The Wildcat-San Pablo Creek Flood Control Project and Its Implications for the Design of Environmentally Sensitive Flood Management Plans

Treesearch

A. L. Riley

1989-01-01

In 1982 a coalition of neighborhood and environmental organizations used a community organizing strategy of the early 1960's, referred to as "advocacy planning" to substantially redesign a traditional structural type of joint federal and local flood control project on Wildcat and San Pablo Creeks in North Richmond, California. Using a combination of...

76 FR 39091 - San Luis Obispo Flood Control and Water Conservation District; Notice of Effectiveness of Surrender

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-05

... Water Treatment Plant Hydropower Generation Unit Project No. 4804. The project was located on the county's water distribution system in San Luis Obispo County, California. \\1\\ San Luis Obispo Flood Control...

33 CFR 208.19 - Marshall Ford Dam and Reservoir (Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis), Colorado River, Tex.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... and Reservoir in the interest of flood control as follows: (a) Water Control Plan—(1) General..., flood control, stream regulation, generation of power, irrigation, water supply, and recreation uses. (2) Overall plan for water control. Within the Colorado River Basin, four Federal projects provide flood...

33 CFR 208.19 - Marshall Ford Dam and Reservoir (Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis), Colorado River, Tex.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... and Reservoir in the interest of flood control as follows: (a) Water Control Plan—(1) General..., flood control, stream regulation, generation of power, irrigation, water supply, and recreation uses. (2) Overall plan for water control. Within the Colorado River Basin, four Federal projects provide flood...

33 CFR 203.85 - Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects. 203.85 Section 203.85 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER...

33 CFR 203.85 - Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects. 203.85 Section 203.85 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER...

33 CFR 203.85 - Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects. 203.85 Section 203.85 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER...

33 CFR 203.85 - Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects. 203.85 Section 203.85 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER...

33 CFR 203.85 - Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Rehabilitation of Federal flood control projects. 203.85 Section 203.85 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER...

The Implications of the Net Fiscal Benefits Criterion for Cost Sharing in Flood Control Projects.

DTIC Science & Technology

controversial areas. First, it is concluded that the net fiscal benefits criterion has important advantages in the determination of what local governments...would be willing to contribute to the cost of flood control projects, but somewhat less applicability to the analysis of economic efficiency benefits and

33 CFR 203.49 - Rehabilitation of Hurricane and Shore Protection Projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Shore Protection Projects. 203.49 Section 203.49 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS... DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm... Protection Projects. (a) Authority. The Chief of Engineers is authorized to rehabilitate any Federally...

33 CFR 203.49 - Rehabilitation of Hurricane and Shore Protection Projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Shore Protection Projects. 203.49 Section 203.49 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS... DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm... Protection Projects. (a) Authority. The Chief of Engineers is authorized to rehabilitate any Federally...

Flood Impact Assessment in the Surrounding Area of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tingsanchali, Tawatchai; Eng, D.

2009-03-01

The existence of the Second Bangkok International Airport (SBIA) or the Suvarnabhumi International Airport induces more adverse effect to the flooding situation in its surrounding area. Due to limited drainage capacity, during a heavy storm, flooding in the surrounding area occurs over the area. The objective of the study is to find the most suitable flood control and drainage system that can drain floodwater from the surrounding area of 624 sq. km with minimum flood damages and impact to social and living conditions of the people in the study area. This study involves the application of MIKE FLOOD hydrodynamic model for determining the relative effects of flood control and drainage system in the surrounding area of the airport. The results of the study show that flood damages mostly occur in the central and downstream parts of the study area where drainage is insufficient. Flood depth and duration are main parameters used for the estimation of flood losses. Flood mitigation and management in the surrounding area of SBIA is planned by pumping water of 100 m3/s from Klong Samrong canal inside the study area through the proposed drainage channel to the Gulf of Thailand. The existing dikes along boundaries of the study area can protect water from the outer area to enter into the surrounding area of the airport. Flood simulation shows that a canal with capacity of 100 m3/s and a pumping station at the downstream end of the canal are required to cope with the drainage capacity for the flood of 100 years return period. A flood drainage channel of capacity of 100 m3/s is designed and will be constructed to drain flood from Klong Samrong to the sea. On the other hand, the embankment along the proposed drainage canal project improves traffic flow in the vicinity of the airport. On economic benefit, the project investment cost is Baht 8,410 million. The project benefit cost ratio is 2.12 with the economic internal rate of return of 15.61%. The construction period is 4 years. Environmental and social impacts are investigated and counter measures are proposed to reduce the impacts. The study considers compensating scheme for people who are directly affected by the flood drainage project and those who will lose their lands or their professions. Considerations are also extended to people who are indirectly affected by the project. Institutional framework is recommended to be established to manage flood control and drainage and water resources in the surrounding area of the airport.

78 FR 75370 - Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Flood...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-11

... Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Flood Control Improvements to the Rio Grande... Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). SUMMARY: Pursuant to... Significant Impact for Flood Control Improvements to the Rio Grande Canalization Project in Vado, New Mexico...

Resesrvoir sedimentation rates in the Little Washita River experimental watershed, Oklahoma

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Washita River Basin (WRB) was one of eleven pilot watershed projects selected for construction of flood control reservoirs around the country as a result of the Flood Control Act of 1936. These reservoirs were implemented to prevent and manage soil erosion and flooding. A total of 45 reservoirs ...

Improved Efficiency of Miscible CO(2) Floods and Enhanced Prospects for CO(2) Flooding Heterogeneous Reservoirs.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grigg, R.B.; Schechter, D.S.

The overall goal of this project was to improve the efficiency of miscible C0{sub 2} floods and enhance the prospects for flooding heterogeneous reservoirs. This objective was accomplished through experimental and modeling research in three task areas: (1) foams for selective mobility control in heterogeneous reservoirs,( 2) reduction of the amount of C0{sub 2} required in C0{sub 2} floods, and (3) low IFT processe and the possibility of C0{sub 2} flooding in fractured reservoirs. This report provides results from the three-year project for each of the three task areas.

Redesign of a Flood Control Project by Citizen Initiative

Treesearch

Bev Ortiz

1989-01-01

This paper describes the process used to redesign a flood control project on three creeks in central Contra Costa County, California, about 15 miles east of San Francisco. Involved was door-to-door organizing to form a neighborhood group which in turn used a county-appointed committee, a city-appointed committee, a State grant and a private consultant working with the...

33 CFR 203.15 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., after the structure has been damaged by a flood, hurricane, or coastal storm, to the level of protection... Washington, D.C. Hurricane/Shore Protection Project (HSPP). A flood control project designed and constructed... of hurricanes, tsunamis, and coastal storms. These effects are primarily to protect against wave...

Innovations in Stream Restoration and Flood Control Design Meeting Flood Capacity and Environmental Goals on San Luis Obispo Creek

Treesearch

Wayne Peterson

1989-01-01

Can a natural flowing creek be increased in drainage capacity to protect an adjacent community from flooding while still maintaining a natural habitat? San Luis Obispo constructed one such project on over a mile of Creek as a part of a housing development. The City found that some of the mitigation measures included in the project worked while others did not. In the...

Carnivorous arthropods after spring flood

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Spring flooding is a common practice in Wisconsin cranberries, but flooding as insect control produces variable results among marshes. This project is aimed at figuring out why it works, and why it sometimes doesn’t. We have focused on tracking arthropod populations to explain the observed patterns ...

Minnesota River at Chaska, Minnesota Flood Control Project. General Design Memorandum and Draft Supplement II to the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Revision.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-08-01

Munesota. Flood Control Project (Geotechnical Cmmts). 2. Inclosed m ou resposes to the above-cited c ts. POt IT G0MVOAU: I Incl PC=U A. P13HR S Cdf...I . 4,! year period to house about 4b,O00 people in a self -contained community. Projections noted in the 1973 feasibility report were for a total...incorporation of trails for nature study, hiking, self -propelled bicycle, horseback riding, snowshoe, cross- country ski, and access by fishermen and

33 CFR 203.49 - Rehabilitation of Hurricane and Shore Protection Projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm... to the repair/restoration of the HSPP to a pre-storm condition that allows for the adequate functioning of the project, provided that the damage was caused by an extraordinary storm. (2) To be eligible...

33 CFR 203.49 - Rehabilitation of Hurricane and Shore Protection Projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm... to the repair/restoration of the HSPP to a pre-storm condition that allows for the adequate functioning of the project, provided that the damage was caused by an extraordinary storm. (2) To be eligible...

33 CFR 203.49 - Rehabilitation of Hurricane and Shore Protection Projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm... to the repair/restoration of the HSPP to a pre-storm condition that allows for the adequate functioning of the project, provided that the damage was caused by an extraordinary storm. (2) To be eligible...

Projections of hepatitis A virus infection associated with flood events by 2020 and 2030 in Anhui Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Lu; Zhang, Ying; Ding, Guoyong; Liu, Qiyong; Wang, Changke; Jiang, Baofa

2016-12-01

Assessing and responding to health risk of climate change is important because of its impact on the natural and societal ecosystems. More frequent and severe flood events will occur in China due to climate change. Given that population is projected to increase, more people will be vulnerable to flood events, which may lead to an increased incidence of HAV infection in the future. This population-based study is going to project the future health burden of HAV infection associated with flood events in Huai River Basin of China. The study area covered four cities of Anhui province in China, where flood events were frequent. Time-series adjusted Poisson regression model was developed to quantify the risks of flood events on HAV infection based on the number of daily cases during summer seasons from 2005 to 2010, controlling for other meteorological variables. Projections of HAV infection in 2020 and 2030 were estimated based on the scenarios of flood events and demographic data. Poisson regression model suggested that compared with the periods without flood events, the risks of severe flood events for HAV infection were significant (OR = 1.28, 95 % CI 1.05-1.55), while risks were not significant from moderate flood events (OR = 1.16, 95 % CI 0.72-1.87) and mild flood events (OR = 1.14, 95 % CI 0.87-1.48). Using the 2010 baseline data and the flood event scenarios (one severe flood event), increased incidence of HAV infection were estimated to be between 0.126/105 and 0.127/105 for 2020. Similarly, the increased HAV infection incidence for 2030 was projected to be between 0.382/105 and 0.399/105. Our study has, for the first time, quantified the increased incidence of HAV infection that will result from flood events in Anhui, China, in 2020 and 2030. The results have implications for public health preparation for developing public health responses to reduce HAV infection during future flood events.

Urban construction and safety project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogarth, P. T.

1976-01-01

Technology utilization projects in the area of urban construction and safety included the following: development of undercarpet and baseboard flat conductor cables, flood insurance studies, tornado safety engineering, the Project TECH house at the Langley Research Center, assistance to the City of Atlanta in their environmental habitability and resource allocation program, and market assessment of a solid state diesel engine controller. The flat conductor cable and the flood insurance studies are given particular attention.

33 CFR 241.5 - Procedures for estimating the alternative cost-share.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FLOOD CONTROL COST-SHARING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE ABILITY TO PAY.... Determine the maximum possible reduction in the level of non-Federal cost-sharing for any project. (1) Calculate the ratio of flood control benefits (developed using the Water Resources Council's Principles and...

33 CFR 241.5 - Procedures for estimating the alternative cost-share.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FLOOD CONTROL COST-SHARING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE ABILITY TO PAY.... Determine the maximum possible reduction in the level of non-Federal cost-sharing for any project. (1) Calculate the ratio of flood control benefits (developed using the Water Resources Council's Principles and...

33 CFR 241.5 - Procedures for estimating the alternative cost-share.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FLOOD CONTROL COST-SHARING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE ABILITY TO PAY.... Determine the maximum possible reduction in the level of non-Federal cost-sharing for any project. (1) Calculate the ratio of flood control benefits (developed using the Water Resources Council's Principles and...

33 CFR 241.5 - Procedures for estimating the alternative cost-share.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FLOOD CONTROL COST-SHARING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE ABILITY TO PAY.... Determine the maximum possible reduction in the level of non-Federal cost-sharing for any project. (1) Calculate the ratio of flood control benefits (developed using the Water Resources Council's Principles and...

33 CFR 241.5 - Procedures for estimating the alternative cost-share.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FLOOD CONTROL COST-SHARING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE ABILITY TO PAY.... Determine the maximum possible reduction in the level of non-Federal cost-sharing for any project. (1) Calculate the ratio of flood control benefits (developed using the Water Resources Council's Principles and...

