I hear ya Icey...
I'm sure I mentioned how the town I was raised in operated, mostly before I was born though.
The Mutual Protective Association was the only law they had at first, for the town itself, as a County Sheriff handled the criminal aspect, if he came around that is.
The MPA, although their to enforce the laws, also took care of the victims too. The insured everything except Cash and Chickens for the obvious reasons.
In other words, victims of crime were given full restitution for their loss by the cities MPA, and they would recover their expense when they apprehended the criminals.
Due to the County not reimbursing the City for their losses, the MPA gave way to the Law and Order Society, who had the authority to arrest and jail criminals themselves. The MPA did not end per se, they simply changed from being a law enforcement entity with little power, to an insurance company partially funded by the city, but now charged a small premium for victims to be covered. The Law and Order Society also helped to make restitution to victims, by returning stolen goods, making the criminals pay for the damage they caused, etc.
This practice continued for like seven years after I was born. This is when the city changed from Home Rule to Political Rule which became the demise of the good old days.
Our city NEVER collected any form of tax until Outside Poly-TICK-ians took over our local government. They didn't need to collect taxes because much was volunteers, and/or funded by the criminals themselves in the way of fines, or paying off their debt doing labor for the city. The way it should be! Not giving criminals free room and board as they do today and bill the taxpayers.
Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
I agree with your last bit, but have to say that I think taxes're necessary. Maybe that's because over here, tythes, or taxes've been implemented since the middle ages, so we're all used to them. The problem is, we don't feel that our money's being spent wisely - and it isn't - and of course, as time goes on, they keep dreaming up new ways of taxing us even more!
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
I have this bad habit of not explaining myself very well.
I did not say we did not pay taxes, we paid them like everyone else.
What I said, if you read closely, "Our City DID NOT Collect any form of Taxes."
Which worded that way was not entirely accurate. Our City did collect some local taxes, but I was referring to the Major Taxes, on land, businesses, and homeowners. What is known as Real Estate Taxes, and/or Personal Property Taxes.
We DID PAY State and County Taxes on Real Estate and Personal Property.
Included in these taxes are School, Emergency Services, State or County Roads, Public Parks, etc.
NOTICE I said in the Taxes Collected by the State and County, are taxes for Emergency Services. This would be Sheriff, Fire, and Ambulance services.
If a City chose to have its OWN Police Department, that part of our County Tax earmarked for law enforcement, aka the Sheriff, was Returned to the City to Fund their own Police Department, because it alleviated the Sheriff from his duties in that City. The same holds true for a City having its own Fire Department or Ambulance Service. Whatever we paid to the County for these services, was refunded back to the City. It could not be handled any more fairly.
This is why I had such a cultural SHOCK when I moved South.
Here in Tennessee, besides paying state taxes, expected. We also pay county taxes, expected.
What I DID NOT Expect, was to have to pay TWICE up front, then extra if used, for the same services.
We pay Knox County for Police (aka Sheriff), Fire, and Ambulance services.
When the City of Knoxville annexed the land our home sits on, our taxes DOUBLED.
Because the City of Knoxville DUPLICATES all the taxes collected by the County for Themselves.
And to make matters worse, the City of Knoxville is very lax in performing the duties we are paying them for.
E.g. Before we were annexed and our taxes doubled.
The Sheriff's department patrolled our street a minimum of twice per day.
The Fire Department was less than two miles away.
Ambulance service was part of and located at the Fire Department.
The drainage ditches in front of our homes (we don't have storm sewers here), was well maintained, cleaned and mowed every other week. Plus several other things the county handled.
AFTER we were annexed and our taxes doubled.
The Police Department only patrols our street about once every other week.
The City Fire Department is more than five miles away, which causes our homeowners insurance to go up, and if you call the Fire Department, you are billed $600.00 and possibly more, depending upon what services they provide.
Ambulance Service is separate from the Fire Department, and also you are billed for their services.
The drainage ditches are no longer maintained, cleaned, or mowed. It is now up to us to keep it clean and mowed. About once every other year they may perform some type of work on the drainage ditches, usually digging them deeper again, as they do fill up. They are no longer kept clean and in a half oval shape.
Yet we are paying TWICE plus extra if used, for all of these services. Namely, we are paying the County for Services they No Longer Provide, because our City supposedly provides them.
How can it cost DOUBLE to provide less than 1/12th the service?
