The USGS debris flow flume on the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest in Blue River, Oregon.

The experimental flume was the idea of USGS scientist Richard Iverson. Through collaboration between the USGS and the U.S. Forest Service, this dream was realized, and the debris flow flume was constructed in 1991 and use began in 1992. 

The 312 foot-long (95-meter-long), 6 foot-wide (2 meter-wide) debris flow flume facility is located near Blue River, Ore., in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. The flume is a concrete channel on a 31° hillslope, heavily instrumented during experiments, including lasers, synchronized 4K video cameras, and load cells for measuring shear and normal forces, to name a few. The steep channel flattens into a 85 foot-long (26-meter-long), 2° runout pad at the bottom of the hill. The whole setup looks just like the final drop of a log flume ride at an amusement park.