Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:
"Basin Timescales and their relevance to Flood Generation and Risk"
Dr. Criss last spoke at the Speakers Series on the causes of the New Years flood of 2015-16 on the Meramec River. After the recent 2017 floods Dr. Criss has been interviewed by many media outlets on his research on sound floodplain management across the region. Please check out some of the articles linked on the right for more information on Criss, his work and flooding in our region.
Greenway Network would like to thank Dr. Criss for helping us continue our discussions on how we can better manage our rivers.
This map shows how levees and floodplain development have shrunken the floodway at Valley Park, impacting other communities.
Map courtesy of Washington University.
Meet Your Presenter
Bob Criss
, PhD, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences
Related Presentations
Resources & Links
Dig deeper for more info on this topic -
- "Irony: Levees may make flooding worse" - by Erika Bolstad, May 8, 2017, Scientific American
- "Trump Country is Flooding, and Climate Ideas are Shifting" - by Erika Bolstad, May 15, 2017, E&E News
- "Two Catastrophic Floods in Less than Two Years wasn't just a case of Bad Luck" - by Bryce Gray, May 8, 2017, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- "Report: Valley Park levee was built too high, and neighbors paid the price" - by Bryce Gray, Sept. 1, 2016, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- "Corps of Engineers meets with critics to discuss Valley Park levee's design" - by Bryce Gray, Oct. 1, 2016, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- "Record Missouri flooding was manmade calamity, scientist says" - by Diana Lutz, Feb. 1, 2016, The Source, Washington University
- OPINION - "Messenger: Region, Nation struggle to embrace shared responsibility of flooding" - by Tony Messenger, Sept. 20, 2016, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- OPINION - "Messenger: Rising waters, two felons and a get-rich-quick scheme. A Mississippi River tale." - by Tony Messenger, May 2, 2017.
- RESOURCE - "The Story behind Missouri Floods" - Missouri Coalition for the Environment
The Big Muddy Speakers Series in St. Charles
is hosted by these wonderful partners:
All speakers are presenting for free and Big A’s is sharing the space for free! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!
The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Rocheport and Kansas City.
A special thank you to Greg Poleski and Mike Garvey of Greenway Network for making this happen!
Upcoming Presentations
Missouri River Relief: 25 Years on the Big Muddy
November 10, 2026Columbia, MO
Join us for a journey through time celebrating 25 years of Missouri River Relief's work on the Big Muddy.
See Event
Plastic Pollution, Gulf Hypoxia, and Water Quality
November 11, 2026St Charles, MO
Jennifer Wendt from MidAmerica Clean Future guides us through understanding regional water quality challenges.
See Event