Simple: All the Poly-TICK-ians down here are as crooked as a dogs hind leg.
Not that ours back home were much better, but at least we did not pay taxes for a service we did not get.
Perhaps that is why nearly everything of public interest in St. Louis and St. Louis County are FREE, and in many cases, the largest and best in the country.
I'll stop here before I go on another RANT!
TTUL
Gary
I did not say we did not pay taxes, we paid them like everyone else.
What I said, if you read closely, "Our City DID NOT Collect any form of Taxes."
Which worded that way was not entirely accurate. Our City did collect some local taxes, but I was referring to the Major Taxes, on land, businesses, and homeowners. What is known as Real Estate Taxes, and/or Personal Property Taxes.
We DID PAY State and County Taxes on Real Estate and Personal Property.
Included in these taxes are School, Emergency Services, State or County Roads, Public Parks, etc.
NOTICE I said in the Taxes Collected by the State and County, are taxes for Emergency Services. This would be Sheriff, Fire, and Ambulance services.
If a City chose to have its OWN Police Department, that part of our County Tax earmarked for law enforcement, aka the Sheriff, was Returned to the City to Fund their own Police Department, because it alleviated the Sheriff from his duties in that City. The same holds true for a City having its own Fire Department or Ambulance Service. Whatever we paid to the County for these services, was refunded back to the City. It could not be handled any more fairly.
This is why I had such a cultural SHOCK when I moved South.
Here in Tennessee, besides paying state taxes, expected. We also pay county taxes, expected.
What I DID NOT Expect, was to have to pay TWICE up front, then extra if used, for the same services.
We pay Knox County for Police (aka Sheriff), Fire, and Ambulance services.
When the City of Knoxville annexed the land our home sits on, our taxes DOUBLED.
Because the City of Knoxville DUPLICATES all the taxes collected by the County for Themselves.
And to make matters worse, the City of Knoxville is very lax in performing the duties we are paying them for.
E.g. Before we were annexed and our taxes doubled.
The Sheriff's department patrolled our street a minimum of twice per day.
The Fire Department was less than two miles away.
Ambulance service was part of and located at the Fire Department.
The drainage ditches in front of our homes (we don't have storm sewers here), was well maintained, cleaned and mowed every other week. Plus several other things the county handled.
AFTER we were annexed and our taxes doubled.
The Police Department only patrols our street about once every other week.
The City Fire Department is more than five miles away, which causes our homeowners insurance to go up, and if you call the Fire Department, you are billed $600.00 and possibly more, depending upon what services they provide.
Ambulance Service is separate from the Fire Department, and also you are billed for their services.
The drainage ditches are no longer maintained, cleaned, or mowed. It is now up to us to keep it clean and mowed. About once every other year they may perform some type of work on the drainage ditches, usually digging them deeper again, as they do fill up. They are no longer kept clean and in a half oval shape.
Yet we are paying TWICE plus extra if used, for all of these services. Namely, we are paying the County for Services they No Longer Provide, because our City supposedly provides them.
How can it cost DOUBLE to provide less than 1/12th the service?
Simple: All the Poly-TICK-ians down here are as crooked as a dogs hind leg.
Not that ours back home were much better, but at least we did not pay taxes for a service we did not get.
Perhaps that is why nearly everything of public interest in St. Louis and St. Louis County are FREE, and in many cases, the largest and best in the country.
I'll stop here before I go on another RANT!
TTUL
Gary
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Well I can understand why these things irk you Gary. When we pay for services, we expect a decent one, but naturally, that doesn't always happen.
In the UK, we lose services all the time, yet our Council Taxes never go down. In other words, you pay whether you get the service or not. Then they send you a coloured chart, which depicts what percentage of your money goes where, which's laughable when fire departments, libraries and police stations're closing around us, so who IS getting it? You can't fight these things. You pay up or get fined. If you don't pay the fine, you can go to jail and STILL have to pay the fine afterwards, so poor old Joe Public keeps stumping up more and more cash and getting less in return.
In the UK, we lose services all the time, yet our Council Taxes never go down. In other words, you pay whether you get the service or not. Then they send you a coloured chart, which depicts what percentage of your money goes where, which's laughable when fire departments, libraries and police stations're closing around us, so who IS getting it? You can't fight these things. You pay up or get fined. If you don't pay the fine, you can go to jail and STILL have to pay the fine afterwards, so poor old Joe Public keeps stumping up more and more cash and getting less in return.
