Several kilometers downstream from Photo Site #1 near 71st Street in Prairie Village, Brush Creek still flows in an artificial concrete channel. The main difference between the channel here and the channel at Photo Site #1 is its size -- note that the channel at this photo site is much larger. Why do you think it is so much larger than it is further upstream?

The following photo was taken from the same spot as the previous one. The only difference is that it was taken immediately after a rain storm. Recall that whenever it rains, urban streams like Brush Creek fill up very rapidly with water. Because of this urban streams are prone to flood, which helps explain why the city of Prairie Village decided to give Brush Creek a smooth, concrete floor. In this kind of channel, water flows along at a very high velocity. The high velocity of the stream helps to keep it from getting too deep and spilling out of its channel.