U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosting Lake Erie seiche study public information session in Buffalo

UPDATE:

UPDATE: DUE TO THIS WEEK'S SNOWSTORM IN BUFFALO, THIS EVENT WILL BE HELD 100% VIRTUALLY.

Participants can join via WebEx at: https://usace1.webex.com/usace1/j.php?MTID=m7355f6e7b71b50b2019a2c68a822661d
Meeting password: T3RmTyNb7?2

Or join by phone: 1-844-800-2712
Enter meeting Access Code: 2760 639 0926

••••••••

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo and Detroit districts will host a public information session to share details of a study of historic seiche events on Lake Erie, which have caused flooding and low water at different points along the lakeshore.

A press release stated, “The study, completed by USACE’s Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), includes analysis and results that may be of interest to land managers, residents, agencies and other stakeholders who want to understand the likelihood and magnitude of potential flooding from seiche events, and make risk-informed decisions about shoreline resiliency, planning, design and construction work.”

The event will take place from 2-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Central Meeting Room, 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo.

The press release added, “Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes​, experiences drastic fluctuations in water levels due to its depth, orientation and wind. Storm systems over the lake can create a consistent wind, which pushes water in the same direction wind is blowing – an effect known as storm surge. After wind and pressure subside, water pushed to one end of the lake rebounds to the opposite end creating a sloshing known as ‘seiche.’

“Seiche is also commonly referred to as ‘the bathtub effect.’ A seiche can last for hours or even days, causing significant flooding at one end of the lake and low water at the other.”

More information about the USACE Buffalo District is available online at https://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/.