440 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



lower reaches than either Buffalo or Cayuga creek. It results, 

 therefore, that floods in Cazenovia creek reach Buffalo several 

 hours earlier than those in Buffalo and Cayuga creeks. The chan- 

 nel in the lower portions of all these streams is irregular and 

 sinuous, which, together with the flattening of slopes, produces 

 the usual flood congestion in the lower reaches. The annual oc- 

 currence of floods in these streams has long been a source of dam- 

 age and has been a bar to the development of the city of Buffalo 

 towards the southeast. The Buffalo engineers have been for sev- 

 eral years making studies of floods in these streams in order to 

 devise plans for their prevention. Serious floods have occurred at 

 the following dates : 



January 5, 1890. December 22, 189S. 



December 16, 1893. January 13, 1900. 



January 14, 1894. February 9, 1900. 



May 20, 1894. April 22, 1901. 



March 30, 1896. December 14, 1901. 



January 13, 1898. March 1, 1902. 



February 16, 1898. July 7, 1902. 

 December 5, 1898. 



It is stated in the report of the Buffalo Flood Committee, made 

 to the Water Storage Commission, that in the flood of March 1. 

 1902, the maximum discharge of the Buffalo river was about 23,000 

 cubic feet per second (catchment, 420 square miles), or at the 

 rate of 55 cubic feet per second per square mile. This, however, 

 was an unusual flood; the ordinary flood-flows are estimated at 

 about 18,000 cubic feet per second, or at the rate of 43 cubic feet 

 per second per square mile, although from the conclusions of the 

 committee, given on page 442 of the Report of the Water Storage 

 Commission, it is inferred that exceptional floods may exceed 

 25,000 to 28,000 cubic feet per second, or at the rate of about 66 

 cubic feet per second per square mile. 1 



Floods in Tonaicanda creek. High floods have occurred in this 

 stream in 1865, 1889, 1896 and 1902. The flood of March, 1865, is 

 considered to be the extreme maximum, although the flood of 



1A large amount of information in regard to Buffalo river is given in the 

 Report of the Water Storage Commission, at pp. 71-76 and pp. 422-443. 

 inclusive. 



