Debris flows on Mount Shasta topic of program

Mud and logs carried by a 2014 debris flow on the slopes of Mount Shasta are seen in the Mud Creek drainage near McCloud. (Submitted Photo)

Klamath Falls, Ore. – Debris flows that have occurred on the slopes of Mount Shasta in recent years will be the topic of a program at the Klamath County Museum at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 17.

Steve Bachmann, a hydrologist for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, will discuss the Mud Creek flow in 2014 that carried a torrent of debris down the southeast slope of the mountain, near the town of McCloud.

Bachmann’s talk will cover the general setting where the flow occurred, the effects it had on the landscape and water quality downstream, and the history of previous flow events.

The presentation will include a review of a similar event in 1997 that sent debris down Whitney Creek on the mountain’s north side. That flow covered a stretch of Highway 97 with debris up to 6 feet deep.

Thursday’s presentation is cosponsored by the Museum and the Klamath Basin Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon. Admission is free and open to anyone interested.

The Native Plant Society chapter will hold a business meeting after Thursday’s program.

For more information, call the Klamath County Museum at (541) 882-1000.

Press release provided from the Klamath County Museum.