Date: Fri 13-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

DEP-River-book-review-MacBroom

Full Text:

New DEP Book Tells The Complex Story Of Connecticut's Rivers

(with cuts)

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

For those interested in things riverine, the Connecticut Department of

Environmental Protection (DEP) has published a book on the dynamics of flowing

water: The River Book: The Nature and Management of Streams in Glaciated

Terrains.

Illustrated with 76 diagrams, 93 color photos, and 100 tables, the attractive

242-page hard-bound, large-format, state-themed volume was designed by a

Hartford firm and printed in Meriden.

Partial funding for the book was provided by the Federal Emergency Management

Agency (FEMA) and the Long Island Sound License Plate Program.

The River Book explains river dynamics from five inter-related perspectives:

Hydrology: The study of precipitation, infiltration, surface water runoff,

streamflow rates, water storage in wetlands, stormwater detention basins, and

reservoirs, plus water use and diversions.

Ecology: The study of plants, animals and their environment, with an emphasis

of aquatic systems, wetlands and riparian forests.

Hydraulics: The study of streams' water velocity, flow depth, flood

elevations, channel erosion, storm drains, culverts, bridges and dams.

Water Quality: The study of the physical, biological and chemical

characteristics of surface water and groundwater.

Fluvial Morphology: The study of a river channel's geologic origin, alignment,

slope, shape, size, sediments and floodplains.

Author James Grant MacBroom explains that all five scientific disciplines must

be integrated into a whole if river systems are to be adequately understood.

Mr MacBroom, a Wolcott resident, is vice president of Milone & MacBroom, Inc,

a Cheshire firm specializing in civil engineering, landscape architecture and

environmental science. Mr MacBroom's interest in geology and natural history

has led him to study river systems throughout the United States.

Although the book's text, photos, and graphics concern river dynamics in

Connecticut, the information is applicable to river systems in northern

climates, especially in areas which have been glaciated.

"It is important to recognize that although Connecticut's water resources are

abundant, they are not unlimited. It is our responsibility to conserve and

manage them for long-term use. Unless we do so, we risk not only degrading

them, but also diminishing the quality of our lives," Mr MacBroom writes in

describing the nature of surface water, watersheds and water circulation.

"River protection comes from a society that values clean water, honors diverse

species, and treasures the benefit to the soul of flowing places. A river's

roots extend not only to its channel, banks and floodplains, but virtually to

all land. A river does not begin, it continues. It continues the elaborate

cycle of water falling upon the earth, running over and through it,

evaporating from it and moving downslope to other water bodies, there to be

evaporated and start the cycle over...This book conveys the awe-inspiring

complexity of our streams, and from that understanding the landscape and its

streams will benefit," writes Allan Noah Williams, DEP publisher.

The comprehensive and clearly written book should find an ardent audience

among town planners, land use commissioners, property owners, land developers,

science teachers, students, public decision makers and those simply interested

in the dynamics of the water planet.

Mr MacBroom's initial task was to write a pamphlet for DEP on flood

management. The scope of that assignment expanded, however, as the author

realized that river flooding cannot be separated from the other aspects of

river dynamics, according to the publisher.

"Rivers vary from natural, rapid-flowing mountain streams to busy city

waterfronts lined with factories, highways and railroads. Many people ignore

rivers except during extreme natural events. Others think of rivers as only

habitats for fish and other wildlife, and as sites for peaceful outings.

However, as in the past, waterways are essential to the health and economic

prosperity of humans and their communities," Mr MacBroom writes.

"In this era of fast transit and rapid communication, just as in Colonial

times, it is desirable for a community to be located on a river. But in

attempting to meet our every need, we frequently confront the irony of

degrading the river upon which a community's identity was founded."

"Given our growing population and the limit to our natural resources, it is

not surprising that conflicts have arisen. We have no other choice now but to

manage and preserve our rivers to meet competing needs," he concludes.