Bridge, Phillips, Elam Drainage District News From the desk of Milton Sandy Jr
March 17, 2011
Vol 2011-1
This newsletter is directed to friends and supporters of our efforts to get something done about the repetitive flooding in Corinth and Alcorn County which on May 2, 2010, caused loss of life, public and private property and threatened public health and safety by the massive release of raw sewage into flood waters. If you have news, questions or comments, please fire away.
CORINTH WEATHER 101 Like a bear leaving hibernation, this week I was jump started by an email from MEMA Director Mike Womack declaring “Flood Awareness Week.” The email contained such interesting information I thought I would pass it along with some information I had been working on regarding Corinth's weather and flooding: PEARL – The state of Mississippi averages nearly 60 inches of rain each year which can cause flooding in our state. This is why Governor Haley Barbour has declared March 14-18 as Flood Awareness Week in Mississippi. Flooding is the most common and costliest disaster in our state.....This is why residents are encouraged to take this time to learn what their flood risk is and the benefits of buying flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). “What many people in our state don’t realize is that every family should carry flood insurance on their home, even if they don’t think they are at risk of flooding,” said MEMA Director Mike Womack.. “Many of the areas impacted by flooding are outside of the special flood hazard areas.” The entire state of Mississippi is a mapped flood zone with more than 5 million acres that fall within the “High Risk Zones” which means we all share some risk.
That last statement “the entire state of Mississippi is a mapped flood zone” reinforced what I have been saying since our last flood of May 2, 2010- we live in a swamp and we had better not forget it. We need to be prepared for weather events which put us at risk of flooding. In spite of the fact that we occupy some of the highest terrain in the state of Mississippi, Corinth is still at risk of flooding. I hope to share some more information on that subject in this newsletter. The above email went on to state that “Since the creating of the NFIP in 1978 there have been 42 Presidential Disaster declarations in Mississippi, 30 of those declarations were for flooding at a cost of nearly $3 billion.” “Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” It's an old quote from Mark Twain I'm often reminded of when I start thinking about weather. In general, we have wonderful weather here in Corinth, well-balanced, beautiful change of seasons, temperatures sometimes extreme but not for too long and not as extreme as many places we watch on the Weather Channel. Nobody in Corinth owns a snow plow, the street department will use a little sand in winter but never salt. People complain about the heat of summer, but stay inside in air conditioned homes and businesses.
Contact: Milton Sandy Jr 662-286-6087 - Fax 287-4187 - E-mail mlsandy@tsixroads.com
People have been noticing the weather for years and for at least the last 110 years, somebody has been recording the weather for Corinth, Mississippi and writing it down. Weather records may have existed longer than that but the Chickasaws probably took the records with them to Oklahoma and weather records are generally useless unless they are LOCAL. The internet now gives us access to all this information and computers give us the means to manipulate and try to help us understand and predict the probability of future events. Generally, in Corinth and Alcorn County we have abundant rainfall- on average around 56” per year somewhat evenly distributed throughout the months as the below chart shows. Average Rainfall by Month for Corinth, MS
Source: The Weather Channel
The key to any of this is the word AVERAGE. Unfortunately, averages don't always tell the whole story. Looking back over 110 years of rainfall data, you will see a pattern of wet years and dry years. The chart on right shows total annual rainfall amounts from as low as 30+” per year to as high as nearly 80” per year. Some of the data around the turn of the 20th century was incomplete for Corinth therefore you have to discount that on the years prior to 1930 on this annual chart. Fortunately, Booneville had more complete data in the 1909-1930 time frame and I was able to extract some comparable data which should approximate our own