Flash flood disasters analysis and evaluation: a case study of Yiyang County in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Haichen; Zhang, Xiaolei; Li, Qing; Qin, Tao; Lei, Xiaohui

2018-03-01

Global climate change leads to the more extreme precipitation and more flash flood disasters, which is a serious threat to the mountain inhabitants. To prevent flash flood disasters, China started flash flood disaster control planning and other projects from 2006. Among those measures, non-engineering measures are effective and economical. This paper introduced the framework of flash flood disaster analysis and evaluation in China, followed by a case study of Yiyang County.

Projections of hepatitis A virus infection associated with flood events by 2020 and 2030 in Anhui Province, China.

PubMed

Gao, Lu; Zhang, Ying; Ding, Guoyong; Liu, Qiyong; Wang, Changke; Jiang, Baofa

2016-12-01

Assessing and responding to health risk of climate change is important because of its impact on the natural and societal ecosystems. More frequent and severe flood events will occur in China due to climate change. Given that population is projected to increase, more people will be vulnerable to flood events, which may lead to an increased incidence of HAV infection in the future. This population-based study is going to project the future health burden of HAV infection associated with flood events in Huai River Basin of China. The study area covered four cities of Anhui province in China, where flood events were frequent. Time-series adjusted Poisson regression model was developed to quantify the risks of flood events on HAV infection based on the number of daily cases during summer seasons from 2005 to 2010, controlling for other meteorological variables. Projections of HAV infection in 2020 and 2030 were estimated based on the scenarios of flood events and demographic data. Poisson regression model suggested that compared with the periods without flood events, the risks of severe flood events for HAV infection were significant (OR = 1.28, 95 % CI 1.05-1.55), while risks were not significant from moderate flood events (OR = 1.16, 95 % CI 0.72-1.87) and mild flood events (OR = 1.14, 95 % CI 0.87-1.48). Using the 2010 baseline data and the flood event scenarios (one severe flood event), increased incidence of HAV infection were estimated to be between 0.126/10 5 and 0.127/10 5 for 2020. Similarly, the increased HAV infection incidence for 2030 was projected to be between 0.382/10 5 and 0.399/10 5 . Our study has, for the first time, quantified the increased incidence of HAV infection that will result from flood events in Anhui, China, in 2020 and 2030. The results have implications for public health preparation for developing public health responses to reduce HAV infection during future flood events.

floodX: urban flash flood experiments monitored with conventional and alternative sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moy de Vitry, Matthew; Dicht, Simon; Leitão, João P.

2017-09-01

The data sets described in this paper provide a basis for developing and testing new methods for monitoring and modelling urban pluvial flash floods. Pluvial flash floods are a growing hazard to property and inhabitants' well-being in urban areas. However, the lack of appropriate data collection methods is often cited as an impediment for reliable flood modelling, thereby hindering the improvement of flood risk mapping and early warning systems. The potential of surveillance infrastructure and social media is starting to draw attention for this purpose. In the floodX project, 22 controlled urban flash floods were generated in a flood response training facility and monitored with state-of-the-art sensors as well as standard surveillance cameras. With these data, it is possible to explore the use of video data and computer vision for urban flood monitoring and modelling. The floodX project stands out as the largest documented flood experiment of its kind, providing both conventional measurements and video data in parallel and at high temporal resolution. The data set used in this paper is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.830513.

Flood control project selection using an interval type-2 entropy weight with interval type-2 fuzzy TOPSIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamri, Nurnadiah; Abdullah, Lazim

2014-06-01

Flood control project is a complex issue which takes economic, social, environment and technical attributes into account. Selection of the best flood control project requires the consideration of conflicting quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria. When decision-makers' judgment are under uncertainty, it is relatively difficult for them to provide exact numerical values. The interval type-2 fuzzy set (IT2FS) is a strong tool which can deal with the uncertainty case of subjective, incomplete, and vague information. Besides, it helps to solve for some situations where the information about criteria weights for alternatives is completely unknown. Therefore, this paper is adopted the information interval type-2 entropy concept into the weighting process of interval type-2 fuzzy TOPSIS. This entropy weight is believed can effectively balance the influence of uncertainty factors in evaluating attribute. Then, a modified ranking value is proposed in line with the interval type-2 entropy weight. Quantitative and qualitative factors that normally linked with flood control project are considered for ranking. Data in form of interval type-2 linguistic variables were collected from three authorised personnel of three Malaysian Government agencies. Study is considered for the whole of Malaysia. From the analysis, it shows that diversion scheme yielded the highest closeness coefficient at 0.4807. A ranking can be drawn using the magnitude of closeness coefficient. It was indicated that the diversion scheme recorded the first rank among five causes.

General Reevaluation and Supplement to Environmental Impact Statement for Flood Control and Related Purposes. Red and Red Lake Rivers at East Grand Forks, Minnesota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-01

ORGANIZATION (if applicable) 8c. ADDRESS (City, State, and ZIP Code) 10. SOURCE OF FUNDING NUMBERS PROGRAM PROJECT TASK IWORK UNIT ELEMENT NO. NO. NO...participate in tne project. The city has also entered the regular phase of tne National Flood Insurance program adopted 23 September 1977. The State ’V of...releases It o Possible sites outside area of city control/ during periods of low flow. responsibility. -s Red Lake Watersned District has a current program

Impact of water control projects on fisheries resources in Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirza, Monirul Qader; Ericksen, Neil J.

1996-07-01

Bangladesh is a very flat delta built up by the Ganges—Brahmaputra—Meghna/Barak river systems. Because of its geographical location, floods cause huge destruction of lives and properties almost every year. Water control programs have been undertaken to enhance development through mitigating the threat of disasters. This structural approach to flood hazard has severely affected floodplain fisheries that supply the major share of protein to rural Bangladesh, as exemplified by the Chandpur Irrigation Project. Although the regulated environment of the Chandpur project has become favorable for closed-water cultured fish farming, the natural open-water fishery loss has been substantial. Results from research show that fish yields were better under preproject conditions. Under project conditions per capita fish consumption has dropped significantly, and the price of fish has risen beyond the means of the poor people, so that fish protein in the diet of poor people is gradually declining. Bangladesh is planning to expand water control facilities to the remaining flood-prone areas in the next 15 20 years. This will cause further loss of floodplain fisheries. If prices for closed-water fish remain beyond the buying power of the poor, alternative sources of cheap protein will be required.

Determining the most suitable areas for artificial groundwater recharge via an integrated PROMETHEE II-AHP method in GIS environment (case study: Garabaygan Basin, Iran).

PubMed

Nasiri, Hossein; Boloorani, Ali Darvishi; Sabokbar, Hassan Ali Faraji; Jafari, Hamid Reza; Hamzeh, Mohamad; Rafii, Yusef

2013-01-01

Flood spreading is a suitable strategy for controlling and benefiting from floods. Selecting suitable areas for flood spreading and directing the floodwater into permeable formations are amongst the most effective strategies in flood spreading projects. Having combined geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision analysis approaches, the present study sought to locate the most suitable areas for flood spreading operation in the Garabaygan Basin of Iran. To this end, the data layers relating to the eight effective factors were prepared in GIS environment. This stage was followed by elimination of the exclusionary areas for flood spreading while determining the potentially suitable ones. Having closely examined the potentially suitable areas using the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) II and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methods, the land suitability map for flood spreading was produced. The PROMETHEE II and AHP were used for ranking all the alternatives and weighting the criteria involved, respectively. The results of the study showed that most suitable areas for the artificial groundwater recharge are located in Quaternary Q(g) and Q(gsc) geologic units and in geomorphological units of pediment and Alluvial fans with slopes not exceeding 3%. Furthermore, significant correspondence between the produced map and the control areas, where the flood spreading projects were successfully performed, provided further evidence for the acceptable efficiency of the integrated PROMETHEE II-AHP method in locating suitable flood spreading areas.

Reconciling Environmental and Flood Control Goals on an Arid-Zone River: Case Study of the Limitrophe Region of the Lower Colorado River in the United States and Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glenn, Edward P.; Hucklebridge, Kate; Hinojosa-Huerta, Osvel; Nagler, Pamela L.; Pitt, Jennifer

2008-03-01

Arid zone rivers have highly variable flow rates, and flood control projects are needed to protect adjacent property from flood damage. On the other hand, riparian corridors provide important wildlife habitat, especially for birds, and riparian vegetation is adapted to the natural variability in flows on these rivers. While environmental and flood control goals might appear to be at odds, we show that both goals can be accommodated in the Limitrophe Region (the shared border between the United States and Mexico) on the Lower Colorado River. In 1999, the International Boundary and Water Commission proposed a routine maintenance project to clear vegetation and create a pilot channel within the Limitrophe Region to improve flow capacity and delineate the border. In 2000, however, Minute 306 to the international water treaty was adopted, which calls for consideration of environmental effects of IBWC actions. We conducted vegetation and bird surveys within the Limitrophe and found that this river segment is unusually rich in native cottonwood and willow trees, marsh habitat, and resident and migratory birds compared to flow-regulated segments of river. A flood-frequency analysis showed that the existing levee system can easily contain a 100 year flood even if vegetation is not removed, and the existing braided channel system has greater carrying capacity than the proposed pilot channel.

Reconciling environmental and flood control goals on an arid-zone river: case study of the limitrophe region of the lower colorado river in the United States and Mexico.

PubMed

Glenn, Edward P; Hucklebridge, Kate; Hinojosa-Huerta, Osvel; Nagler, Pamela L; Pitt, Jennifer

2008-03-01

Arid zone rivers have highly variable flow rates, and flood control projects are needed to protect adjacent property from flood damage. On the other hand, riparian corridors provide important wildlife habitat, especially for birds, and riparian vegetation is adapted to the natural variability in flows on these rivers. While environmental and flood control goals might appear to be at odds, we show that both goals can be accommodated in the Limitrophe Region (the shared border between the United States and Mexico) on the Lower Colorado River. In 1999, the International Boundary and Water Commission proposed a routine maintenance project to clear vegetation and create a pilot channel within the Limitrophe Region to improve flow capacity and delineate the border. In 2000, however, Minute 306 to the international water treaty was adopted, which calls for consideration of environmental effects of IBWC actions. We conducted vegetation and bird surveys within the Limitrophe and found that this river segment is unusually rich in native cottonwood and willow trees, marsh habitat, and resident and migratory birds compared to flow-regulated segments of river. A flood-frequency analysis showed that the existing levee system can easily contain a 100 year flood even if vegetation is not removed, and the existing braided channel system has greater carrying capacity than the proposed pilot channel.

Method of improving heterogeneous oil reservoir polymer flooding effect by positively-charged gel profile control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Ling; Xia, Huifen

2018-01-01

The project of polymer flooding has achieved great success in Daqing oilfield, and the main oil reservoir recovery can be improved by more than 15%. But, for some strong oil reservoir heterogeneity carrying out polymer flooding, polymer solution will be inefficient and invalid loop problem in the high permeability layer, then cause the larger polymer volume, and a significant reduction in the polymer flooding efficiency. Aiming at this problem, it is studied the method that improves heterogeneous oil reservoir polymer flooding effect by positively-charged gel profile control. The research results show that the polymer physical and chemical reaction of positively-charged gel with the residual polymer in high permeability layer can generate three-dimensional network of polymer, plugging high permeable layer, and increase injection pressure gradient, then improve the effect of polymer flooding development. Under the condition of the same dosage, positively-charged gel profile control can improve the polymer flooding recovery factor by 2.3∼3.8 percentage points. Under the condition of the same polymer flooding recovery factor increase value, after positively-charged gel profile control, it can reduce the polymer volume by 50 %. Applying mechanism of positively-charged gel profile control technology is feasible, cost savings, simple construction, and no environmental pollution, therefore has good application prospect.

The Cumberland River Flood of 2010 and Corps Reservoir Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charley, W.; Hanbali, F.; Rohrbach, B.

