Group Project Summary
The Twin Cities has observed record breaking precipitation over the past several years. This includes an increase in precipitation during periods outside of the growing season when the ground is not frozen. This leads to increasing groundwater recharge rates because plants are not growing and taking up water.
- 2014 had the wettest 6-month period (January 1 – June 30) on record
- 2016 is historically the wettest year on record
- August 2016 - July 2017 was the wettest 12-month period on record
- 2019 has already surpassed 2016 as the wettest year on record
Most residents are under the impression that water issues they are having are localized to their yard, basement, or neighborhood. Furthermore, cities and counties are being inundated with calls from residents demanding the city fix their water issues. Unfortunately, the issue is driven by record precipitation that has occurred over the past 7 years, which is a problem that cannot be solved at the local level.
The goal of this project is to develop an interactive dashboard. This walks residents through water levels increasing throughout the State of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. The dashboard will go through five web pages that present a specific narrative of climate-driven high water level story.