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Cities also don't use their brain too much either.
I've lived here like twelve years now.
Neighbors begged them to resurface our street for at least five years before I moved here.
They finally got around to it before the winter of 2013.
Then in the first week of March 2015, they tore up the street to repair sewer lines.
Come to find out, the order to repair the sewer lines was contracted in 2011, and supposed to have been done by July of 2013, before the street was repaved in October of 2013.
If they KNEW they were going to tear up the street, why did they repave it before tearing it up?
Anytime they dig across a street, even though they patch it, it is going to sink and need repatched again a couple of times before it quits sinking down in spots.
We are told our street will not be repaved again until sometime after 2020.
If you think that is bad. The whole subdivision has been trying to get Ma Bell to replace the telephone lines on Cleage Street for thirty years before I moved here. Those who would like DSL cannot get it, because of the number of splices in the line causing such a drastic loss in signal strength. I doubt they will ever fix the lines, since almost all of us have gone with VOIP phones now. Some are paying Comcast for them, the rest of us are using free services. I use Ooma because it is crystal clear and you don't even need a computer for it to work. It is a stand alone box which hooks to your router.
Of course, Uncle Sam does not like all this FREE stuff, so they are now taxing VOIP services, but not as bad as they taxed telephone services. Mine runs about 3.50 to 4.15 per month in taxes is all. This covers 911 emergency service and the rest is for the Poly-TICK-ians pockets.
I've never understood why so many roads are built using methods and products which cannot possibly hold up for very long. Of course, some of the roads down here were never roads, but simply dirt paths that got graveled and later tar and graveled, and even later yet, a layer of blacktop added on top. In other words, they have no solid base under them.
Built about like a private driveway is built, a layer of blacktop laid right over the graded dirt.
When I built my driveway, I dug down 8 or more inches, added a layer of B gravel with a crusher run over that, and allowed it to settle for a year. I planned on a concrete driveway, but concrete down here costs ten times more than back home, so went with blacktop. However, I had a coarse layer put down first, rolled and oiled, then a finer grade top layer added over that. I still don't like blacktop, but I couldn't pass up the deal I got either.
I've lived here like twelve years now.
Neighbors begged them to resurface our street for at least five years before I moved here.
They finally got around to it before the winter of 2013.
Then in the first week of March 2015, they tore up the street to repair sewer lines.
Come to find out, the order to repair the sewer lines was contracted in 2011, and supposed to have been done by July of 2013, before the street was repaved in October of 2013.
If they KNEW they were going to tear up the street, why did they repave it before tearing it up?
Anytime they dig across a street, even though they patch it, it is going to sink and need repatched again a couple of times before it quits sinking down in spots.
We are told our street will not be repaved again until sometime after 2020.
If you think that is bad. The whole subdivision has been trying to get Ma Bell to replace the telephone lines on Cleage Street for thirty years before I moved here. Those who would like DSL cannot get it, because of the number of splices in the line causing such a drastic loss in signal strength. I doubt they will ever fix the lines, since almost all of us have gone with VOIP phones now. Some are paying Comcast for them, the rest of us are using free services. I use Ooma because it is crystal clear and you don't even need a computer for it to work. It is a stand alone box which hooks to your router.
Of course, Uncle Sam does not like all this FREE stuff, so they are now taxing VOIP services, but not as bad as they taxed telephone services. Mine runs about 3.50 to 4.15 per month in taxes is all. This covers 911 emergency service and the rest is for the Poly-TICK-ians pockets.
I've never understood why so many roads are built using methods and products which cannot possibly hold up for very long. Of course, some of the roads down here were never roads, but simply dirt paths that got graveled and later tar and graveled, and even later yet, a layer of blacktop added on top. In other words, they have no solid base under them.
Built about like a private driveway is built, a layer of blacktop laid right over the graded dirt.
When I built my driveway, I dug down 8 or more inches, added a layer of B gravel with a crusher run over that, and allowed it to settle for a year. I planned on a concrete driveway, but concrete down here costs ten times more than back home, so went with blacktop. However, I had a coarse layer put down first, rolled and oiled, then a finer grade top layer added over that. I still don't like blacktop, but I couldn't pass up the deal I got either.
