Since we have a flood watch, I thought hey, why not watch the flood? Here is some flow data showing how the Delaware dam operators control the flow down to Worthington and the confluence with the Scioto. The dam is the only control point on the Olentangy, and Delaware Lake is the only place where the Corps of Engineers can hold back flood water. O'Shaughnessy can hold back some water, but the reservoir level doesn't change as drastically as Delaware lake.
This graph shows the flow data on the Olentangy at two points:
The red line shows the outflow at the Delaware dam. You can see how the flow changes abruptly as the operators respond to expected conditions downstream.
The green line shows the flow at Worthington, specifically, at the Wilson Road bridge. Notice how its level rises and falls with the Delaware outflow after a time lag. Another factor is all of the water that drains into the Olentangy from every tributary between the two gauges - that includes all of the pavement and rooftops ("impermeable surfaces") along the developed Rt. 23 corridor. That water can create spikes that don't show in the dam discharge rate.
For a rough idea of a cubic foot, imagine a milk crate full of water. Then imagine a line of 4,900 of them end to end, shoved past you in one second, and you get a picture of how much water is flowing by Worthington right now.
This graph shows the flow data on the Olentangy at two points:
The red line shows the outflow at the Delaware dam. You can see how the flow changes abruptly as the operators respond to expected conditions downstream.
The green line shows the flow at Worthington, specifically, at the Wilson Road bridge. Notice how its level rises and falls with the Delaware outflow after a time lag. Another factor is all of the water that drains into the Olentangy from every tributary between the two gauges - that includes all of the pavement and rooftops ("impermeable surfaces") along the developed Rt. 23 corridor. That water can create spikes that don't show in the dam discharge rate.
For a rough idea of a cubic foot, imagine a milk crate full of water. Then imagine a line of 4,900 of them end to end, shoved past you in one second, and you get a picture of how much water is flowing by Worthington right now.