Flood of April 1975 at East Lansing, Michigan

On April 18 between 5 p.m. and 12 p.m. the city of East Lansing experienced an intense rainstorm that caused the Red Cedar River to overflow its banks, resulting in the most devastating flood since 1904.  During the period of flooding the U.S. Geological Survey obtained aerial photography of the East Lansing area to document the disaster.  The photography has been used to show the extent of flooding on a photomosaic base map.  Data on streamflow, collected at the station on the Michigan State University campus, are given.  Suspended sediment data collected at the gaging station have been used to estimate sediment transport during the period of the flood.  Information on the magnitude of the flood is useful in make decisions regarding the use of flood plains in the area.  The report is one of a series of reports on the April 1975 flood in the Lansing metropolitan area.