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Luckily, when our roads're constructed, they're done properly. The same goes for private driveways, whether you're having concrete down, tarmac or block paving. Hardcore goes down first for several inches, and eventually your chosen top layer springs into life, BUT! Our roads're constantly being dug up to make repairs to cables and pipes, etc., so it's rare to see one which hasn't been patched over - and some of those're pitiful workmanship.
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
All this digging up roads is actually new to me. Having to dig up a road was quite rare back home.
About the only places they did have to dig up roads, was where the road was widened for the third time, and even then, a lot of the work could be done without tearing up the roads using modern boring equipment.
Most of the residential subdivisions built in the mid-1960s to present, had to have a minimum of a fifty food wide roadway easement for a twenty-five foot wide paved surface. This left over twelve feet on either side of the paved surface area for utilities. The main roadway through a subdivision had a one-hundred foot wide easement to allow for a possible one or two lane width addition.
Houses who live on the opposite side of the road as the mainline water or sewer lines, had those pipes inside of larger pipes where they passed under the roadway. If not, then boring machines used from the shoulder of the road could dig a new tunnel for the pipe without disturbing the roads paved surface.
One other difference between back home and here is back home all residential and commercial sewer lines connected to a manhole. Down here, there may only be one manhole every other block, and residential sewer lines tap into the sewer main where it passes in front of their house. This is one reason our streets get torn up so often. The sewer main is under the center of the street, and every lateral line which needs replaced, unless it feeds into a manhole, they have to tear up the street to get to it.
By utilizing the unpaved easement for utilities, nearly every home may be connected to the services by a perfectly perpendicular lateral line. The shortest route, and even if they do have to dig, it does not disrupt the roadway.
Every home I've ever lived in back home, my sewer line ran directly to a manhole, not always perpendicular, as one manhole may serve two or three houses. My last house back home, as well as my house here, were the only homes fed to the manhole where our connection was the only one made in the manhole. Other than the inlet and outlet for the mainline of course.
Electric, Telephone, and Cable TV, all ran down an easement where backyards joined between the streets. Normally all underground after the 1970s. A little green box, either on a two foot high pole, or flush with the ground so you could mow over it, was where the connections to your home were made for wired utilities. Electric was an exception, they had their own underground connection box, often a foot or more below ground level. I didn't know they were there until a neighbor had to have their underground line replaced. It must have been inside a conduit, because they had the new wire installed, connected to the meter basin, the hole covered up, and new sod placed over it, in under one hour.
About the only places they did have to dig up roads, was where the road was widened for the third time, and even then, a lot of the work could be done without tearing up the roads using modern boring equipment.
Most of the residential subdivisions built in the mid-1960s to present, had to have a minimum of a fifty food wide roadway easement for a twenty-five foot wide paved surface. This left over twelve feet on either side of the paved surface area for utilities. The main roadway through a subdivision had a one-hundred foot wide easement to allow for a possible one or two lane width addition.
Houses who live on the opposite side of the road as the mainline water or sewer lines, had those pipes inside of larger pipes where they passed under the roadway. If not, then boring machines used from the shoulder of the road could dig a new tunnel for the pipe without disturbing the roads paved surface.
One other difference between back home and here is back home all residential and commercial sewer lines connected to a manhole. Down here, there may only be one manhole every other block, and residential sewer lines tap into the sewer main where it passes in front of their house. This is one reason our streets get torn up so often. The sewer main is under the center of the street, and every lateral line which needs replaced, unless it feeds into a manhole, they have to tear up the street to get to it.
By utilizing the unpaved easement for utilities, nearly every home may be connected to the services by a perfectly perpendicular lateral line. The shortest route, and even if they do have to dig, it does not disrupt the roadway.
Every home I've ever lived in back home, my sewer line ran directly to a manhole, not always perpendicular, as one manhole may serve two or three houses. My last house back home, as well as my house here, were the only homes fed to the manhole where our connection was the only one made in the manhole. Other than the inlet and outlet for the mainline of course.
Electric, Telephone, and Cable TV, all ran down an easement where backyards joined between the streets. Normally all underground after the 1970s. A little green box, either on a two foot high pole, or flush with the ground so you could mow over it, was where the connections to your home were made for wired utilities. Electric was an exception, they had their own underground connection box, often a foot or more below ground level. I didn't know they were there until a neighbor had to have their underground line replaced. It must have been inside a conduit, because they had the new wire installed, connected to the meter basin, the hole covered up, and new sod placed over it, in under one hour.
