High Water Marks after Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey brought severe flooding in southern Texas and work for USGS scientists to document high-water marks left behind by flood waters. For the past two weeks, several technicians from the New Mexico Water Science Center have been assisting in Texas with emergency response after hurricane Harvey. Their primary job was to locate and flag high-water marks. These usually show up on tree trunks or walls as lines of seeds or debris that are left behind at the highest point reached by flood waters. The high-water marks will be surveyed and put into a flood inundation map for FEMA. This information will be used to help predict future flood levels, update flood zones, and aid in future city planning and development.