Author: Michael Kobayashi

I went biking several weeks ago, and while on my trip, I came across the enormous structure. The structure spans the entirety of the river, and was a quite impressive piece of engineering. I could hear the rushing water from far away, and I had noticed that down just a bit from where the water flows over the edge of the structure, there were several trees submerged. In days prior, there had been heavy rainfall, so I was curious as to if some of the forcefulness of the water moving maybe was due to a higher volume being present as a result of the rainfall drainage. The structure is, as the sign suggests, a fish passageway (that is, the little compartment on the side that does not drop over the edge), though I am not sure as to how effective it is, given that other forms of fish passage projects don’t have a particularly successful track record.

On our hike at the Delaware Water Gap, I noticed a stream flowing down the landscape. It had been fairly wet in days prior, so there was a lot of water built up in the area. Though a small body, the water moved and acted with the full force of a river as it cascaded down. In some spots, it even separated, braided and rejoined, becoming an actual miniature river.

In biology, we were looking at different cells and the different structures. This is an image of epithelium tissue, and as can be seen, the gaps and spaces in between the different cells form irregular, random, and free flowing cavities. It’s fascinating because the image itself looks like a river that runs through mountains or fjords, flowing into a harbour-like structure, then emptying out into the ocean. It’s interesting to see some of the same geometric patterns appear both in both the macroscopic and microscopic worlds.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/10/groundwater-pumping-killing-rivers-streams/

Interesting article regarding the sustainability and health of rivers across the world. The article mentions how issues of unregulated, excessive water removal from under ground aquifers affects rivers such as the Ganges. Its startling, how research predicts that by 2050, between 40 and 70% of all rivers would have reached an ecological threshold that we may not come back from. The biggest issue with excessive groundwater removal is that in cases like the San Pedro River in Arizona, much of the water’s volume actually comes from aquifer resources, which are then replenished by rain, runoff, etc. Thus, the more we pump out, the less water is available to sustain the rivers flow, and if the water levels drop enough, habitats and marine life are in serious danger. This article I think is somewhat fitting, given that we had the presentation for the DRBC and have had discussions regarding river health.

https://www.iowapublicradio.org/post/iowa-communities-near-missouri-river-prepare-more-possible-flooding#stream/0

https://www.kq2.com/content/news/Missouri-River-to-crest-near-major-flood-stage-in-St-Joseph-this-weekend-561801511.html

Because Becca and I are researching the Mississippi River for our story map project, I’ve been keeping a little bit of an eye out for stories and news related to the Mississippi River – specifically in terms of flooding. While I was looking around on the internet a couple days ago, I found several stories about the Missouri River – which flows into the Mississippi River – reporting on how the river has been flooding and devastating communities up and down – as far west as Iowa to as far east as St. Joseph, Missouri. Because this is more of a home river for me, I am concerned and interested in the developing situation. I haven’t experienced or seen flooding on this scale when I lived in Missouri, so its frankly terrifying to see the scale of devastation and destruction that these rivers are bringing.

I was doing research online the past couple days about the Delaware River, and I came across a couple sources of good news. The first is that conservancy projects throughout the Delaware River Watershed were awarded a grand total of $16 million dollars to help restore, clean up and revitalise parts of the Delaware River. The money was awarded to several groups throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York. Also, I interestingly came across something called the “Delaware River Watershed Conservation Act,” – which I look forward to exploring further. Similarly, there is actually some more local efforts to help clean up the river. On September 21st, there is the 2nd community cleanup in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, which is about 40 minutes away (so a little far, but not too far), where volunteer will help to clean up the river both on foot, as well as in canoes and kayaks!

More Information:

Local clean up efforts: https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/how-we-live/2019/09/19/gardener-state-help-clean-up-delaware-river-sept-21/2342190001/

Wider clean up efforts: https://www.inquirer.com/science/delaware-river-watershed-philadelphia-fish-wildlife-service-20190918.html

Though a bit redundant, I wanted to share this photo of the Bushkill Creek – a bit further down than where we were. I went down there when I was feeling stressed, and I found it incredibly peaceful and as small escape from the pressures of my classes and other aspects of college life. I stepped into the water again which was also nice, and walked own along the banks further down and came across a bridge (the small blue mark in the background). Where I was the water was a bit calmer, but there still was the sound of water further down the stream. A really nice spot.

The river above is found in Tokyo, Japan, running straight through the city. I took this image while visiting Japan in 2017. It is one of many rivers that run through Tokyo, and is well maintained, with its banks being extensively landscaped as to serve as an urban green space for the local urban community. It is a popular site for Cherry Blossom viewing during the spring and summer seasons. Close to the source in Setagaya, the river is actually split vertically into two: part of the river feeds into a large, underground storm drain, while the upper portion is landscaped to serve as a green space in the compact urban environment of Tokyo.