2010-12-01

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, heavy rain began falling in the Cumberland River Valley and continued through the following day. 13.5 inches was measured at Nashville, an unprecedented amount that doubled the previous 2-day record, and exceeded the May monthly total record of 11 inches. Elsewhere in the valley, amounts of over 19 inches were measured. The frequency of this storm was estimated to exceed the one-thousand year event. This historic rainfall brought large scale flooding to the Cumberland-Ohio-Tennessee River Valleys, and caused over 2 billion dollars in damages, despite the numerous flood control projects in the area, including eight U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. The vast majority of rainfall occurred in drainage areas that are uncontrolled by Corps flood control projects, which lead to the wide area flooding. However, preliminary analysis indicates that operations of the Corps projects reduced the Cumberland River flood crest in Nashville by approximately five feet. With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, hydrologic, hydraulic and reservoir simulation models have just been completed for the Cumberland-Ohio-Tennessee River Valleys. These models are being implemented in the Corps Water Management System (CWMS), a comprehensive data acquisition and hydrologic modeling system for short-term decision support of water control operations in real time. The CWMS modeling component uses observed rainfall and forecasted rainfall to compute forecasts of river flows into and downstream of reservoirs, using HEC-HMS. Simulation of reservoir operations, utilizing either the HEC-ResSim or CADSWES RiverWare program, uses these flow scenarios to provide operational decision information for the engineer. The river hydraulics program, HEC-RAS, computes river stages and water surface profiles for these scenarios. An inundation boundary and depth map of water in the flood plain can be calculated from the HEC-RAS results using ArcInfo. The economic impacts of the different inundation depths are computed by HEC-FIA. The user-configurable sequence of modeling software allows engineers to evaluate operational decisions for reservoirs and other control structures, and view and compare hydraulic and economic impacts for various “what if?” scenarios. This paper reviews the Cumberland River May 2010 event, the impact of Corps reservoirs and reservoir operations and the expected future benefits and effects of the ARRA funded models and CWMS on future events for this area.

Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, Lake Darling Flood Control Project, Souris River, North Dakota and Final Feature Environmental Impact Statement, Velva Flood Control, Velva, North Dakota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-11-01

plant species found in the floodplain forest are elm, green ash, box elder, bur oak, willow, cottonwood, hawthorn, chokecherry , dogwood, wolfberry, and...understory of grape, sorrel, meadow rue, poison ivy, rose, and cocklebur. These species plus chokecherry and black currant grow in some of the upland

Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, Lake Darling Flood Control Project, Souris River, North Dakota and Draft Feature Environmental Impact Statement Velva Flood Control, Velva, North Dakota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

oak, willow, cottonwood, hawthorn, chokecherry , dogwood, wolfberry, and wild rose. 9 - . -t 4.17 Wetlands - The three general categories of wetlands of...an understory of grape, sorrel, meadow rue, poison ivy, rose, cocklebur, and chokecherry and black currant in some of the upland areas. Evidence of

33 CFR 263.23 - Small flood control project authority (Section 205).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... operation, except as may result from the normal procedure applying to projects authorized after submission of preliminary examination and survey reports. (b) Non-Federal responsibilities for dam and reservoir project. All new projects under this authority, including dams and reservoirs, are considered local...

33 CFR 263.23 - Small flood control project authority (Section 205).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... operation, except as may result from the normal procedure applying to projects authorized after submission of preliminary examination and survey reports. (b) Non-Federal responsibilities for dam and reservoir project. All new projects under this authority, including dams and reservoirs, are considered local...

Stream channel cross sections for a reach of the Boise River in Ada County, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hortness, Jon E.; Werner, Douglas C.

1999-01-01

The Federal Emergency Management Agency produces maps of areas that are likely to be inundated during major floods, usually the 100-year, or 1-percent probability, flood. The maps, called Flood Insurance Rate Maps, are used to determine flood insurance rates for homes, businesses, or other structures located in flood-prone areas. State and local governments also use these maps for help with, among other things, development planning and disaster mitigation. During the period October 1997 through December 1998, the initial phase of a hydraulic analysis project of the Boise River from Barber Dam to the Ada/Canyon County boundary, the U.S. Geological Survey collected stream channel cross-section data at 238 locations along the river and documented 108 elevation reference marks established for horizontal and vertical control. In the final phase of the project, the Survey will use these data to determine water-surface elevations for the 10-, 50-, 100-, and 500-year floods and to define floodway limits. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will use the results of this hydraulic analysis to update the 100- and 500-year flood boundaries and the floodway limits on their Flood Insurance Rate Maps.

Climate, orography and scale controls on flood frequency in Triveneto (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persiano, Simone; Castellarin, Attilio; Salinas, Jose Luis; Domeneghetti, Alessio; Brath, Armando

2016-05-01

The growing concern about the possible effects of climate change on flood frequency regime is leading Authorities to review previously proposed reference procedures for design-flood estimation, such as national flood frequency models. Our study focuses on Triveneto, a broad geographical region in North-eastern Italy. A reference procedure for design flood estimation in Triveneto is available from the Italian NCR research project "VA.PI.", which considered Triveneto as a single homogeneous region and developed a regional model using annual maximum series (AMS) of peak discharges that were collected up to the 1980s by the former Italian Hydrometeorological Service. We consider a very detailed AMS database that we recently compiled for 76 catchments located in Triveneto. All 76 study catchments are characterized in terms of several geomorphologic and climatic descriptors. The objective of our study is threefold: (1) to inspect climatic and scale controls on flood frequency regime; (2) to verify the possible presence of changes in flood frequency regime by looking at changes in time of regional L-moments of annual maximum floods; (3) to develop an updated reference procedure for design flood estimation in Triveneto by using a focused-pooling approach (i.e. Region of Influence, RoI). Our study leads to the following conclusions: (1) climatic and scale controls on flood frequency regime in Triveneto are similar to the controls that were recently found in Europe; (2) a single year characterized by extreme floods can have a remarkable influence on regional flood frequency models and analyses for detecting possible changes in flood frequency regime; (3) no significant change was detected in the flood frequency regime, yet an update of the existing reference procedure for design flood estimation is highly recommended and we propose the RoI approach for properly representing climate and scale controls on flood frequency in Triveneto, which cannot be regarded as a single homogeneous region.

44 CFR 78.12 - Eligible types of projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.12 Eligible types of projects. The following types of projects are eligible for.... (g) Minor physical flood mitigation projects that reduce localized flooding problems and do not...

Parcel-scale urban coastal flood mapping: Leveraging the multi-scale CoSMoS model for coastal flood forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallien, T.; Barnard, P. L.; Sanders, B. F.

2011-12-01

California coastal sea levels are projected to rise 1-1.4 meters in the next century and evidence suggests mean tidal range, and consequently, mean high water (MHW) is increasing along portions of Southern California Bight. Furthermore, emerging research indicates wind stress patterns associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) have suppressed sea level rise rates along the West Coast since 1980, and a reversal in this pattern would result in the resumption of regional sea level rise rates equivalent to or exceeding global mean sea level rise rates, thereby enhancing coastal flooding. Newport Beach is a highly developed, densely populated lowland along the Southern California coast currently subject to episodic flooding from coincident high tides and waves, and the frequency and intensity of flooding is expected to increase with projected future sea levels. Adaptation to elevated sea levels will require flood mapping and forecasting tools that are sensitive to the dominant factors affecting flooding including extreme high tides, waves and flood control infrastructure. Considerable effort has been focused on the development of nowcast and forecast systems including Scripps Institute of Oceanography's Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) and the USGS Multi-hazard model, the Southern California Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS). However, fine scale local embayment dynamics and overtopping flows are needed to map unsteady flooding effects in coastal lowlands protected by dunes, levees and seawalls. Here, a recently developed two dimensional Godunov non-linear shallow water solver is coupled to water level and wave forecasts from the CoSMoS model to investigate the roles of tides, waves, sea level changes and flood control infrastructure in accurate flood mapping and forecasting. The results of this study highlight the important roles of topographic data, embayment hydrodynamics, water level uncertainties and critical flood processes required for meaningful prediction of sea level rise impacts and coastal flood forecasting.

Riparian and Related Values Associated with Flood Control Project Alternatives at Wildcat and San Pablo Creeks

Treesearch

Philip A. Meyer

1989-01-01

This analysis will consider Riparian benefits from alternative project designs at Wildcat and San Pablo Creeks. Particular emphasis will be placed on quantification of riparian values and on the relationship of projects benefits for each project alternative to estimated costs of implementation.

44 CFR 78.12 - Eligible types of projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.12 Eligible types of projects. The following types of projects are eligible for.... (g) Minor physical flood mitigation projects that reduce localized flooding problems and do not...

44 CFR 78.12 - Eligible types of projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.12 Eligible types of projects. The following types of projects are eligible for.... (g) Minor physical flood mitigation projects that reduce localized flooding problems and do not...

44 CFR 78.12 - Eligible types of projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.12 Eligible types of projects. The following types of projects are eligible for.... (g) Minor physical flood mitigation projects that reduce localized flooding problems and do not...

44 CFR 78.12 - Eligible types of projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.12 Eligible types of projects. The following types of projects are eligible for.... (g) Minor physical flood mitigation projects that reduce localized flooding problems and do not...

Minnesota River at Chaska, Minnesota. Technical Appendixes. Limited Reevaluation Report and Final Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Flood Control and Related Purposes.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-08-01

PROJECT With passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-587), Congress authorized the Chaska flood control project. As approved...miles of levee along the MinnCota River. DEGREE OF PROTECTION Minnes.ota li e r - i he P roposld lekVe on th -innesota livr would provide protcction a...the channel uli.;n- nent has been changed. (2) I’here is a high SLt r 11 bank coo biled sith a nar row, passage be .t,’c_’,, to the north, ’ii:i 21

Determination of channel capacity of the Sacramento River between Ordbend and Glenn, Butte and Glenn counties, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Simpson, R.G.

1976-01-01

The adequacy of an 8.5-mi reach of the Sacramento River to carry flood flows is evaluated. The reach studied is in Butte and Glenn Counties, California, and extends northward from the present east-bank Sacramento River Flood Control Project levee near Glenn upstream to the Ord Ferry gaging station near Ordbend. There is a west-bank levee throughout the study reach. Flows analyzed range from 11,500 to 265,000 cfs. Computed water-surface elevations are based on topography obtained during September through November 1974. The present Sacramento River Flood Control Project levees at the downstream end of the study reach near Glenn are designed to contain flows up to 150,000 cfs. Water-surface elevations computed for flows of this magnitude are about 6 to 8 ft below the top of the existing west-bank levee throughout the study reach. (Woodard-USGS)

Improvement of the Lower Mississippi River and Attributes, 1931-1972

DTIC Science & Technology

1972-11-01

purposes; and maintain and operate the improvements. The act adopted the plan for flood control and major drainage in the Reelfoot Lake area, Tennessee...lines, bridges, and highways. c. In Reelfoot Lake - Lake No. 9, Tennessee and Kentucky, located in the Reelfoot Lake Basin in Dyer, Lake , and Obion...Counties, Tennessee, and in Fulton County, Kentucky, a modification of the Reelfoot Lake area project for flood control and major drainage adopted by

Measurement of operational real-time kinematic global positioning service for southeastern Louisiana.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

The establishment of accurate and reliable vertical elevations in Louisiana is : exceedingly critical due to the substantial impact on flood control, hurricane : protection projects, and navigation projects of rapidly changing vertical elevations due...

Applications of ASFCM(Assessment System of Flood Control Measurement) in Typhoon Committee Members

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, C.

2013-12-01

Due to extreme weather environment such as global warming and greenhouse effect, the risks of having flood damage has been increased with larger scale of flood damages. Therefore, it became necessary to consider modifying climate change, flood damage and its scale to the previous dimension measurement evaluation system. In this regard, it is needed to establish a comprehensive and integrated system to evaluate the most optimized measures for flood control through eliminating uncertainties of socio-economic impacts. Assessment System of Structural Flood Control Measures (ASFCM) was developed for determining investment priorities of the flood control measures and establishing the social infrastructure projects. ASFCM consists of three modules: 1) the initial setup and inputs module, 2) the flood and damage estimation module, and 3) the socio-economic analysis module. First, we have to construct the D/B for flood damage estimation, which is the initial and input data about the estimation unit, property, historical flood damages, and applied area's topographic & hydrological data. After that, it is important to classify local characteristic for constructing flood damage data. Five local characteristics (big city, medium size city, small city, farming area, and mountain area) are classified by criterion of application (population density). Next step is the floodplain simulation with HEC-RAS which is selected to simulate inundation. Through inputting the D/B and damage estimation, it is able to estimate the total damage (only direct damage) that is the amount of cost to recover the socio-economic activities back to the safe level before flood did occur. The last module suggests the economic analysis index (B/C ratio) with Multidimensional Flood Damage Analysis. Consequently, ASFCM suggests the reference index in constructing flood control measures and planning non-structural systems to reduce water-related damage. It is possible to encourage flood control planners and managers to consider and apply the socio-economic analysis results. ASFCM was applied in Republic of Korea, Thailand and Philippines to review efficiency and applicability. Figure 1. ASFCM Application(An-yang Stream, Republic of Korea)

Towards River Rehabilitation as AN Integrated Approach to Flood Management in Asian Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgitt, David L.

