PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (NE) South Platte and Platte River Flooding in Nebraska

Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:38:13 EDT

Summary: USGS NEWSC South Platte River and Platte River Flood Response.

Update on flooding for Nebraska, September 24, 2013

Western Nebraska (South Platte River Basin and Platte River Basin)

The peak flow pulse has left the South Platte River and is now surging down the Platte River.

Peak of record gage height and discharge was recorded at the USGS streamgage at the South Platte at Roscoe.

NEWSC field staff have been making baseline measurements at all Platte River streamgages to verify pre-flood ratings shifts. Tomorrow crews will make recession measurements at Roscoe (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ne/nwis/uv/?site_no=06764880&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060), and peak measurements at the Platte River at Overton streamgage (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ne/nwis/uv/?site_no=06768000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060). The USGS will be providing discharge measurement assistance to the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources at two State gages along the Platte River, and well as assisting the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program in discharge measurements at another Platte River site. A separate field crew collected high flow water quality samples at Roscoe and the DNR State gage at the South Platte River at North Platte, NE.

Five South Platte and Platte River stage-discharge ratings were extended to assist the National Weather Service.

NEWSC put together a Water Quality Flood Response Plan for the Office of Water Quality and is coordinating with Colorado.

NEWSC Director, Bob Swanson is meeting daily with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency Emergency Operations Center Planning Committee. All measurements and observations are being shared with State and local agencies, NWS, RFC, and USACE via email correspondence and NWS Chat, in addition to NWIS Web.