Herbert Hoover National Historic Site - Hydrology

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site by National Parks Service

Hoover Creek functions as the principle drainage way for an area of the city of West Branch, where land use changes may increase surface water runoff. It also functions as a drainage way for the hard surfaces on the NHS. Historic structures and many cultural resources are in the flood plain. Further development on the west side of the city may result in more frequent flood occurrences than when the land was in agricultural use. Geomorphologists believe that trees covered creeks such as the Wapsinonoc, and wetlands slowly flowed into the creeks. Highlands consisted of prairie and savanna cover. Plant roots in the prairie typically extended from 10 to 30 feet deep providing excellent pathways for water penetration into soil. Soils consisted of a spongy organic material, capable of excellent water retention. Early settlers removed trees from the creeks and swamps in the mid 1800s and a second wave of immigrants started farming the prairie in the 1880s. These land use changes began to alter the hydrology from a ground water based system to a surface water system. Surface runoff cuts small creek channels throughout the countryside.

The U.S. Geological Survey supports a real-time data, stage gage on Hoover Creek. You can see current and historical conditions (discharge, temperature, rainfall) on this creek at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/uv?05464942 .

Current information on Hoover Creek and its Environmental Impact Statement project can found on the Home Page of the National Historic Site or by clicking on Hoover Creek EIS.