The picture shows Williams Creek on November 24, 2014, after 1.8 – 3.0 inches of rain (the amount varied in the watershed) in less than 12 hours. The flow is just below bankfull, take a look at the still exposed point bar on the right side of the picture.
This section of Williams Creek is another long-term CEES study site. Under the supervision of IndyParks Office of Land Stewardship, CEES service-learning students have worked on invasive plant removal and other erosion control projects at this Park for over 10 years; and students from the IUPUI Department of Earth Sciences have conducted continuing field studies to help document changes in the stream. This site prompted some of the questions that are currently being investigated by the Indiana Fluvial Hazard Mitigation Program – for example: why is there so much erosion on this portion of Williams Creek? There is no simple answer, but recent studies of channel mobility suggest that the rate and texture of the sediment supply may play an important role. If you would like to know more, please send us a note.