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major rainfall events to compile a list of major rainfall events.. The really good news about this information is that in spite of the fact the world has a shortage of fresh water, here in Mississippi we have a naturally abundant and constantly refreshed supply falling from the sky. I was reminded of that this week in correspondence with a high school classmate who lives in New Zealand on a 20 acre farm and raises goats. Her entire water supply for herself and her dairy herd is totally from rainwater captured in cisterns and pumped to her house and livestock buildings. Her average annual rainfall is somewhat less than 40�. So in a worse case scenario, we could for a relatively small capital investment go to a rainfall capture system for home use. Many gardeners recognize the value of soft and pure rainwater and already use rain barrels to collect water for garden use. The recent trend and increased popularity of metal roofs makes the transition even easier and more economically feasible. If you doubt this is possible, stay tuned for some more information below. Downspout empties into rain barrel for garden watering use This past week I have been very fortunate to have the help of two very talented and helpful United States Army Corps of Engineers staff members in the Memphis office, Ms. Andrea Williams and Ms. Jeanne Burns, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and answered my every question in a timely and helpful manner. The USACOE monitors two river Gage stations here in Alcorn County TU111 which is located on Hwy 45 South where it crosses the Tuscumbia Canal just below the Pepsi plant. This station is .9 miles upstream from where Bridge Canal intersects the Tuscumbia. TU111 crossing Tuscumbia on Hwy 45S below Pepsi plant
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The other is TU112 located on Hwy 72 West where it crosses the Tuscumbia Canal just before you go past Roscoe Turner Airport and 3.52 miles downstream from where Bridge Canal intersects the Tuscumbia. Unfortunately TU112 was taken out of service in 1995 during construction of Hwy 72 4-lane and has never been replaced. This was an automated data station and data was transmitted automatically to the Memphis office. The other station is manually read on a daily basis and reported monthly. I'll have a report later on that station. Information is kept for these two stations for stage level and flow. Stage level when added to the Gage Zero reading for the station will give an indication of the absolute water height on that particular day. Only an accountant would enjoy looking at all these figures, and to me it was some really rather incredible information. Because TU112 was out of service since 1995 and missed the flooding of 2001, 2002 and 2010, I went back to our flood of TU112 on Hwy 72 West crossing Tuscumbia before Airport 1991 to pull together some data. I explained to an old friend of mine this week that I was trying to research and explain the causes of flooding in Corinth. He promptly informed me that “the usual cause of flooding is a really big rain.” After pondering his unusually acute sense of observation and analysis, I decided I would compile a list of “Big Rains”. To do this I utilized 110 years of historic rainfall data originally located for me by my friend Fred Reiselt who is a local amateur meteorologist and computer expert. The results of this analysis are presented in the chart below to document Corinth's all-time record “Big Rains” by size of 24 hour rainfall amounts. You'll note that last year's May 2, 2010 flood only comes in at #14 on the chart. While it is interesting to note the amounts of maximum rainfall over 24 hours, we do not have any stations measuring the rainfall intensity (how fast the rain is falling) which can be a major factor in flooding. I have marked the dates of my major floods to illustrate this point- some much lower ranked rainfall events still caused major flooding. In an effort to come up with some type of indication of flooding danger in Corinth, I compiled a list of every “Big Rain” defined as a single daily rainfall in excess of 3 inches. We have not documented a generalized flood with less than 3” of rainfall in 24 hours. In the past 110 years of weather observation, there have been 101 of these >3” events. I have summarized those by a color coded chart below which attempts to rank the relative danger of flooding by month according to the number of “Big Rain” events that have happened in that month in the last 110 years. Page 4/8
Recently I read where the Department of Homeland Security was discontinuing their terrorist alert color warning system. I figured the Federal Government had probably spent millions of dollars researching that system and designing signs and graphics so I decided the greenest thing we could do would be to just recycle their graphics and modify the warning system for a color coded flood danger warning system for Corinth. On the left side of the chart below is the number of “Big Rains” over 3” and below is the month they occurred. If you were a betting person, this would give you an idea of the odds based on the last 110 years of the throw of the weather dice in Corinth. The chart below represents a summary of the 110 years of hard weather data backing up the new Corinth flood danger warning chart.
Chart based on data compiled by M. J. Menne, C. N. Williams, Jr., and R. S. Vose, 2010. United States Historical Climatology Network Daily Temperature, Precipitation, and Snow Data. Available on-line: (http://cdiac.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/ushcn/ushcn.html) Chart ©2011, BPECDD.
