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B. N. Aldridge

Publications and source records attributed to B. N. Aldridge.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1989

Effects of vegetation on floods at four Arizona sites

Four examples show the effect of vegetation on stage, discharge or frequency of floods. An 8-year growth of trees on the streambed at site 1 increased channel roughness enough to cause the average water surface elevations that were computed for 10-year and 100-year floods to be 0.49 and 0.91 meters higher than those for a channel without vegetation. A 6-year growth of vegetation and sediment deposition formed 1.5-meter high flood terraces at site 2 and narrowed the channel from 55 meters to about 12 meters. Similar terrace development in 18 years narrowed the channel at site 3 from 139 meters to an average width of 24 meters. At a stage where the channel carried 716 cubic meters per second in 1952, it carried 227 cubic meters per second in 1970. Additional aspects of the subject are discussed.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1988

Flood hydrology near Flagstaff, Arizona

Peak discharges measured at 11 crest-stage gages near Flagstaff were used to determine discharges that have recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 10, and 25 years. The discharges were related to drainage area and urban development in order to provide equations for design of hydraulic structure in the Flagstaff area. Peak discharges in various parts of the city differ considerably. The differences are due to combinations of several drainage-basin characteristics. Coefficients for the rational formula were computed for drainages of less than 10 sq mi. Coefficients for undeveloped rural basins are less than 0.1; coefficients for urban development range from 0.05 to 0.39. This range in values indicates that, with some limitations, coefficients found in general engineering handbooks for urban types of land use are applicable for design in Flagstaff. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1985

STREAMFLOW LOSSES IN THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER, ARIZONA.

The discharge and volume of flow in a peak decrease as the peak moves through an 89-mile (143 km) reach of the Santa Cruz River. An average of three peaks per year flow the length of the reach. Of 17,500 acre-ft (21,600 dam**3) that entered the upstream end of the reach, 2300 acre-ft (2,840 dam**3), 13 percent of the inflow, left the reach as streamflow. The remainder was lost through infiltration. Losses in a reach of channel were estimated by relating losses to the discharge at the upstream end of the reach. Tributary inflow was estimated through the use of synthesized duration curves. Streamflow losses along mountain fronts were estimated through the use of an electric analog model and by relating losses shown by the model to the median altitude of the contributing area.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1983

Floods of November 1978 to March 1979 in Arizona and west-central New Mexico

Widespread rainfall of 3 to 9 inches in the mountains area of Arizona and West-Central New Mexico during December 17-20, 1978, caused maximum known discharges on the Gila River in New Mexico and on several streams in Arizona. At Phoenix, the Salt River was the highest since 1920 but was only slightly higher than the flood in March 1978. The Agua Fria River was the highest since 1919. The floods caused 12 deaths and more than $150 million in damage. Damage of $51.8 million occurred in Maricopa County, Arizona. Ten counties in Arizona and three counties in New Mexico were declared disaster areas. Unusually high volumes of runoff occurred on the Salt, Verde, and Agua Fria Rivers upstream from reservoirs. Overflow from the reservoir systems caused flooding downstream. Storage in the reservoirs on the Salt and Verde River reduced the peak discharge of the Salt River at Phoenix from a potential of about 234,000 cubic feet per second to 126,00 cubic feet per second and greatly reduced the duration of the flood. (USGS)

Arizona, New Mexico↗
USGS1982

Floods of October 1977 in southern Arizona and March 1978 in central Arizona

Major floods occurred in October 1977 and March 1978 in Arizona. As much as 14 inches of rain fell during October 6-9, 1977, over the mountains of southern Arizona and northern Mexico and caused the highest discharge since at least 1892 on the Santa Cruz River upstream from Tucson. The flood inundated areas as much as 4 miles wide, covered at least 16,000 acres of farmland, and caused $15.2 million in damage. Residential losses occurred at Nogales, Amado, Green Valley, and Sahuarita. Severe erosional damage occurred along the Santa Cruz River, Agua Fria Canyon, Potrero Creek, and many small drainages in the Sonoita Creek basin. The peak discharge in Agua Fria Canyon was the highest since before 1900. Less severe flooding occurred along the San Pedro River and the Gila River downstream from the San Pedro. Widespread rainfall of 3 to 6 inches and 9 to 14 inches in some areas in the central mountains during February 28 to March 3, 1978, caused the highest discharge since 1920 on the Salt River in Phoenix and resulted in three deaths. Flooding along the Salt and Gila Rivers and several lesser streams caused statewide damage totaling $65.9 million, of which about $37 million occurred in Maricopa County. Nine counties were declared disaster areas. During the flood of March 1978, moderate peak discharges and unusually high volumes of runoff occurred on tributaries to the Salt and Verde Rivers upstream from a system of reservoirs. Flood magnitudes were greater at the main-stem gaging stations than on the tributaries. The peak discharge into Theodore Roosevelt Lake, which was 21 percent full at the start of the flood, was about 155,000 cubic feet per second and is the largest known from 1890 to 1978. The reservoirs stored large quantities of water and greatly reduced the magnitude of the flood. The peak discharge of the Salt River was 125,000 cubic feet per second below Granite Reef Dam and 122,000 cubic feet per second at Phoenix. Discharges in excess of 100,000 cubic feet per second occurred for 8 hours. Without the storage provided by the reservoirs, the peak discharge would have been 260,000 cubic feet per second and the discharge would have exceeded 100,000 cubic feet per second for 66 hours. The Verde River was the principal flood source, but flows at the upstream gaging stations did not indicate the magnitude of the impending flood at Horseshoe Reservoir because large inflow from tributaries immediately upstream from the reservoir caused the river to rise at downstream stations before it rose at upstream stations. About 17 percent of the water entering the reach from Granite Reef Dam to Gillespie Dam went to recharge, temporary ground-water storage, or evapotranspiration losses. All water was stored at Painted Rock Reservoir and released at a low rate that prevented water from reaching the Gila River near Mohawk gaging station.