Flood management in Asian cities has conventionally been approached through structural intervention where floods are regarded as a threat requiring control through engineering infrastructure. Such a command and control paradigm represents a marked transition from the way that monsoon flood regimes have been traditionally perceived across Asia. Rapid urbanization and climate change has imposed increasingly difficult flood management challenges as an extension of impermeable surfaces generates rapid runoff and flash flooding, while cities expand into flood-prone areas. Property and communities are placed at enhanced risk. Urbanization reallocates risk as channel and floodplain modification influences flood regimes, while demands for flood protection at certain locations can redistribute risk to other areas. An increasing concern about flood hazard across Asian cities questions whether conventional solutions reliant on structural intervention are sustainable. Such questioning is mirrored by an alternative paradigm of rehabilitation in integrated river basin management — a recognition that restoring and sustaining functional river ecosystems with high biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges facing society. Rehabilitation initiatives demand a new approach to river basin management which encourage interdisciplinary activity, particularly between engineers, hydrologists, geomorphologists and ecologists. The paper sets out some preliminary ideas from a research project investigating the potential for river rehabilitation as a central tenet of flood management, with a particular focus on Asian cities.

33 CFR 240.7 - Credit criteria for projects authorized on or before 17 November 1986.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL CREDIT FOR FLOOD CONTROL § 240.7 Credit... 215 agreements covering proposed non-Federal accomplishment of compatible work on the project will not...

33 CFR 240.7 - Credit criteria for projects authorized on or before 17 November 1986.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL CREDIT FOR FLOOD CONTROL § 240.7 Credit... 215 agreements covering proposed non-Federal accomplishment of compatible work on the project will not...

33 CFR 240.7 - Credit criteria for projects authorized on or before 17 November 1986.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL CREDIT FOR FLOOD CONTROL § 240.7 Credit... 215 agreements covering proposed non-Federal accomplishment of compatible work on the project will not...

33 CFR 240.7 - Credit criteria for projects authorized on or before 17 November 1986.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL CREDIT FOR FLOOD CONTROL § 240.7 Credit... 215 agreements covering proposed non-Federal accomplishment of compatible work on the project will not...

33 CFR 240.7 - Credit criteria for projects authorized on or before 17 November 1986.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE GENERAL CREDIT FOR FLOOD CONTROL § 240.7 Credit... 215 agreements covering proposed non-Federal accomplishment of compatible work on the project will not...

Design and Flood Control Assessment of 5MWp Fishing and Photovoltaic Power Project in Xinghua City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Liuchao; Hu, Xiaodong; Su, Yuyan; Wu, Peipei; Weng, Songgan

2017-12-01

In order to reduce coal consumption in Jiangsu Province and develop new energy sources, considering on the distribution of geology, solar energy resources, traffic and grid connection in Xinghua City, the aim is to determine the configuration of photovoltaic modules and photovoltaic array tracking mode, design photovoltaic array and layout scheme. But the project is a wading project, it is built in Dong Tan Lake polder I115, it needs scientific and reasonable evaluation to the effect of Dong Tan Lake’s flood storage and discharge. The results can provide guidance for similar engineering’s design.

Differences in flood hazard projections in Europe – their causes and consequences for decision making

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kundzewicz, Z. W.; Krysanova, V.; Dankers, R.; Hirabayashi, Y.; Kanae, S.; Hattermann, F. F.; Huang, S.; Milly, Paul C.D.; Stoffel, M.; Driessen, P.P.J.; Matczak, P.; Quevauviller, P.; Schellnhuber, H.-J.

2017-01-01

This paper interprets differences in flood hazard projections over Europe and identifies likely sources of discrepancy. Further, it discusses potential implications of these differences for flood risk reduction and adaptation to climate change. The discrepancy in flood hazard projections raises caution, especially among decision makers in charge of water resources management, flood risk reduction, and climate change adaptation at regional to local scales. Because it is naïve to expect availability of trustworthy quantitative projections of future flood hazard, in order to reduce flood risk one should focus attention on mapping of current and future risks and vulnerability hotspots and improve the situation there. Although an intercomparison of flood hazard projections is done in this paper and differences are identified and interpreted, it does not seems possible to recommend which large-scale studies may be considered most credible in particular areas of Europe.

44 CFR 78.11 - Minimum project eligibility criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD... activity in an approved Flood Mitigation Plan does not mean it meets FMA eligibility criteria. Projects... with the Flood Mitigation Plan; the type of project being proposed must be identified in the plan. (f...

44 CFR 78.11 - Minimum project eligibility criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD... activity in an approved Flood Mitigation Plan does not mean it meets FMA eligibility criteria. Projects... with the Flood Mitigation Plan; the type of project being proposed must be identified in the plan. (f...

44 CFR 78.11 - Minimum project eligibility criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD... activity in an approved Flood Mitigation Plan does not mean it meets FMA eligibility criteria. Projects... with the Flood Mitigation Plan; the type of project being proposed must be identified in the plan. (f...

44 CFR 78.11 - Minimum project eligibility criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD... activity in an approved Flood Mitigation Plan does not mean it meets FMA eligibility criteria. Projects... with the Flood Mitigation Plan; the type of project being proposed must be identified in the plan. (f...

Large projected increases in rain-on-snow flood potential over western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musselman, K. N.; Ikeda, K.; Barlage, M. J.; Lehner, F.; Liu, C.; Newman, A. J.; Prein, A. F.; Mizukami, N.; Gutmann, E. D.; Clark, M. P.; Rasmussen, R.

2017-12-01

In the western US and Canada, some of the largest annual flood events occur when warm storm systems drop substantial rainfall on extensive snow-cover. For example, last winter's Oroville dam crisis in California was exacerbated by rapid snowmelt during a rain-on-snow (ROS) event. We present an analysis of ROS events with flood-generating potential over western North America simulated at high-resolution by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model run for both a 13-year control time period and re-run with a `business-as-usual' future (2071-2100) climate scenario. Daily ROS with flood-generating potential is defined as rainfall of at least 10 mm per day falling on snowpack of at least 10 mm water equivalent, where the sum of rainfall and snowmelt contains at least 20% snowmelt. In a warmer climate, ROS is less frequent in regions where it is historically common, and more frequent elsewhere. This is evidenced by large simulated reductions in snow-cover and ROS frequency at lower elevations, particularly in warmer, coastal regions, and greater ROS frequency at middle elevations and in inland regions. The same trend is reflected in the annual-average ROS runoff volume (rainfall + snowmelt) aggregated to major watersheds; large reductions of 25-75% are projected for much of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, while large increases are simulated for the Colorado River basin, western Canada, and the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. In the warmer climate, snowmelt contributes substantially less to ROS runoff per unit rainfall, particularly in inland regions. The reduction in snowmelt contribution is due to a shift in ROS timing from warm spring events to cooler winter conditions and/or from warm, lower elevations to cool, higher elevations. However, the slower snowmelt is offset by an increase in rainfall intensity, maintaining the flood potential of ROS at or above historical levels. In fact, we report large projected increases in the intensity of extreme ROS events. The projected increases in ROS flood potential are highest in historically flood-prone mountain basins and the Canadian Prairies. Increases in extreme ROS event intensity, together with a greater proportion of precipitation falling as rain, have critical implications on the climate resilience of regional flood control systems.

Local Flood Proofing Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-02-01

Carolina, funded its flood audits and other flood protection projects with stormwater utility income. Impact fees: Impact fees are contributions...determining appropriate projects . Local Flood Proofing Programs – 68 – February 2005 Bolingbrook’s Flood Audit Bolingbrook, Illinois, has used different...GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND

Environmental Assessment Lake Traverse Master Plan for Public-Use Development and Resource Management Lake Traverse Minnesota - South Dakota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-09-01

classified as wet meadow. k. Tame Grassland Community (limited) - This community is of minor extent and importance in the vicinity of Lake Traverse...purposes of flood control and water conservation, the Lake Traverse-lois de Sioux flood control project began operation in 1941. It con- sists of two...reservoir pools--Lake Traverse and Mud Lake--plus 24 miles of channel improvement. Several consepts are recoiended for future development of the

How do local stakeholders respond to the uncertain implications of an innovative flood infrastructure project?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Hoek, Ronald; Brugnach, Marcela; Hoekstra, Arjen

2013-04-01

In the 20th century, flood management was dominated by rigid structures - such as dikes and dams - which intend to strictly regulate and control water systems. Although the application of these rigid structures has been successful in the recent past, their negative implications for ecosystems and natural processes is often not properly taken into account. Therefore, flood management practices are currently moving towards more nature-inclusive approaches. Building with Nature (BwN) is such a new approach of nature-inclusive flood management in the Netherlands, which aims to utilize natural dynamics (e.g., wind and currents) and natural materials (e.g., sediment and vegetation) for the realization of effective flood infrastructure, while providing opportunities for nature development. However, the natural dynamics driving a project based on BwN design principles are inherently unpredictable. Furthermore, our factual knowledge base regarding the socio-ecological system in which the BwN initiative is implemented is incomplete. Moreover, in recent years, it is increasingly aimed for by decision-makers to involve local stakeholders in the development of promising flood management initiatives. These stakeholders and other actors involved can have diverging views regarding the project, can perceive unanticipated implications and could choose unforeseen action paths. In short, while a project based on BwN design principles - like any human intervention - definitely has implications for the socio-ecological system, both the extent to which these particular implications will occur and the response of stakeholders are highly uncertain. In this paper, we study the Safety Buffer Oyster Dam case - a BwN pilot project - and address the interplay between the project's implications, the uncertainties regarding these implications and the action paths chosen by the local stakeholders and project team. We determine how the implications of the Safety Buffer project are viewed by local stakeholders, identify the frames and uncertainties related to these implications, and classify these uncertainties according to their nature and level. We describe which action paths are chosen by the local stakeholders and project team regarding the implications identified. Our research shows that there is a correspondence between the level of uncertainty about the implications identified and the action paths chosen by the actors involved. This suggests that the inherent deep uncertainty in projects based on BwN principles calls for more adaptable and flexible strategies to cope with the implications of these initiatives.

Analyzing Future Flooding under Climate Change Scenario using CMIP5 Streamflow Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyaupane, Narayan; Parajuli, Ranjan; Kalra, Ajay

2017-12-01

Flooding is the most severe and costlier natural hazard in US. The effect of climate change has intensified the scenario in recent years. Flood prevention practice along with proper understanding of flooding event can mitigate the risk of such hazard. The flood plain mapping is one of the technique to quantify the severity of the flooding. Carson City, which is one of the agricultural area in the desert of Nevada has experienced peak flood in recent year. The underlying probability distribution for the area, latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) streamflow data of Carson River were analyzed for 27 different statistical distributions. The best fitted distribution underlying was used to forecast the 100yr flood (design flood). The data from 1950-2099 derived from 31 model and total 97 projections were used to predict the future streamflow. Delta change method is adopted to quantify the amount of future (2050-2099) flood. To determine the extent of flooding 3 scenarios (i) historic design flood, (ii) 500yr flood and (iii) future 100yr flood were routed on a HEC-RAS model, prepared using available terrain data. Some of the climate projection shows extreme increase in future design flood. The future design flood could be more than the historic 500yr flood. At the same time, the extent of flooding could go beyond the historic flood of 0.2% annual probability. This study suggests an approach to quantify the future flood and floodplain using climate model projections. The study would provide helpful information to the facility manager, design engineer and stake holders.

