contained within protective levees and by regulated outflow from several federal reservoirs located upstream. No lives were lost in Kansas, and property damage was much less than it otherwise would have been,Ý said Charlie Perry, USGS hydrologist and coauthor of the fact sheet.

In addition to structures such as reservoirs and levees and flood-plain regulations designed to reduce flooding risk, the quality and timeliness of information to warn of flooding hazards and the design and operation of flood-retarding structures have improved greatly over the years. Real-time technology for streamflow-gaging stations was not yet available when the 1903 flood occurred. Currently, the USGS maintains more than 7,000 streamflow-gaging stations nationwide in cooperation with various local, state and federal agencies. Data from these real-time streamflow-gaging stations are used by the National Weather Serviceós River Forecast Centers to help forecast when and where streams will crest during floods. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses real-time streamflow data to schedule reservoir releases to help lessen the amount of potential damage from overflowing streams. The USGS streamflow-gaging-station network in Kansas has grown from 38 stations in 1903 to 163 stations in 1993 to 177 stations in 2003. Information from these stations is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://ks.water.usgs.gov/nwis/current?type=flow

The USGS Web page for the 1903 and 1993 floods features the fact sheet, photo gallery, flood hydrographs, and links to other flood information, and can be viewed at:

http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/waterwatch/03_and_93_floods/

ôThe 1903 and 1993 Floods in Kansas•The Effects of Changing Times and Technology,Ý by Lanna J. Combs and Charles A. Perry, is released as USGS Fact Sheet 019-03. Copies are available from the U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, Colo. 80225. A limited number of copies are available from the USGS office in Lawrence, Kan.

The USGS serves the nation by providing reliable scientific information to: describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage w ater, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.