Arizona↗
USGS1978

Floods of September 1970 in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico

During September 5-7, 1970, unusually large floods occurred in the mountains of central Arizona and in the Four Corners area of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Flooding also occurred in southern and northeastern Arizona. The record-high rainfall of September 5 occurred when a mass of moist tropical air from Pacific storm Norma collided with a cold front from the northwest. A new 24-hour precipitation record of 11.40 inches (290 millimeters) was established for Arizona, and new 12- and 24-hour precipitation records of 6.0 inches (152 millimeters) were established for Utah. The flood took the lives of 23 persons and was reported to have caused about $8.4 million in damage in Arizona. The main area of flooding was in the mountains in central Arizona. The flood generally was less destructive with increasing distance downstream; in the Salt and Verde River basins the reservoirs were capable of storing all the floodwater. Flooding in the Dolores and San Juan River basins in the Four Corners area was mostly in rural areas, and two people were drowned in McElmo Creek in Utah. The flood was not as large as that of October 1911, which is the largest known flood in the area. A second storm occurred in the Four Corners area September 12-14; however, the amount of flooding generally was less than that from the previous storm. Flood damage as a result of the two storms was reported to be about $2.9 million.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah↗
USGS1977

Effects of the catastrophic flood of December 1966, north rim area, eastern Grand Canyon, Arizona

Precipitation from the unusual storm of December 1966 was concentrated on highlands in northern Arizona, southwestern Utah , southern Nevada, and south-central California and caused widely scattered major floods in the four States. In Arizona the largest amount of precipitation was in the north rim area of eastern Grand Canyon, where about 14 inches was measured. The largest flows occurred along Bright Angel Creek and the MilK Creek-Dragon Creek part of the Crystal Creek drainage basin. The maximum effects of the flood were along Milk Creek-Dragon Creek, where a mudflow caused extensive channel modification. Floods that occurred in the Bright Angel and Crystal Creek basins have a recurrence interval of only once in several centuries. The streamflow that resulted from the storm on the Kaibab Plateau caused considerable local scouring and deepening of channels, including some renewed arroyo cutting. The most catastrophic effects of the 1966 floods were caused by two mudflows that extended from the edge of the Kaibab Plateau along Dragon Creek in the Crystal Creek basin and Lava Creek in the Chuar Creek basin to the Colorado River. More than 10 other large mudflows occurred in Nankoweap, Kwagunt, Crystal, and Shinumo Creek basins. About 80 large debris slides left conspicuous scars in the amphitheaters at the heads of the side gorges, and at least 10 small slides occurred on the Kaibab Plateau. (Woodard-USGS)

Professional Paper↗
USGS1973

Roughness coefficients for stream channels in Arizona

When water flows in an open channel, energy is lost through friction along the banks and bed of the channel and through turbulence within the channel. The amount of energy lost is governed by channel roughness, which is expressed in terms of a roughness coefficient. An evaluation of the roughness coefficient is necessary in many hydraulic computations that involve flow in an open channel. Owing to the lack of satisfactory quantitative procedure, the ability of evaluate roughness coefficients can be developed only through experience; however, a basic knowledge of the methods used to assign the coefficients and the factors affecting them will be a great help. One of the most commonly used equations in open-channel hydraulics is that of Manning. The Manning equation is 1.486 V=_____R 2/3 S e 1/2 , n in which V = mean cross-sectional velocity of flow, in feet per second; R = hydraulic radius at a cross section, which is the cross-sectional area divided by the wetter perimeter, in feet; S e = energy slope; and n = coefficient of roughness. Many research studies have been made to determine "n" values for open-channel flow (Carter and others, 1963). Guidelines for selecting coefficient of roughness for stream channels are given in most of the literature of stream-channel hydraulics, but few of the data relate directly to streams of Arizona, The U.S> Geological Survey, at the request of the Arizona Highway Department, assembled the color photographs and tables of the Manning "n" values in this report to aid highway engineers in the selection of roughness coefficients for Arizona streams. Most of the photographs show channel reaches for which values of "n" have been assigned by experienced Survey personnel; a few photographs are included for reaches where "n" values have been verified. Verified "n" values are computed from a known discharge and measured channel geometry. Selected photographs of stream channels for which "n" values have been verified are included in U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1849 (Barnes, 1967); stereoscopic slides of Barnes' (1967) photographs and additional photographs can be inspected at U.S> Geological Survey offices in: 2555 E. First Street, Tucson; and 5017 Federal Building, 230 N. First Avenue, Phoenix.

Arizona↗