Analyzing Future Flooding under Climate Change Scenario using CMIP5 Streamflow Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parajuli, Ranjan; Nyaupane, Narayan; Kalra, Ajay

2017-12-01

Flooding is a severe and costlier natural hazard. The effect of climate change has intensified the scenario in recent years. Flood prevention practice along with a proper understanding of flooding event can mitigate the risk of such hazard. The floodplain mapping is one of the technique to quantify the severity of the flooding. Carson City, which is one of the agricultural areas in the desert of Nevada has experienced peak flood in the recent year. The underlying probability distribution for the area, latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) streamflow data of Carson River were analyzed for 27 different statistical distributions. The best-fitted distribution underlying was used to forecast the 100yr flood (design flood). The data from 1950-2099 derived from 31 model and total 97 projections were used to predict the future streamflow. Delta change method is adopted to quantify the amount of future (2050-2099) flood. To determine the extent of flooding 3 scenarios (i) historic design flood, (ii) 500yr flood and (iii) future 100yr flood were routed on an HEC-RAS model, prepared using available terrain data. Some of the climate projection shows an extreme increase in future design flood. This study suggests an approach to quantify the future flood and floodplain using climate model projections. The study would provide helpful information to the facility manager, design engineer, and stakeholders.

18 CFR 5.6 - Pre-application document.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., flushing flows, reservoir operations, and flood control operations. (v) In the case of an existing licensed...) project facilities and operations, provide information on the existing environment, and existing data or... meeting and site visit required by § 5.8(b)(3)(viii). (2) Project location, facilities, and operations...

Quality of surface water before implementation of a flood-control project in Chaska, Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tornes, L.H.

1981-01-01

Samples were collected for 1 year from East Creek, Chaska Creek, and Courthouse Lake in Chaska, Minnesota, to determine the water quality before implementation of a flood-control project proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The creeks had similar water-quality characteristics. Data indicate that ground water may be the primary source of dissolved solids, sulfate, chloride, and chromium in the creeks. The pesticides alachlor, atrazine, simazine, and 2,4-D were found in water samples from both creeks but were well below the lethal concentrations for fish. Courthouse Lake, a 57-foot-deep stream-trout lake, had a mean summer trophic-state index of 35. Phytoplankton populations varied seasonally, and blue-green algae were predominant only in late summer. The algal-pollution index was highest in late summer, but did not provide evidence of high organic pollution. The apparently successful recovery of Courthouse Lake from past inundations by Minnesota River floodwaters having total phosphorus concentrations as high as 0.66 milligram per liter suggests that the lake, in time, will also recover from the added runoff expected as a result of implementing the flood-control project. The runoff could temporarily raise the total phosphorus concentration in the lake from 0.03 to 0.12 milligram per liter and raise the spring trophic-state index from 49 to 69.

Projected burden of disease for bacillary dysentery due to flood events in Guangxi, China.

PubMed

Liu, Xuena; Liu, Zhidong; Ding, Guoyong; Jiang, Baofa

2017-12-01

Many researchers have been studying the influence of floods on intestinal infection in recent years. This study aimed to project the future disease burden of bacillary dysentery associated with floods in Guangxi, China. Relying on the longitudinal data, a generalized additive mixed model was applied to quantify the relationship between the monthly morbidity of bacillary dysentery and floods with two severity levels from 2004 to 2010, controlling for other meteorological variables. Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) was used as the measure of the burden of bacillary dysentery in the future of Guangxi, China. According to the generalized additive mixed model, the relative risks (RR) of moderate and severe floods on the morbidity of bacillary dysentery were 1.17 (95% CI: 1.03-1.33) and 1.39 (95% CI: 1.14-1.70), respectively. The regression analysis also indicated that the flood duration was negatively associated with the morbidity of bacillary dysentery (with RR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.44-0.90). Considering the effects of floods only, compared with the YLDs in 2010, increasing flood events may lead to a 4.0% increase in the YLDs for bacillary dysentery by 2020, 2100, 0.0% by 2050, and an 8.0% increase by 2030 in Guangxi, if other factors remain constant. Considering all potential changes include floods, temperature and population size, the YLDs for bacillary dysentery may increase by up to 16.0% by 2020, 20.0% by 2030, 2050, and 0.0% by 2100, compared to that in 2010 under the moderate flood scenario; Under the severe flood scenario, the YLDs for bacillary dysentery may increase by up to 16.0% by 2020, 20.0% by 2030, 2050, and 4.0% by 2100. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Environmental impact assessment using a utility-based recursive evidential reasoning approach for structural flood mitigation measures in Metro Manila, Philippines.

PubMed

Gilbuena, Romeo; Kawamura, Akira; Medina, Reynaldo; Nakagawa, Naoko; Amaguchi, Hideo

2013-12-15

In recent years, the practice of environmental impact assessment (EIA) has created significant awareness on the role of environmentally sound projects in sustainable development. In view of the recent studies on the effects of climate change, the Philippine government has given high priority to the construction of flood control structures to alleviate the destructive effects of unmitigated floods, especially in highly urbanized areas like Metro Manila. EIA thus, should be carefully and effectively carried out to maximize or optimize the potential benefits that can be derived from structural flood mitigation measures (SFMMs). A utility-based environmental assessment approach may significantly aid flood managers and decision-makers in planning for effective and environmentally sound SFMM projects. This study proposes a utility-based assessment approach using the rapid impact assessment matrix (RIAM) technique, coupled with the evidential reasoning approach, to rationally and systematically evaluate the ecological and socio-economic impacts of 4 planned SFMM projects (i.e. 2 river channel improvements and 2 new open channels) in Metro Manila. Results show that the overall environmental effects of each of the planned SFMM projects are positive, which indicate that the utility of the positive impacts would generally outweigh the negative impacts. The results also imply that the planned river channel improvements will yield higher environmental benefits over the planned open channels. This study was able to present a clear and rational approach in the examination of overall environmental effects of SFMMs, which provides valuable insights that can be used by decision-makers and policy makers to improve the EIA practice and evaluation of projects in the Philippines. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

43 CFR 418.24 - Precautionary drawdown and spills from Lahontan Reservoir.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Lahontan Reservoir. 418.24 Section 418.24 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands... RECLAMATION PROJECT, NEVADA Operations and Management § 418.24 Precautionary drawdown and spills from Lahontan Reservoir. (a) Even though flood control is not a specifically authorized purpose of the Project, at the...

43 CFR 418.24 - Precautionary drawdown and spills from Lahontan Reservoir.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Lahontan Reservoir. 418.24 Section 418.24 Public Lands: Interior Regulations Relating to Public Lands... RECLAMATION PROJECT, NEVADA Operations and Management § 418.24 Precautionary drawdown and spills from Lahontan Reservoir. (a) Even though flood control is not a specifically authorized purpose of the Project, at the...

Feasibility Report and Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wisconsin River at Portage, Wisconsin, Feasibility Study for Flood Control. Appendixes.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

therefore, any possible changes in floodplain regulation would be independent of project implementation. The existing regulation affects properties...to 0.4. Based on engineering experience there is a tendency toward independence as tributary drainage area size decreases. Frequency-discharge...stages on the Wisconsin River. Similarly the storage areas are analyzed as independent syste,, o thereby, reduction in flood elevations (routing) and

Developing a GIS based integrated approach to flood management in Trinidad, West Indies.

PubMed

Ramlal, Bheshem; Baban, Serwan M J

2008-09-01

Trinidad and Tobago is plagued with a perennial flooding problem. The higher levels of rainfall in the wet season often lead to extensive flooding in the low-lying areas of the country. This has lead to significant damage to livestock, agricultural produce, homes and businesses particularly in the Caparo River Basin. Clearly, there is a need for developing flood mitigation and management strategies to manage flooding in the areas most affected. This paper utilizes geographic information systems to map the extent of the flooding, estimate soil loss due to erosion and estimate sediment loading in the rivers in the Caparo River Basin. In addition, the project required the development of a watershed management plan and a flood control plan. The results indicate that flooding was caused by several factors including clear cutting of vegetative cover, especially in areas of steep slopes that lead to sediment filled rivers and narrow waterways. Other factors include poor agricultural practices, and uncontrolled development in floodplains. Recommendations to manage floods in the Caparo River Basin have been provided.

Projections of Flood Risk using Credible Climate Signals in the Ohio River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlef, K.; Robertson, A. W.; Brown, C.

2017-12-01

Estimating future hydrologic flood risk under non-stationary climate is a key challenge to the design of long-term water resources infrastructure and flood management strategies. In this work, we demonstrate how projections of large-scale climate patterns can be credibly used to create projections of long-term flood risk. Our study area is the northwest region of the Ohio River Basin in the United States Midwest. In the region, three major teleconnections have been previously demonstrated to affect synoptic patterns that influence extreme precipitation and streamflow: the El Nino Southern Oscillation, the Pacific North American pattern, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. These teleconnections are strongest during the winter season (January-March), which also experiences the greatest number of peak flow events. For this reason, flood events are defined as the maximum daily streamflow to occur in the winter season. For each gage in the region, the location parameter of a log Pearson type 3 distribution is conditioned on the first principal component of the three teleconnections to create a statistical model of flood events. Future projections of flood risk are created by forcing the statistical model with projections of the teleconnections from general circulation models selected for skill. We compare the results of our method to the results of two other methods: the traditional model chain (i.e., general circulation model projections to downscaling method to hydrologic model to flood frequency analysis) and that of using the historic trend. We also discuss the potential for developing credible projections of flood events for the continental United States.

Hawaii StreamStats; a web application for defining drainage-basin characteristics and estimating peak-streamflow statistics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosa, Sarah N.; Oki, Delwyn S.

2010-01-01

Reliable estimates of the magnitude and frequency of floods are necessary for the safe and efficient design of roads, bridges, water-conveyance structures, and flood-control projects and for the management of flood plains and flood-prone areas. StreamStats provides a simple, fast, and reproducible method to define drainage-basin characteristics and estimate the frequency and magnitude of peak discharges in Hawaii?s streams using recently developed regional regression equations. StreamStats allows the user to estimate the magnitude of floods for streams where data from stream-gaging stations do not exist. Existing estimates of the magnitude and frequency of peak discharges in Hawaii can be improved with continued operation of existing stream-gaging stations and installation of additional gaging stations for areas where limited stream-gaging data are available.

Critical success factors in infrastructure projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakaria, Siti Fairus; Zin, Rosli Mohamad; Mohamad, Ismail; Balubaid, Saeed; Mydin, Shaik Hussein; Mohd Rahim, E. M. Roodienyanto

2017-11-01

Construction of infrastructure project is different from buildings. The main difference is term of project site where infrastructure project need to command a long stretch while building mostly confine to a limited area. As such factors that are critical to infrastructure project may not be that significant to building project and vice versa. Flood mitigation can be classified under infrastructure projects under which their developments are planned by the government with the specific objective to reduce or avoid the negative effects of flood to the environment and livelihood. One of the indicators in project success is delay. The impact of project delay in construction industry is significant that it decelerates the projects implementation, specifically the government projects. This study attempted to identify and compare the success factors between infrastructure and building projects, as such comparison rarely found in the current literature. A model of flood mitigation projects' success factors was developed by merging the experts' views and reports from the existing literature. The experts' views were obtained from the responses to open-ended questions on the required fundamentals to achieve successful completion of flood mitigation projects. An affinity analysis was applied to these responses to develop the model. The developed model was then compared to the established success factors found in building project, extracted from the previous studies to identify the similarities and differences between the two models. This study would assist the government and construction players to become more effective in constructing successful flood mitigation projects for the future practice in a flood-prone country like Malaysia.

Urban construction and safety project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The purpose and functions of NASA technology applications temas (TAT) are described, with emphasis on the activities of the Urban and Construction and Safety Project. The transfer and implementation of technology is discussed in five activities. Topics include: flat conductor cable, NASA house and compendium, flood insurance studies, tornado studies, and the controller for stationary diesels.

Army Corps of Engineers: Cost Increases in Flood Control Projects and Improving Communication with Nonfederal Sponsors

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

such poor condition that it had to have major rehabilitation work performed. Work to fix the deteriorated tunnel cost $10 million more than had...originally been estimated.19 Corps officials on the Little Calumet project said during construction they encountered a former landfill along one portion

Winona, Minnesota Flood Control Project and Waterfront Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-01-01

important part in the food supply for waterfowl. 2.046 Burreed was present and well distributed, but not too abundant prior to flooding. Since...occur, and since it usually seeds well, it is an important food . In wooded areas another cutgrass (Leersia lenticularis) is often more common than is...rice cutgrass. Both species are valuable as duck food . 2.049 Wild rice makes intermittent growth, depending on water conditions, and at the present

33 CFR 221.1 - Investigation and supervision of hydropower projects under the Federal Power Act (ER 1140-2-4).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... instructions issued by the President in a letter dated 18 May 1931 to the Secretary of War. These functions are... effect of the project on navigation and flood control, including adequacies of the plans of the.... The consideration for our approval under section 4(e) will be limited to effects of project power...

