One of the students involved in investigating a dam failure in Minnesota is Ella Gould, a senior majoring in environmental geography at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Gould is part of a team led by Dr. Zach Hilgendorf from UW-Eau Claire and Dr. Phillip Larson from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Both professors are alumni of UW-Eau Claire’s geography program.
Gould expressed her enthusiasm for the project, stating, “This is my third project in collaboration with Dr. Hilgendorf and the Mankato team, but this dam study is by far the most extensive project.”
The Blue Earth River redirected itself around a 115-year-old dam following historic rains and flash flooding. The river now flows approximately 300 feet west of its original course.
The research team was able to start their investigation promptly due to emergency funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF Rapid Response Research grant enabled them to collect real-time data using drones over the past year.
Reflecting on her academic journey, Gould said, “I’ve always been really interested in water systems,” adding that the project has helped her define her future academic and career path.
Since the collapse of Rapidan Dam last year, researchers have studied various factors contributing to the disaster. Dr. Hilgendorf aims to highlight potential similar risks elsewhere: “This was not a true ‘failure’ of the dam in the structural sense,” he explained.
Hilgendorf also noted that other dams in poor condition might face similar issues: “Within a month, we saw dams fail at Manawa here in Wisconsin and at the Nashville Dam in southern Illinois.”
The average age of dams being 60 years presents challenges with increased rainfall frequency: “These aging structures were simply not built to withstand those types of flooding events,” Hilgendorf added.
While dams provide benefits like recreation and energy production, they also alter landscapes significantly: “We hope our study will help to quantify the impact of dams on river systems,” said Hilgendorf.
Two new students have joined Gould on this research project: Jordan Clay from New Prague, Minnesota, and Nick White from Ellsworth. Clay expressed excitement about working on-site: “It’s pretty crazy to see this place.”
White appreciates learning through an interdisciplinary approach and plans to explore biological impacts related to ecosystem changes caused by the dam failure: “One idea I have had is to track changes in fish and other aquatic species.”
Gould has collaborated previously with Larson’s team on projects outside Minnesota as well. She plans further studies under MSU’s master’s program next spring after receiving positive feedback from both professors involved.
“Ella just joined us recently for some NSF-funded fieldwork… She is a fantastic student,” said Larson regarding Gould joining their graduate program soon.