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
I think the cables which run under our roads may be industrial ones - connecting street lighting, gas pipes etc., but whatever they keep digging down for, our smaller roads're full of patched areas.
So to go back to the original post, imagine being able to drive from Scotland to Alaska and having all these disruptions!
So to go back to the original post, imagine being able to drive from Scotland to Alaska and having all these disruptions!
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
I was on the North-South Tollway out in Colorado a few years ago. OK well more than a few years ago, a couple of decades ago now, hi hi...
They had all the cars exit the tollway on a temporary exit ramp, go two miles down a small street they had barricaded all side street from access, then back down on the tollway again after the next bridge.
We could see a really wide trench, over ten feet wide, cut completely across the tollway, as the side road topped a small hill. Never did find out what they were putting in, but I assume it was probably a super big sewer line, or perhaps an under the road deer crossing, which wasn't likely for that area.
I've never been on that tollway again. But it was a surprise to see this much work being done.
They had all the cars exit the tollway on a temporary exit ramp, go two miles down a small street they had barricaded all side street from access, then back down on the tollway again after the next bridge.
We could see a really wide trench, over ten feet wide, cut completely across the tollway, as the side road topped a small hill. Never did find out what they were putting in, but I assume it was probably a super big sewer line, or perhaps an under the road deer crossing, which wasn't likely for that area.
I've never been on that tollway again. But it was a surprise to see this much work being done.
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
I've no idea Gary. Sounds like it might've been for sewage reasons with it being so wide, since some of those "pipes're" very big, but it sounds as though it kept a few people in work for a bit!
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Back home they tore up a forty foot wide path across a smaller road. Thing was closed for over two years while they built a bridge where no bridge was ever needed before.
We didn't know if a new railroad was coming through, if they were building a new road, or what the heck was going on.
Turned out they were relocating a river sized creek in order to build a major shopping center over a mile away.
The creek carried way to much water to stick it in a pipe like they did with many other creeks and springs.
In effect, all they were doing was removing a huge loop it circled around and giving in a straighter and shorter path to the river. It would still come out in the river at the same spot it always did.
For once I will agree with the corp of engineers on doing this project, and how they went about it too.
They basically followed the exact same path the creek took when it flooded.
Only now it wouldn't flood anymore, because it didn't have the huge loop to go around.
Many horseshoe lakes were formed after a river flooded and changed its course, and this creek was in the process of doing that a little more each time it flooded.
We didn't know if a new railroad was coming through, if they were building a new road, or what the heck was going on.
Turned out they were relocating a river sized creek in order to build a major shopping center over a mile away.
The creek carried way to much water to stick it in a pipe like they did with many other creeks and springs.
In effect, all they were doing was removing a huge loop it circled around and giving in a straighter and shorter path to the river. It would still come out in the river at the same spot it always did.
For once I will agree with the corp of engineers on doing this project, and how they went about it too.
They basically followed the exact same path the creek took when it flooded.
Only now it wouldn't flood anymore, because it didn't have the huge loop to go around.
Many horseshoe lakes were formed after a river flooded and changed its course, and this creek was in the process of doing that a little more each time it flooded.
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Yes, in that case it sounds like it was a good idea, and anything which helps to prevent flooding has to be a good thing. During our last major floods, half of the UK was under water - terrible for residents living in the affected areas, and some places still pose a risk.
In several counties, we have fens - areas of fresh or salt water, over-which connecting roads were constructed. The ditches help to prevent flooding and are pumped out in places, but it doesn't stop it all when we get torrential downpours which can carry on for weeks in some places.
Years ago, I've heard that barges regularly dredged rivers. This removed a lot of silt and debris from the riverbeds allowing for more water to travel down to the sea without causing too many flooding problems, but this isn't done now. Diversions were made in London so that prime areas didn't get hit either, but a lot more still needs to be done. Successive environmental departments've earmarked so much money towards flood defence, but they still haven't got enough. Just using the pumps alone is now a very costly business.
In several counties, we have fens - areas of fresh or salt water, over-which connecting roads were constructed. The ditches help to prevent flooding and are pumped out in places, but it doesn't stop it all when we get torrential downpours which can carry on for weeks in some places.
