Students investigate creek before and during flood

It was the perfect opportunity to compare and contrast the same landscape under very different conditions. Just a week ago, Mr. Shortuse's environmental science students had been to Grater Park to discuss the affects of runoff on the Cocalico creek. At that time, the creek was very low and clear due to the recent drought. But thanks to over 5' of rain that fell on Thursday, on Friday the students were able to view the creek under much different conditions.

Mr Shortuse used the current conditions to discuss how a flood plain works to disperse the water during a flood and naturally cut down on the velocity of the flow, thus helping to reduce damage. He also pointed out that while the creek was sure to pick up some pollutants when it went over its banks, due to the large increase in the volume of water, those pollutants would be drastically diluted and should have little effect on the health of the creek.