Photo Gallery
Photo galleries below are organized by topic. (For more on each topic, visit the Topics page.) Except as noted, all photos are by Shimon Anisfeld and can be used with credit under a CC-BY-SA license.
Flooding (more info)
DC CSO
DC and many other cities struggle with combined sewer overflows, which occur when runoff from a rain event overwhelms the capacity of combined sewers (those carrying both stormwater and sewage), leading to untreated sewage flowing into streams.
Nelson-Trevino
Not all flooding is harmful. Flooded wetlands in the Nelson-Trevino Bottoms, Wisconsin.
Hurricane Sandy
High water mark from Sandy’s storm surge, Coney Island, New York.
L. Ontario Sediment Plume
Floodwaters often transport large amounts of sediment (and associated pollutants), as in this image of the Genesee River plume moving into Lake Ontario, June 2017.
Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion in action, Goleta, California.
Coastal Flooding
Flooding of a campsite during a high tide, Hammonasset Beach State Park, Connecticut.
Ring Net
Steel ring net designed to trap debris during flood / debris flow events, Montecito, California.
Genesee River in Flood
Rivers in flood tend to carry lots of sediment. Genesee River in Rochester, New York, June 2017.
Disconnected Downspout
New Haven, Connecticut. Where downspouts are connected to the sewer system (either storm sewers or combined sewers), disconnecting them can reduce the volume of flow in the sewer and prevent overflows. Ideally, the disconnected downspout would be directed to a rain garden or bioswale. Compare to photo of connected downspout.
Connected Downspout
New Haven, Connecticut. Where downspouts are connected to the sewer system (either storm sewers or combined sewers), disconnecting them can reduce the volume of flow in the sewer and prevent overflows. Compare to photo of disconnected downspout.
Dams, Aqueducts, Canals
Tingue Dam
Tingue Dam on the Naugatuck River in Seymour, Connecticut. The dam is no longer in use, but can’t be removed because it supports the highway.
Erie Canal
Erie Canal profile. The horizontal scale runs from -10 miles on the right to 380 miles on the left, with Albany at mile 0 and Buffalo at about mile 370. The vertical scale runs from 0 feet (sea level) on the bottom to 600 feet on the top, with Albany at an elevation of 0 and Lake Erie at an elevation of 565 feet. Vertical changes in the canal profile correspond to locks. Map in the public domain.
Inverted Siphon
Schematic of an inverted siphon, used in Roman aqueducts to transmit water across valleys. Bundles of lead pipes move water from the higher-elevation tank to the lower-elevation tank. Graphic by Maureen Gately.
Pont du Gard
The Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct bridge crossing the dry Gardon River on its way to Nîmes, France. For a sense of scale, note the people on the lower level.
Farakka Barrage
Farakka Barrage (~23m high, ~2,300 m long) on the Ganges River in India (Google Earth image © 2022 Maxar Technologies © 2022 CNES / Airbus). The barrage has over 100 gates, of which about half are open in this image. The main purpose of the barrage is to divert up to 40,000 cfs into the canal at the left of the image, which conveys that water ~40 km to the Hoogli River, where it helps to provide water to Kolkata and other cities.
Upper St. Anthony
The lock at Upper St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis (left side). The lock is 56 feet wide by 400 feet long, and has a lift of 49 feet. Flow through the falls (right side) is around 26,000 cfs in the photo. The lock is no longer used for navigation.
Lock and Dam #7
Lock and Dam Number 7 on the Mississippi River, near La Crosse, Wisconsin. In the foreground is the lock. Beyond the lock is the concrete dam structure (940 feet long), with 16 gates (of two different designs) that can be adjusted to keep the upstream water level at the desired elevation. Beyond the gates is the emergency spillway, used during high flows, and an earthen embankment (8,100 feet long, mostly not visible) that stretches across the rest of the river.
Aquatic Ecosystems
Yale Erosion
Unvegetated soil is prone to erosion when it rains, as in this photo from the Yale campus in New Haven, Connecticut. Stormwater runoff will carry this sediment to the nearest stream.
Mill River Outfall
A typical urban river, like the Mill River in New Haven, Connecticut, has lots of pipes discharging to it, carrying stormwater and/or sewage. As low points on the landscape, rivers bear the brunt of everything we do on land.
Devereux Creek
Devereux Creek, Goleta, California. But is this really a creek? “Keeping it clean” may help the ocean, but it won’t make this concrete channel into a living creek.
Salt
Excessive winter salt application, Newton, Massachusetts. Where will all this salt go when the snow melts? To the nearest waterbody.
Sandhill Crane
Wetlands provide critical habitat, including for this sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) in the Nelson-Trevino Bottoms in Wisconsin.
Drinking Water and Sanitation
Polluted Thames
A cartoon from the July 3, 1858 edition of Punch. In London and other cities, the nineteenth century saw intense pollution of waterways with untreated sewage, leading to disease transmission, foul odors, and loss of aquatic resources.
Chicago Water Tank
Iconic (but empty) water tank in Chicago. Large rooftop tanks were once critical for fire-fighting in Chicago (and are still in use in some cities).
John Snow Plaque
A plaque attached to the famous Soho pump, describing its august history.
Aeration Tank
Secondary treatment at the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority. Aerobic bacteria are breaking down organic matter, aided by the air being pumped into the tank.
Water Kiosk, Castroville, CA
In some parts of the US, water kiosks provide a safe (but inconvenient and expensive) water source for those who lack clean water at home.
Urine-Diverting Toilet
Toilet distributed by the NGO Sanima in Lima, Peru. Urine is diverted through the holes in the front of the bowl, while solid waste is deposited in the rear and collected in a container, which is picked up on a weekly basis by Sanima.
Schuylkill Chained
Replica of a sculpture by William Rush for the Philadelphia waterworks, circa 1825. Photo by Caitlin Martin © 2012, courtesy Association for Public Art (aPA). The image of the river god in bondage to human artifice reflects an awareness of the ecological and spiritual losses associated with river development.
Water Kiosk Pricing, Bodega Bay, California
In some parts of the US, water kiosks provide a safe (but inconvenient and expensive) water source for those who lack clean water at home.
Schuylkill Freed
Replica of a sculpture by William Rush for the Philadelphia waterworks, circa 1825. Photo by Caitlin Martin © 2012, courtesy Association for Public Art (aPA). The image of the goddess of industry overseeing water delivery reflects the sense of progress and order associated with the provision of water to the city.
John Snow Pump and Pub
Sidewalk in Soho, London, showing a replica of the pump whose handle was removed at John Snow’s urging, outside the pub bearing his name.
Sludge
Wastewater sludge at the New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority, on its way to the incinerator.