Determining the 100-year floodplain of the Chippewa River
Bianca Pedersen
, University of Wisconsin -Eau Claire
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This page first made public: May 16, 2008
Summary
In this in-class activity recurrence intervals are calculated for ten flooding events on the Chippewa River near Eau Claire Wisconsin. The students use 1:24000 topographic maps to determine the extent of the 100-year flood plain near Eau Claire and on campus.
Context
Audience
This activity has been developed for an introductory level geology course (Environmental Geology) comprised mostly of non-majors.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
For this lab students must understand contour lines and have been introduced to topographic maps. In addition the students should be familiar with basic river morphology.
How the activity is situated in the course
This lab would follow a lab in which the students learn about topographic maps and after streams and flooding has been covered in lectures.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
The goals of this activity are to:
- get the students more familiar with using topographic maps
- give the students a feeling for what a floodplain is and how it evolves
- show the effect of high discharge in a river on the surrounding area
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Other skills goals for this activity
Description of the activity/assignment
In this activity the students calculate recurrence intervals for some historical crests on the Chippewa River and identify the 100-year flood plain in downtown Eau Claire. The students also evaluate the effect of a 20ft high stage event along the whole Chippewa River with the goal of showing how topography influences the size of the area affected by flooding events. The students also evaluate the effectiveness of a flood gate system located on campus.
Determining whether students have met the goals
No grading is done for this activity. Assessment of students' understanding of the material covered is checked at the end of the lab by having each lab group present their results to the teacher. Skills will be tested on subsequent lectre exams
More information about assessment tools and techniques.Download teaching materials and tips
- Activity Description/Assignment (Microsoft Word 887kB Jul16 08)
Other Materials
Supporting references/URLs
The Eau Claire East and Eau Claire West 1:24000 topographic maps by the USGS is used in this exercise