Years ago, I've heard that barges regularly dredged rivers. This removed a lot of silt and debris from the riverbeds allowing for more water to travel down to the sea without causing too many flooding problems, but this isn't done now. Diversions were made in London so that prime areas didn't get hit either, but a lot more still needs to be done. Successive environmental departments've earmarked so much money towards flood defence, but they still haven't got enough. Just using the pumps alone is now a very costly business.
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Almost all of our commercial waterways are continually being dredged to keep the traffic lanes clear.
This makes for some shallow areas in certain areas of the river, sometimes with only 1 or 2 inches of water over them. Easy to hit in a boat if you are outside the travel lanes, as most pleasure boats are.
There have been many times when I was standing in the middle of the Missouri River and looked like I was walking on water, hi hi...
This makes for some shallow areas in certain areas of the river, sometimes with only 1 or 2 inches of water over them. Easy to hit in a boat if you are outside the travel lanes, as most pleasure boats are.
There have been many times when I was standing in the middle of the Missouri River and looked like I was walking on water, hi hi...
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Good grief! I never realised that it was so shallow in parts!
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Hi Icey
I must have looked through a thousand pictures for some skiers standing on a hidden sand bar in the middle of the Missouri River. I found none, but did run across this picture of a mule in the middle of the river.
http://www.missouribreaks.org/wp-conten ... 1_0004.jpg
The Missouri River is Very Wide.
The dredges that keep the main channel clear for commercial barges and the like, dump the sand they dredge up about 100 feet off the side of the main channel. It may be 500 feet to the river bank, so you end up with long sand bars down the middle of the river, if the channel is on the left.
If the water level drops a few inches, they are all visible and used for parties and such.
But when the water is up, or during dredging, they are under the water surface.
This is the best picture I could find.
http://www.dredgingtoday.com/wp-content ... t-Risk.jpg
The dredge is way out in the main channel doing it's digging operation. The long tubes send the sand to the middle of the river. The cameraman in this picture did not capture the distance behind him to the riverbank.
I must have looked through a thousand pictures for some skiers standing on a hidden sand bar in the middle of the Missouri River. I found none, but did run across this picture of a mule in the middle of the river.
http://www.missouribreaks.org/wp-conten ... 1_0004.jpg
The Missouri River is Very Wide.
The dredges that keep the main channel clear for commercial barges and the like, dump the sand they dredge up about 100 feet off the side of the main channel. It may be 500 feet to the river bank, so you end up with long sand bars down the middle of the river, if the channel is on the left.
If the water level drops a few inches, they are all visible and used for parties and such.
But when the water is up, or during dredging, they are under the water surface.
This is the best picture I could find.
http://www.dredgingtoday.com/wp-content ... t-Risk.jpg
The dredge is way out in the main channel doing it's digging operation. The long tubes send the sand to the middle of the river. The cameraman in this picture did not capture the distance behind him to the riverbank.
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Hi Gary - no, but I get the gist, and that river IS wide. I've only really seen pictures of it when it was in full flood in parts, and caused much devastation.
How anyone dare party on the sandbanks that sometimes show up, I'll never know! I'd be expecting subsidence, or a sudden gush of water! Shudder.
How anyone dare party on the sandbanks that sometimes show up, I'll never know! I'd be expecting subsidence, or a sudden gush of water! Shudder.
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
The river does not go up and down very fast, it is so slow in fact, it is often referred to a "Lazy River."
Water may be moving fairly fast in the main channel, but even so, due to the width of the river, it takes a lot of excess water to raise it even only 1/2 inch.
Most of the damage from floods you may have seen on TV news, were actually CAUSED by the Corp of Engineers and their idiotic mistakes. Anyone with half a brain knows you cannot empty a 75 gallon aquarium into a 5 bucket without the bucket overflowing. Our Corp of Engineers cannot grasp this amazing and well known fact.
They try to put 75 billion gallons of water into a 5 million gallon container, and it just won't work. They have no idea why not either. Sad, really sad! Even sadder, they make the really big bucks for proving their ignorance time and again.
Water may be moving fairly fast in the main channel, but even so, due to the width of the river, it takes a lot of excess water to raise it even only 1/2 inch.
Most of the damage from floods you may have seen on TV news, were actually CAUSED by the Corp of Engineers and their idiotic mistakes. Anyone with half a brain knows you cannot empty a 75 gallon aquarium into a 5 bucket without the bucket overflowing. Our Corp of Engineers cannot grasp this amazing and well known fact.