33 CFR 221.1 - Investigation and supervision of hydropower projects under the Federal Power Act (ER 1140-2-4).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... instructions issued by the President in a letter dated 18 May 1931 to the Secretary of War. These functions are... effect of the project on navigation and flood control, including adequacies of the plans of the.... The consideration for our approval under section 4(e) will be limited to effects of project power...

33 CFR 221.1 - Investigation and supervision of hydropower projects under the Federal Power Act (ER 1140-2-4).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... instructions issued by the President in a letter dated 18 May 1931 to the Secretary of War. These functions are... effect of the project on navigation and flood control, including adequacies of the plans of the.... The consideration for our approval under section 4(e) will be limited to effects of project power...

Intensive Archeological Survey, Proposed Advanced Measures Flood Control Project. Volume 2. Hampton Township, Bay County, Michigan

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-11-01

Associates, Bay City, Michigan. Weesies, Glenn A. 1980 Soil Survey of Bay County, Michigan. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation...Manager, archeological testing, Trailblazer Pipeline Project, Nebraska, and Wyoming. 1980 Principal Investigator/Project Manager, cultural...Michigan. Gilbert/Commonwealth Techni- cal Report R-2256. 1981 A Cultural Resource Survey of the Hiawatha National Forest ( 1980 ). Gilbert/Commonwealth

Damming the Brahmaputra: Impacts on the Resilience of Local Communities to Floods and Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rampini, C.

2016-12-01

Recurrent destructive floods along the Brahmaputra river basin are a major challenge for the people and state governments of Northeast India. Climate change is expected to further exacerbate this challenge, as melting Himalayan glaciers and changes in the South Asian monsoon lead to an increase in the frequency of severe floods. At the same time, the Brahmaputra has become the focus of India's hydropower development efforts, with 140 new dams planned along its main stem and tributaries. Though these dams could provide flood protection for downstream communities, political and economic factors have led dam builders to prioritize hydroelectricity generation over flood control. Using the Ranganadi Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh as a case study, this research investigates the effects of dam building on the resilience of downstream communities to floods that are becoming increasingly severe as a result of climate change. Findings suggest that dams in Northeast are eroding downstream communities' resilience to floods by increasing their vulnerability and reducing their adaptive capacity to these natural hazards. The risk is that, as dams and climate change jointly make the floodplains of Northeast India increasingly hazardous, uninhabitable and unproductive, they will push local communities away from these landscapes and agricultural livelihoods and towards more carbon-intensive livelihoods. More broadly this research highlights the danger of pursuing climate change mitigation and renewable energy development projects without considering their impacts on the vulnerability and adaptability of affected communities to climate change.

Flooding and Flood Management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brooks, K.N.; Fallon, J.D.; Lorenz, D.L.; Stark, J.R.; Menard, Jason; Easter, K.W.; Perry, Jim

2011-01-01

Floods result in great human disasters globally and nationally, causing an average of $4 billion of damages each year in the United States. Minnesota has its share of floods and flood damages, and the state has awarded nearly $278 million to local units of government for flood mitigation projects through its Flood Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Since 1995, flood mitigation in the Red River Valley has exceeded $146 million. Considerable local and state funding has been provided to manage and mitigate problems of excess stormwater in urban areas, flooding of farmlands, and flood damages at road crossings. The cumulative costs involved with floods and flood mitigation in Minnesota are not known precisely, but it is safe to conclude that flood mitigation is a costly business. This chapter begins with a description of floods in Minneosta to provide examples and contrasts across the state. Background material is presented to provide a basic understanding of floods and flood processes, predication, and management and mitigation. Methods of analyzing and characterizing floods are presented because they affect how we respond to flooding and can influence relevant practices. The understanding and perceptions of floods and flooding commonly differ among those who work in flood forecasting, flood protection, or water resource mamnagement and citizens and businesses affected by floods. These differences can become magnified following a major flood, pointing to the need for better understanding of flooding as well as common language to describe flood risks and the uncertainty associated with determining such risks. Expectations of accurate and timely flood forecasts and our ability to control floods do not always match reality. Striving for clarity is important in formulating policies that can help avoid recurring flood damages and costs.

76 FR 59123 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Puyallup River General...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-23

... 1969, as amended, for a proposed flood-risk management project in the Puyallup River Basin including.... This is a single-purpose flood-risk management study. The goal of this project is to identify the.... Alternative 2: Construct a coordinated flood-risk management project that would provide critically needed...

Hydro-Geomorphic Connectivity in Arid Watershed: Anthropogenic Effects and Extreme Flash flood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egozi, Roey

2017-04-01

Arid watersheds are excellent settings to study water and sediment connectivity because of spars vegetation and the possibility to make clearer links between climate parameters and topographical changes. However different flood event magnitudes may result in different degrees of connectivity. This even gets more complicated when man made modifications to the drainage system are done without considering the outcomes in terms of the potential of flood damage and risks, i.e. in the case of extreme flash floods. Herein we report on the results from two studies conducted in two different small catchments along the dead sea rift: Wadi A Dalia and Wadi Ras Moakif. The studies conducted as part of a larger project aimed at investigating the floods and damages triggered by a rare storm event occurred at the end of October 2015. This storm event covered all of Israel and characterized with rare rainfall depths and intensities as well as floods with rare pick discharges. Observations and field measurements of bed material, river cross sections and water elevation markers were done and statistical analysis has been performed to estimate the exceed probability of the different measured and estimated hydro-climatic values. In Wadi-A-Dalia the coupling of rare rainfall depths over the watershed area which itself was bare due to over grazing result in a major flood. The severe damage caused by this flood was intensified due to the increase of structural hydrologic connectivity, i.e. flood protection canal discharged higher volumes of water collected from small Wadi systems at the same time. In Wadi Ras Moakif the rainfall cells did not produced rare rainfall, but still a major flood occurred over a very short distance of the main channel transporting huge amount of bed material deposited and blocked the main road along the dead sea western coast. In this case the cause was similar - a modification to the drainage system result in increase structural hydrologic connectivity lead to runoff concentration and higher stream power value. The results suggest that in arid watersheds flood protection measures that involve modifications to the drainage system such that the structural hydrologic connectivity improves with the aim to conduit the volume of water away may fail to provide the protection planned and may cause higher damage to infrastructures. Therefore, hydrologic connectivity should become a parameter in flood control design. Moreover, studying hydrologic connectivity in natural landscapes may provide valid solutions for flood control design projects.

The Impact of Corps Flood Control Reservoirs in the June 2008 Upper Mississippi Flood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charley, W. J.; Stiman, J. A.

2008-12-01

The US Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for a multitude of flood control project on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, including levees that protect land from flooding, and dams to help regulate river flows. The first six months of 2008 were the wettest on record in the upper Mississippi Basin. During the first 2 weeks of June, rainfall over the Midwest ranged from 6 to as much as 16 inches, overwhelming the flood protection system, causing massive flooding and damage. Most severely impacted were the States of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin. In Iowa, flooding occurred on almost every river in the state. On the Iowa River, record flooding occurred from Marshalltown, Iowa, downstream to its confluence with the Mississippi River. At several locations, flooding exceeded the 500-year event. The flooding affected agriculture, transportation, and infrastructure, including homes, businesses, levees, and other water-control structures. It has been estimated that there was at least 7 billion dollars in damages. While the flooding in Iowa was extraordinary, Corps of Engineers flood control reservoirs helped limit damage and prevent loss of life, even though some reservoirs were filled beyond their design capacity. Coralville Reservoir on the Iowa River, for example, filled to 135% of its design flood storage capacity, with stage a record five feet over the crest of the spillway. In spite of this, the maximum reservoir release was limited to 39,500 cfs, while a peak inflow of 57,000 cfs was observed. CWMS, the Corps Water Management System, is used to help regulate Corps reservoirs, as well as track and evaluate flooding and flooding potential. CWMS is a comprehensive data acquisition and hydrologic modeling system for short-term decision support of water control operations in real time. It encompasses data collection, validation and transformation, data storage, visualization, real time model simulation for decision-making support, and data dissemination. The system uses precipitation and flow data, collected in real-time, along with forecasted flow from the National Weather Service to model and optimize reservoir operations and forecast downstream flows and stages, providing communities accurate and timely information to aid their flood-fighting. This involves integrating several simulation modeling programs, including HEC-HMS to forecast flows, HEC-ResSim to model reservoir operations and HEC-RAS to compute forecasted stage hydrographs. An inundation boundary and depth map of water in the flood plain can be calculated from the HEC-RAS results using ArcInfo. By varying future precipitation and releases, engineers can evaluate different "What if?" scenarios. The effectiveness of this tool and Corps reservoirs are examined.

U.S. Coastal Flood Damage Reduction Projects: Federal Authorization and Investment Trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, N. T.

2015-12-01

The 2015 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report Climate Change in the United States: Benefits of Global Action estimated the potential cumulative future economic impacts of storm surge and sea-level rise on U.S. coasts during this century at 5 trillion (2014 dollars) if no adaptation measures are implemented. These impacts drop to 0.8 trillion if investments are made in cost-effective adaptations and protections. Awareness of flood risk and its long-term fiscal impact historically has proven insufficient to motivate pre-disaster land use changes and investments in mitigation and protection. While many adaptations and protections fall largely under state and local authority, some stakeholders are interested in federal coastal flood protection projects, including projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Since the 1950s, Congress has authorized the Corps to construct specific coastal projects. The broad vision, strategy, and priorities for the federal role in coastal flood damage reduction projects nonetheless remain ill-defined. This research analyzes (1) the authorization and appropriations trends for Corps coastal storm damage reduction projects, and (2) how Corps feasibility studies account for and address coastal flood hazards. Identified trends include: emergency appropriations for storm-damaged areas outstrip annual investments in coastal flood projects; the rate at which projects are congressionally approved for construction outpaces the rate at which construction is funded; and how coastal protection projects are evaluated in Corps feasibility studies shows variation and change in agency practices. These trends have consequences; they affect public and local expectations when projects begin providing protection benefits, and may influence investments in other adaptation measures. These trends also raise questions for policymakers at all levels and for scientists and practitioners interested in coastal flood resilience.

Effects of Flood Control Works Failure in the Missouri River Basin

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

Project (“BSNP”). Specifically, in order to restore habitat of certain native species in the Missouri River Basin (“the Basin”), the Corps departed...estimated that over $654 million in damages occurred to agricultural and rural areas (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1995, 5-5). There was over $65 million...USACE Kansas City District’s civil works boundary, flooding resulted in estimated damages of greater than $2.2 billion, with agricultural and rural

75 FR 81249 - Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Flood Risk...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-27

... Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Flood Risk Management Project on the Red River of... Study (EIS/FS) for a Proposed Fargo- Moorhead Flood Risk Management Project on the Red River of the North in Fargo, ND, and Moorhead, MN (Proposed Fargo-Moorhead Project). On May 5, 2009, the St. Paul...

76 FR 45543 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Skagit River General...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

... proposed flood-risk management project in the Skagit River Basin from Ross Dam to the river mouth at Skagit... share of the project costs. This is a single-purpose flood-risk management study. The goal of this project is to identify the National Economic Development (NED) plan, the flood-risk management alternative...