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On the right is the full scale color flood warning system we are recycling. As we progress we hope to more fully elaborate on the means of determining flood warnings. Finally, the chart below pulls together all the data I have been looking at this week in what I hope will put some perspective on how much rain we have in Corinth during “Big Rains�. As an accountant I have worked with big numbers before but I'll have to admit that this exercise really stretched my imagination. Because recent flow data for TU112 (Tuscumbia River Stage at Hwy 72 West) was not available since 1995, I had to go back to the flood period of 5/26/1991 to gather complete information. For the six days from 5/25/1991 to 5/30/1991 based on river stage levels and flow data compiled by the USACOE, an approximate 113 billion gallons of water flowed under Hwy 72 at the Gage station TU112 on its way Northwest to the Hatchie and then Mississippi River. To put this in perspective, the new $52 million surface water treatment plant for Corinth under construction will have an initial capacity of treating 10,000,000 gallons of water per day withdrawn from the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Flowing under Hwy 72 on these 6 days was enough water to supply this new plant with water for 31 years. Next I looked at the rainfall in Corinth during these same 6 days to see how much water draining into the Bridge Canal Watershed (which drains into the Tuscumbia) affected that water flow. Robert Scott IV with Scott Engineering has previously determined that roughly 90% of the surface area within the city limits of Corinth drains into Bridge Canal. This amounts to 17,379 acres of land. If 100% of the rainfall within the city limits of Corinth falling on this land ran off, it would amount to almost 5 billion gallons of water- enough in 6 days to supply our surface water treating plant for 491 days or over a year. Following the same assumption, all the rainfall on Corinth during that 6 days could not account for slightly more than 4% of the flow through the Tuscumbia Canal at Hwy 72 during this 6 days in May, 1991. In reality nowhere near 100% of the rainfall in any given period runs off but that is one of our green infrastructure objectives- to try and reduce that percentage as much as possible to lessen the impact of flooding downstream and to try and minimize the pollution being carried downstream with storm water runoff. We will be seeking help through grants and technical assistance to try and get more accurate information about the storm water impact on these historic drainage canals which serve as the storm water drainage system for the city of Corinth. Page 6/8
Based on unpublished Tuscumbia Canal TU112 river stage and flow data supplied by USACOE, Memphis office and rainfall data compiled by M. J. Menne, C. N. Williams, Jr., and R. S. Vose, 2010. United States Historical Climatology Network Daily Temperature, Precipitation, and Snow Data. Available on-line: (http://cdiac.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/ushcn/ushcn.html) Chart Š2011, BPECDD.
Because I listen to lawyers and respect their opinions, I do want to be sure everyone understands the limitations of my original research information that I am trying to produce to help in our search for flooding solutions. To that end, I will advise you of this:
DISCLAIMER: Any and all of my opinions need to be digested with all the scorn, health warnings and obvious disclaimers that should accompany such information. While I have given great thought to our flooding problems, conducted a great deal of flood research, and experienced a great deal of flooding myself over a lifetime along Elam Creek, I am not a trained meteorologist or engineer. Milton Sandy, Jr. on behalf of the Bridge, Phillips and Elam Consolidated Drainage District (BPECDD) strives to make the information provided through this newsletter and our Web site as timely and accurate as possible, but the BPECDD makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this information, and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of the newsletter and website. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to the contents of our Web site or its links to other Internet resources. The information appearing on our Web site is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice to any individual or entity. Page 7/8
We urge you to consult with your own legal adviser before taking any action based on information appearing on our site or any site to which it may be linked. Reference on our site or in our newsletters to any specific commercial product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the BPECDD. Despite a great tendency for trends of the past to repeat themselves in the future, history has no guarantee of repeating itself- although generally speaking, you are considered a fool to bet that it won't.
Generals' Quarters Working behind the scenes for the past several months, two wonderful ladies have been tirelessly searching for grant opportunities to help with our search for flooding solutions. I would like to specially thank Mrs. Arline Crawford and Charlotte Doehner for their efforts along with their advisor Mr. Jack Griffith, planning consultant.
286-3325 924 North Fillmore
I recently joined them for their planning sessions and I made a great discovery I would like to share with anyone on our newsletter list. The Generals' Quarters is really an exceptional place for lunch or dinner. The food is first class, prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is really great. If you are tired of the same old places and looking for a new dining experience, you have my personal recommendation. I would also recommend it for anytime you are looking for a relaxing place to impress your friends with a little Southern ambiance. The Generals' Quarters is open for lunch Tuesday-Friday from 10:30 til 2:00 and for dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights 5:00 til 8:00.
Coming up As some of you may have heard, I have decided to seek election this November to the office of Tax Collector for Alcorn County. I have never sought a political office before in my life so I anticipate it will be a very learning experience. I welcome any prayers, help, input and suggestions in this endeavor. I realize this is not a very popular task and as a former auditor and accountant I understand that aspect of the job. Speaking out on the issue of flooding is an issue that exists not only in the city but the county as well. My intention as tax collector would be to promote honesty, efficiency and impartiality in the position, if elected. As much as I enjoy communicating by this newsletter, I may have to reduce its frequency in the coming months. I hope you'll stick with me and support flood awareness and preparedness in Corinth and Alcorn County.
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