North end of North Carlsbad Trace where most of the water enters Red Oak Park from upstream

Red Oak Park in the Northwest Arkansas Times

When the stormwater flows in unusually large amounts from the watershed of Red Oak Park, debris washes down the streets and can't all slow itself down and ride the portion of the water that enters the storm drains because the drain openings are the standard size while the flow can easily "upsize." Some stopped-up storm-drain openings, such as the one in the top photo, which has been constantly blocked for months by the base of a portable baketball goal on rollers (see link to flickr photos' Red Oak Park set of photos in links of interest at right) that is actually the last opening for water to enter the underground system to enter the park, actually force part of the water to continue into the cul-de-sac and spill onto the absorbent soil at the end of the street (which was extra soggy when I walked across it to get the make the lower photo. In the top photo below, shot at about 9:11 p.m. Monday, the opening was more than adequate. A heavy downpour had occurred about 30 minutes earlier but already had ended and the water had quickly passed into the park and on downstream to the north.
So the extra water, moving extra fast, washes the debris right over the curb between the cul-de-sac and the dropoff into the wooded south end of the park. The second photo shows a small sample of what had washed over the curb when I visited last night. It was stopped by the vegetaton, but how much had gotten through the edge of the woods and fallen into the park? Is it still there this morning? Or is there even more by now? Or is it mostly out of the park and scattered over the downstream neighbor's yard? With the help of a south wind combined with heavy rain, fast-food containers, cups and such can actually travel all the way down streets and storm drains from some places on Wedington Drive.


For more on Red Oak Park, see preceding post and
Red Oak Park — Fayetteville, Arkansas blogspot

Final Revision about 3:20 a.m.