Beaver Brook, Keene, New Hampshire. Flood Damage Reduction Project. Detailed Project Report for Water Resources Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-02-01

Project Report/ Environmental Assessment Beaver Brook, Keene, New Hampshire I ~ j~j~i iii ii.. A Flood Damage Reduction AD-A 14 3 376 I 𔃾, W " FEBRUARY...STATEMENT (of tme abestwee enteed to Sleok I0. Of dlfieme W booer IS. SUPPLEMENTARY MOTES 2 volume set: vol 1- Flood Damage Reduction - vol 2- Flood Damage...that are considered reasonably characteristic of the region, excluding extremely rare combinations. 2 ,4INN (0 ( w a 12 7’ PLATE * -..- ~ -- - 7 ’ k 47

Regional flood frequency analysis in Triveneto (Italy): climate and scale controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persiano, Simone; Castellarin, Attilio; Domeneghetti, Alessio; Brath, Armando

2016-04-01

The growing concern about the possible effects of climate change on flood frequency regime is leading Authorities to review previously proposed procedures for design-flood estimation, such as national regionalization approaches. Our study focuses on the Triveneto region, a broad geographical area in North-eastern Italy consisting of the administrative regions of Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. A reference procedure for design flood estimation in Triveneto is available from the Italian NCR research project "VA.PI.", which developed a regional model using annual maximum series (AMS) of peak discharges that were collected up to the 80s by the former Italian Hydrometeorological Service. We consider a very detailed AMS database that we recently compiled for ~80 catchments located in Triveneto. Our dataset includes the historical data mentioned above, together with more recent data obtained from Regional Services and annual maximum peak streamflows extracted from inflow series to artificial reservoirs and provided by dam managers. All ~80 study catchments are characterized in terms of several geomorphologic and climatic descriptors. The main objectives of our study are: (1) to check whether climatic and scale controls on flood frequency regime in Triveneto are similar to the controls that were recently found in Europe; (2) to verify the possible presence of trends as well as abrupt changes in the intensity and frequency of flood extremes by looking at changes in time of regional L-moments of annual maximum floods; (3) to assess the reliability and representativeness of the reference procedure for design flood estimation relative to flood data that were not included in the VA.PI. dataset (i.e. more recent data collected after the 80s and historical data provided by dam managers); (4) to develop an updated reference procedure for design flood estimation in Triveneto by using a focused-pooling approach (i.e. Region of Influence, RoI).

Flood Control Project, Bear Creek Stage 4, Rochester, Minnesota: Design Memorandum No. 6

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

sediments and debris, especially after floods; cleaning and repair of the recreational trails and lighting; and care of the landscape plantings. Channel...bench. A low flow channel was also incorporated into the channel upstream of US Highway 14 to reduce the possibility of sedimentation occurring in the...extends downward at a IV:2.5H slope to a depth 5 feet below the channel invert. Based on the WES sedimentation study (reference b), this depth is in excess

Flood Control, Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-02-01

The health and saftey of residents in the project area are potentially affected during major floods. A serious threat to life is always present...Warehouse (c. 1835) on St. Friol Island was one of the foremost establishments of John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company . This old rock warehouse...prominant fur trader in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. He served as the principal agent for the American Fur Company from 1820 to 182. °fhe house is a

Archeological and Literature Search, Pedestrian Reconnaissance, and Limited Shovel Testing for the Ecorse Creek Flood Protection Project, Wayne County, Michigan.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-05-01

Springtime activities followed by the Indians and their early Euro- American successors in the area included pickerel or pike fishing during the two...SOCIETIES: Society for American Archaeology .4" Society for Historical Archeology National Trust for Historic Preservation Plains Conference for... NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS-1963-A LID In AM -~E -HMIE N ECORSE CREEK f FLOOD CONTROL POJECT WAYNE-COUNTY, MICHIGAN UJU U.- I lCUTO U.S. ARMY H1011100

Potential increase in floods in California's Sierra Nevada under future climate projections

USGS Publications Warehouse

Das, T.; Dettinger, M.D.; Cayan, D.R.; Hidalgo, H.G.

2011-01-01

California's mountainous topography, exposure to occasional heavily moisture-laden storm systems, and varied communities and infrastructures in low lying areas make it highly vulnerable to floods. An important question facing the state-in terms of protecting the public and formulating water management responses to climate change-is "how might future climate changes affect flood characteristics in California?" To help address this, we simulate floods on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the state's primary catchment, based on downscaled daily precipitation and temperature projections from three General Circulation Models (GCMs). These climate projections are fed into the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model, and the VIC-simulated streamflows and hydrologic conditions, from historical and from projected climate change runs, allow us to evaluate possible changes in annual maximum 3-day flood magnitudes and frequencies of floods. By the end of the 21st Century, all projections yield larger-than-historical floods, for both the Northern Sierra Nevada (NSN) and for the Southern Sierra Nevada (SSN). The increases in flood magnitude are statistically significant (at p <= 0. 01) for all the three GCMs in the period 2051-2099. The frequency of flood events above selected historical thresholds also increases under projections from CNRM CM3 and NCAR PCM1 climate models, while under the third scenario, GFDL CM2. 1, frequencies remain constant or decline slightly, owing to an overall drying trend. These increases appear to derive jointly from increases in heavy precipitation amount, storm frequencies, and days with more precipitation falling as rain and less as snow. Increases in antecedent winter soil moisture also play a role in some areas. Thus, a complex, as-yet unpredictable interplay of several different climatic influences threatens to cause increased flood hazards in California's complex western Sierra landscapes. ?? 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Climate Change Adaptation Decision Making for Glacial Lake Outburst Floods From Palcacocha Lake in Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuellar, A. D.; McKinney, D. C.

2014-12-01

Climate change has accelerated glacial retreat in high altitude glaciated regions of Peru leading to the growth and formation of glacier lakes. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) are sudden events triggered by an earthquake, avalanche into the lake or other shock that causes a sudden outflow of water. These floods are catastrophic because of their sudden onset, the difficulty predicting them, and enormous quantity of water and debris rapidly flooding downstream areas. Palcacocha Lake in the Peruvian Andes has experienced accelerated growth since it burst in 1941 and threatens the major city of Huaraz and surrounding communities. Since the 1941 flood stakeholders have advocated for projects to adapt to the increasing threat posed by Palcacocha Lake. Nonetheless, discussions surrounding projects for Palcacocha have not included a rigorous analysis of the potential consequences of a flood, probability of an event, or costs of mitigation projects. This work presents the first step to rationally analyze the risks posed by Palcacocha Lake and the various adaptation projects proposed. In this work the authors use decision analysis to asses proposed adaptation measures that would mitigate damage in downstream communities from a GLOF. We use an existing hydrodynamic model of the at-risk area to determine how adaptation projects will affect downstream flooding. Flood characteristics are used in the HEC-FIA software to estimate fatalities and injuries from an outburst flood, which we convert to monetary units using the value of a statistical life. We combine the monetary consequences of a GLOF with the cost of the proposed projects and a diffuse probability distribution for the likelihood of an event to estimate the expected cost of the adaptation plans. From this analysis we found that lowering the lake level by 15 meters has the least expected cost of any proposal despite uncertainty in the effect of lake lowering on flooding downstream.

Riparian plant community responses to increased flooding: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Garssen, Annemarie G; Baattrup-Pedersen, Annette; Voesenek, Laurentius A C J; Verhoeven, Jos T A; Soons, Merel B

2015-08-01

A future higher risk of severe flooding of streams and rivers has been projected to change riparian plant community composition and species richness, but the extent and direction of the expected change remain uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize globally available experimental evidence and assess the effects of increased flooding on (1) riparian adult plant and seedling survival, (2) riparian plant biomass and (3) riparian plant species composition and richness. We evaluated which plant traits are of key importance for the response of riparian plant species to flooding. We identified and analysed 53 papers from ISI Web of Knowledge which presented quantitative experimental results on flooding treatments and corresponding control situations. Our meta-analysis demonstrated how longer duration of flooding, greater depth of flooding and, particularly, their combination reduce seedling survival of most riparian species. Plant height above water level, ability to elongate shoots and plasticity in root porosity were decisive for adult plant survival and growth during longer periods of flooding. Both 'quiescence' and 'escape' proved to be successful strategies promoting riparian plant survival, which was reflected in the wide variation in survival (full range between 0 and 100%) under fully submerged conditions, while plants that protrude above the water level (>20 cm) almost all survive. Our survey confirmed that the projected increase in the duration and depth of flooding periods is sufficient to result in species shifts. These shifts may lead to increased or decreased riparian species richness depending on the nutrient, climatic and hydrological status of the catchment. Species richness was generally reduced at flooded sites in nutrient-rich catchments and sites that previously experienced relatively stable hydrographs (e.g. rain-fed lowland streams). Species richness usually increased at sites in desert and semi-arid climate regions (e.g. intermittent streams). © 2015 John The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Exploiting Synoptic-Scale Climate Processes to Develop Nonstationary, Probabilistic Flood Hazard Projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spence, C. M.; Brown, C.; Doss-Gollin, J.

2016-12-01

Climate model projections are commonly used for water resources management and planning under nonstationarity, but they do not reliably reproduce intense short-term precipitation and are instead more skilled at broader spatial scales. To provide a credible estimate of flood trend that reflects climate uncertainty, we present a framework that exploits the connections between synoptic-scale oceanic and atmospheric patterns and local-scale flood-producing meteorological events to develop long-term flood hazard projections. We demonstrate the method for the Iowa River, where high flow episodes have been found to correlate with tropical moisture exports that are associated with a pressure dipole across the eastern continental United States We characterize the relationship between flooding on the Iowa River and this pressure dipole through a nonstationary Pareto-Poisson peaks-over-threshold probability distribution estimated based on the historic record. We then combine the results of a trend analysis of dipole index in the historic record with the results of a trend analysis of the dipole index as simulated by General Circulation Models (GCMs) under climate change conditions through a Bayesian framework. The resulting nonstationary posterior distribution of dipole index, combined with the dipole-conditioned peaks-over-threshold flood frequency model, connects local flood hazard to changes in large-scale atmospheric pressure and circulation patterns that are related to flooding in a process-driven framework. The Iowa River example demonstrates that the resulting nonstationary, probabilistic flood hazard projection may be used to inform risk-based flood adaptation decisions.

Changes of flood risk on the northern foothills of the Tatra Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundzewicz, Z. W.; Stoffel, M.; Wyżga, B.; Ruiz-Villanueva, V.; Niedźwiedź, T.; Kaczka, R.; Ballesteros-Cánovas, J. A.; Pińskwar, I.; Łupikasza, E.; Zawiejska, J.; Mikuś, P.; Choryński, A.; Hajdukiewicz, H.; Spyt, B.; Janecka, K.

2017-08-01

The present paper reviews selected outcomes of the FLORIST project devoted to flood risk in the region of the northern foothills of the Tatra Mountains in Poland and summarizes novel results. The project encompassed theoretical, field, and modeling work. It was focused around observation-based hydroclimatology; projections for the future; dendrogeomorphology; as well as influence of transport of large wood on fluvial processes. The project improved understanding and interpreting changes in high-flow frequency and magnitude as well as changes in flood risk in the region, related to the presence of large wood in mountain streams. A unique database on past episodes of intense precipitation and flooding was created, harnessing multiple sources. The project showed that the analysis of tree rings and wood logs can offer useful information, complementing and considerably enriching the knowledge of river floods in the region of northern foothills of the Tatra Mountains. Retrospective and scenario-defined modeling of selected past fluvial events in the region was also performed.

Flood pulsing in wetlands: Restoring the natural hydrological balance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Middleton, Beth A.

2002-01-01

The latest cutting-edge research on flood pulsing and wetland restoration in North America.Presenting the latest research from leaders in the field of restoration ecology, Flood Pulsing in Wetlands reflects the current movement to incorporate flood pulsing into wetland restoration efforts. Emphasizing how integral flood pulsing is to successful wetland restoration, the book's contributors provide descriptions of restoration projects across North America in which flood pulsing has been primarily used to restore beneficial hydrodynamic conditions to floodplain areas, and improve or save vegetation, wildlife, and terrain.Detailing the importance and applicability of recreating flood-pulsed conditions on floodplains for successful restoration, the first chapter introduces the concept of flood pulse and its unique role in wetland restoration. The following chapters detail the strategies and results of individual projects and the impact flood pulsing had on the projects' overall goals. Case studies detail the history of each region, such as the Southwest, including the Sonoran Desert communities and the Middle Rio Grande; the Missouri River in Montana; the Illinois River Valley; and the Southeast, including Brushy Lake, Arkansas. Also documented is the most famous case of flood pulsing used in the restoration of an entire landscape, the Kissimmee River project. Approaches used to restore specific plant and animal populations, the unique ecological concerns of each region, and the future outlook for each area are fully described.Extensive bibliographies for each chapter make Flood Pulsing in Wetlands: Restoring the Natural Hydrological Balance the essential reference for restoration ecologists, consultants in wetland restoration, government and restoration agency employees, land managers, ecologists, foresters, and geologists.

Sacramento River Flood Control Project, California Mid-Valley Area, Phase 3. Design Memorandum Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-06-01

in the study area. Plants that are candidates for Federal listing are the Suisun aster, heart-scale, California hibiscus , delta tule-pea. Mason’s...agricultural chemicals. According to Sutter County Environmental Health , the State Water Resources Control Board tested a sediment sample taken under the

77 FR 8246 - Alabama Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-14

... Martin Dam Project: (1) A flood control guide; (2) an operating guide; and (3) a drought contingency.... The drought contingency plan provides an indication of impending hydrologic drought conditions. m. A...

