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Cowlitz River Carries Water Supply Problems
Author(s) -
Editi Leland F.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.1980.tb00652.x
Subject(s) - tributary , hydrology (agriculture) , silt , water supply , raw water , sedimentation , environmental science , turbidity , flood myth , geology , river bed , water resource management , sediment , environmental engineering , geography , archaeology , geomorphology , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , cartography
The City of Longview, Washington, takes its water supply from the Cowlitz River 13 miles down river from its confluence with the tributary Toutle River, which forks along the north and west sides of Mt. St. Helens. The volcano's May 18, 1980 eruption caused a huge log jam, an increase in the Cowlitz's turbidity to over 50,000 JTU, and a 12‐foot deposit of silt and mud on the river bottom. The city's emergency procedures for adequate supply, filtration plant sedimentation cleaning, and modifications of the raw‐water intakes are discussed.