They try to put 75 billion gallons of water into a 5 million gallon container, and it just won't work. They have no idea why not either. Sad, really sad! Even sadder, they make the really big bucks for proving their ignorance time and again.
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Interesting. I always thought that river floods like that were simply caused by torrential rain or melting snow or something. I know nothing about your river systems.
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
Yes, snow melt is one cause of floods, so are heavy downpours over a broad area watershed.
All rivers have a floodplain area where they expand horizontally across wide areas of land to keep the water flow and pressure down.
During a normal flood, water rises slowly and has little to no pressure it exerts on the things it rises around.
This is why hundred year old farmhouses survive the annual flood without a problem, and only have minor damage during a 100 year high flood cycle.
It is when the Corp of Engineers comes along and builds Levee's to keep the water from spilling out into the floodplain.
In doing so, they are in effect, trying to fit 75 billion gallons of water in a 5 million gallon bucket. It just can't hold all that water. When the Levee breaches, it quickly erodes to ground level within only a matter of seconds. When it does, it causes the same affect as a Tsunami. A huge wall of water crashes into centuries old buildings wiping them away like a leaf in a stream.
I often bring up the farmhouse shown on national TV, because it had survived every flood without damage for something like 125 years. But when the Corp of Engineers created the man-made TSUNAMI which knocked it down. The TV media blamed the floodwaters instead of those responsible for causing the Tsunami.
The flood had absolutely nothing to do with this house being washed away! It could have survived another 100 floods without a problem. What it couldn't survive was Uneducated Man interfering with Nature. Oh, they had college degrees alright, which is why they are so dang blamed STUPID...
All rivers have a floodplain area where they expand horizontally across wide areas of land to keep the water flow and pressure down.
During a normal flood, water rises slowly and has little to no pressure it exerts on the things it rises around.
This is why hundred year old farmhouses survive the annual flood without a problem, and only have minor damage during a 100 year high flood cycle.
It is when the Corp of Engineers comes along and builds Levee's to keep the water from spilling out into the floodplain.
In doing so, they are in effect, trying to fit 75 billion gallons of water in a 5 million gallon bucket. It just can't hold all that water. When the Levee breaches, it quickly erodes to ground level within only a matter of seconds. When it does, it causes the same affect as a Tsunami. A huge wall of water crashes into centuries old buildings wiping them away like a leaf in a stream.
I often bring up the farmhouse shown on national TV, because it had survived every flood without damage for something like 125 years. But when the Corp of Engineers created the man-made TSUNAMI which knocked it down. The TV media blamed the floodwaters instead of those responsible for causing the Tsunami.
The flood had absolutely nothing to do with this house being washed away! It could have survived another 100 floods without a problem. What it couldn't survive was Uneducated Man interfering with Nature. Oh, they had college degrees alright, which is why they are so dang blamed STUPID...
-
Icey
Re: Trans-Eurasian belt Development (TEPR)
How sad is that?
The stupidity happens over too. Our River Severn can rise very quickly. Despite massive defences being put in place, nothing holds the water back very well once it floods, and yet properties've been built on the flood plains, but the owners have a heck of a job in finding anyone to insure them!
The boatmen who traverse this river say that if a river rises quickly, it goes down just as rapidly as well, but the water's very popular with folk who turn up to see the major Severn bore which hurtles towards Gloucester in the spring. It is, by all accounts, the second biggest bore in the world, travelling at around 13 mph, with a tidal wave of up to around 12ft, followed by smaller waves rushing behind it. People entering the river during this period do so at their own risk.
http://www.severntales.co.uk/severn-bore.html
The stupidity happens over too. Our River Severn can rise very quickly. Despite massive defences being put in place, nothing holds the water back very well once it floods, and yet properties've been built on the flood plains, but the owners have a heck of a job in finding anyone to insure them!
The boatmen who traverse this river say that if a river rises quickly, it goes down just as rapidly as well, but the water's very popular with folk who turn up to see the major Severn bore which hurtles towards Gloucester in the spring. It is, by all accounts, the second biggest bore in the world, travelling at around 13 mph, with a tidal wave of up to around 12ft, followed by smaller waves rushing behind it. People entering the river during this period do so at their own risk.
http://www.severntales.co.uk/severn-bore.html