Next generation paradigm for urban pluvial flood modelling, prediction, management and vulnerability reduction - Interaction between RainGain and Blue Green Dream projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maksimovic, C.

2012-04-01

The effects of climate change and increasing urbanisation call for a new paradigm for efficient planning, management and retrofitting of urban developments to increase resilience to climate change and to maximize ecosystem services. Improved management of urban floods from all sources in required. Time scale for well documented fluvial and coastal floods allows for timely response but surface (pluvial) flooding caused by intense local storms had not been given appropriate attention, Pitt Review (UK). Urban surface floods predictions require fine scale data and model resolutions. They have to be tackled locally by combining central inputs (meteorological services) with the efforts of the local entities. Although significant breakthrough in modelling of pluvial flooding was made there is a need to further enhance short term prediction of both rainfall and surface flooding. These issues are dealt with in the EU Iterreg project Rain Gain (RG). Breakthrough in urban flood mitigation can only be achieved by combined effects of advanced planning design, construction and management of urban water (blue) assets in interaction with urban vegetated areas' (green) assets. Changes in design and operation of blue and green assets, currently operating as two separate systems, is urgently required. Gaps in knowledge and technology will be introduced by EIT's Climate-KIC Blue Green Dream (BGD) project. The RG and BGD projects provide synergy of the "decoupled" blue and green systems to enhance multiple benefits to: urban amenity, flood management, heat island, biodiversity, resilience to drought thus energy requirements, thus increased quality of urban life at lower costs. Urban pluvial flood management will address two priority areas: Short Term rainfall Forecast and Short term flood surface forecast. Spatial resolution of short term rainfall forecast below 0.5 km2 and lead time of a few hours are needed. Improvements are achievable by combining data sources of raingauge networks with C-Band and X-Band radars with NWP and pluvial flood prediction models. The RG project deals with the merging and providing synergy of these technologies. Combined effects of BG technologies can totally reduce the risk of surface flooding for low return period events and up to 50-80% for high return periods. Demonstration technology testing sites for both BGD and RG projects will be established in 5 participating countries. Decision Support Systems will enhance full scale implementation of both BGD and RG project deliverables. A BGD efficiency rating scheme and training guidelines and e-learning tools will be developed. Experimental/demo sites for BDG and RG technology development and testing in Rotterdam, Paris, Berlin, Leuven and London and the expected results with concepts of RG and BGD projects and the initial results will be presented in the paper.

Alkaline flooding for enhanced oil recovery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gittler, W.E.

1983-09-01

There are over 12 active projects of varying size using one of 3 major types of alkaline agents. These include sodium silicate, caustic soda, and soda ash. Among the largest pilots currently is the THUMS project in the Wilmington field, California. Plans called for the injection of a 4% weight concentration of sodium orthosilicate over a 60% PV. Through the first 3 yr, over 27 million bbl of chemicals have been injected. Gulf Oil is operating several alkaline floods, one of which is located off shore in the Quarantine Bay field, Louisiana. In this pilot, sodium hydroxide in a weightmore » concentration of 5 to 12% is being injected. Belco Petroleum Corp. has reported that their pilot operating in the Isenhour Unit in Wyoming is using a .5% weight concentration of soda ash in conjunction with a polymer. Other uses for alkaline agents in chemical flooding include the use of silicate as a preflush or sacrificial agent in micellar/polymer and surfactant recovery systems. In addition, caustic has been tested in the surface-mixed caustic emulsion process while orthosilicate has been tested in a recovery method known as mobility-controlled caustic floods.« less

"Flooding Risk Analysis and the Understanding of Hydrological Disturbance due to the Rapid Urbanization in a Low-Scale Subwatershed in Houston Area". ( The project develops a relavant Model of flooding risk assessment to define the connection between increased streamflow/flooding and the rapid urban land development).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geldiyev, P.

2017-12-01

Rapid urban development and changing climate influences the frequency and magnitude of flooding in Houston area. This proposed project aims to evaluate the flooding risks with the current and future land use changes by 2040 for one subbasin of the San Jacinto Brazos/Neches-Trinity Coastal basin. Surface environments and streamflow data of the Clear Creek are analyzed and stimulated to discuss the possible impact of urbanization on the occurrence of floods. The streamflow data is analyzed and simulated with the application of the Geographic Information Systems and its extensions. Both hydrologic and hydraulic models of the Clear Creek are created with the use of HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS software. Both models are duplicated for the year 2040, based on projected 2040 Landcover Maps developed by Houston and Galveston Area Council. This project examines a type of contemporary hydrologic disturbance and the interaction between land cover and changes in hydrological processes. Expected results will be very significant for urban development and flooding management.

An Intensive Archaeological and Architectural Phase 1 Survey of the Section 205 Flood Control Project Cedar Falls, Iowa

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-07-01

indicating that • m |0 7 people were inhabiting the area relatively soon after glacial retreat. Using a broader data base of excavated buried...Midwestern Archaeological Reasearch Center- Ib-.Illinois State University 7 - Normal, Illinois 61761 . i~l U1nflrnited July 1991 91 12101 037 0 0...CONTROL PROJECT, CEDAR FALLS, IOWA .. ...... . .... 7 by Joseph S. Phillippe iotrt :j, and A , I David J. Halpin A, -l This research sponsored by United

Review Article: Structural flood-protection measures referring to several European case studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryžanowski, A.; Brilly, M.; Rusjan, S.; Schnabl, S.

2014-01-01

The paper presents a review of structural measures that were taken to cope with floods in some cities along the Danube River, such as Vienna, Bratislava, and Belgrade. These cities were also considered as case studies within the KULTURisk project. The structural measures are reviewed and compared to each other according to the type, duration of application, the return period of the design flood event, how the project measures are integrated into spatial planning and the problems that occur in the flood defences today. Based on this review, some suggestions are given on how to improve the flood risk management in flood-prone areas.

Future property damage from flooding: sensitivities to economy and climate change

DOE PAGES

Liu, Jing; Hertel, Thomas; Diffenbaugh, Noah; ...

2015-08-09

Using a unique dataset for Indiana counties during the period 1995-2012, we estimate the effects of flood hazard, asset exposure, and social vulnerability on property damage. This relationship then is combined with the expected level of future flood risks to project property damage from flooding in 2030 under various scenarios. We compare these scenario projections to identify which risk management strategy offers the greatest potential to mitigate flooding loss. Results show that by 2030, county level flooding hazard measured by extreme flow volume and frequency will increase by an average of 16.2% and 7.4%, respectively. The total increase in propertymore » damages projected under different model specifications range from 13.3% to 20.8%. Across models future damages consistently exhibit the highest sensitivity to future increases in asset exposure, reinforcing the importance of non-structural measures in managing floodplain development.« less

Assess the flood resilience tools integration in the landuse projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moulin, E.; Deroubaix, J.-F.

2012-04-01

Despite a severe regulation concerning the building in flooding areas, 80% of these areas are already built in the Greater Paris (Paris, Val-de-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine and Seine-Saint-Denis). The land use in flooding area is presented as one of the main solutions to solve the ongoing real estate pressure. For instance some of the industrial wastelands located along the river are currently in redevelopment and residential buildings are planned. So the landuse in the flooding areas is currently a key issue in the development of the Greater Paris area. To deal with floods there are some resilience tools, whether structural (such as perimeter barriers or building aperture barriers, etc) or non structural (such as warning systems, etc.). The technical solutions are available and most of the time efficient1. Still, we notice that these tools are not much implemented. The people; stakeholders and inhabitants, literally seems to be not interested. This papers focus on the integration of resilience tools in urban projects. Indeed one of the blockages in the implementation of an efficient flood risk prevention policy is the lack of concern of the landuse stakeholders and the inhabitants for the risk2. We conducted an important number of interviews with stakeholders involved in various urban projects and we assess, in this communication, to what extent the improvement of the resilience to floods is considered as a main issue in the execution of an urban project? How this concern is maintained or could be maintained throughout the project. Is there a dilution of this concern? In order to develop this topic we rely on a case study. The "Ardoines" is a project aiming at redeveloping an industrial site (South-East Paris), into a project including residential and office buildings and other amenities. In order to elaborate the master plan, the urban planning authority brought together some flood risk experts. According to the comments of the experts, the architect in charge of the landuse elaborated the master plan taking into account the flood risk; reducing vulnerability of the area and improving the resilience in case of floods, towards a threshold plan. We set this case-study back in the French policy context of prevention and protection against floods and in the context of the Greater Paris development. There are two levels of problems: In the case of the Ardoines project, the reduction of vulnerability isn't linked with the improvement of the resilience. Indeed, the stakeholders do not envisage an event worst than the 100-years flood return period, the one taken into account in a flood prevention plan. The regulation is the guide for construction rules but there is no consideration for the crisis management. Moreover, the reduction of vulnerability appears less important than the economical issues in the management of a project. This case study illustrates how the lack of awareness for territorial resilience issues and the lack of interest for flood resilience tools are embedded in the "governance" of the risk in the greater Paris area.

REAL TIME CONTROL OF SEWERS: US EPA MANUAL

EPA Science Inventory

The problem of sewage spills and local flooding has traditionally been addressed by large scale capital improvement programs that focus on construction alternatives such as sewer separation or construction of storage facilities. The cost of such projects is often high, especiall...

Studying the hydro-meteorological extremes. The benefits from the European Flash Flood research oriented HYDRATE project.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsanis, Ioannis K.; Koutroulis, Aristeidis G.; Daliakopoulos, Ioannis N.; Grillakis, Emmanouil G.

2010-05-01

The present paper summarizes the advances of flash flood research for the Greek case study, within the frame of HYDRATE EC funded project. As a first step, a collation of homogenous primary data on flash floods occurred in Greece based on various data sources resulted in 21 documented events, enriching the HYDRATE database. Specific major events were selected for further detailed data collation and analysis. A common intensive post event field survey was conducted by various researchers with different skills and experience, in order to document the 18th of September 2007, Western Slovenia flash flood event. The observation strategy and the lessons learned during this campaign were applied successfully for surveying an event in Crete. Two flash flood events occurred in Crete were selected for detailed analysis, the 13th of January 1994 event occurred in Giofiros basin and the 17th of October 2006 event occurred in Almirida basin. Several techniques, like distributed rainfall-runoff modelling, hydraulic modelling, indirect and empirical peak discharge estimation, were applied for the understanding of the dominant flash flood processes and the effect of initial conditions on peak discharge. In a more general framework, the seasonality of the hydrometeorologic characteristics of floods that occurred in Crete during the period 1990-2007 and the atmospheric circulation conditions during the flood events were examined. During the three and a half years research period, many lessons have learnt from a fruitful collaboration among the project partners. HYDRATE project improved the scientific basis of flash flood research and provided research knowledge on flood risk management.

Flood risk governance arrangements in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matczak, P.; Lewandowski, J.; Choryński, A.; Szwed, M.; Kundzewicz, Z. W.

2015-06-01

The STAR-FLOOD (Strengthening and Redesigning European Flood Risk Practices Towards Appropriate and Resilient Flood Risk Governance Arrangements) project, funded by the European Commission, investigates strategies for dealing with flood risk in six European countries: Belgium, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden and in 18 vulnerable urban regions in these countries. The project aims to describe, analyse, explain, and evaluate the main similarities and differences between the selected EU Member States in terms of development and performance of flood risk governance arrangements. It also discusses the scientific and societal importance of these similarities and differences. Attention is paid to identification and characterization of shifts in flood risk governance arrangements and in flood risk management strategies and to determination of triggering factors and restraining factors. An assessment of a change of resilience and appropriateness (legitimacy, effectiveness, efficiency) of flood risk governance arrangements in Poland is presented and comparison with other European countries is offered.

Flood Risk, Flood Mitigation, and Location Choice: Evaluating the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System.

PubMed

Fan, Qin; Davlasheridze, Meri

2016-06-01

Climate change is expected to worsen the negative effects of natural disasters like floods. The negative impacts, however, can be mitigated by individuals' adjustments through migration and relocation behaviors. Previous literature has identified flood risk as one significant driver in relocation decisions, but no prior study examines the effect of the National Flood Insurance Program's voluntary program-the Community Rating System (CRS)-on residential location choice. This article fills this gap and tests the hypothesis that flood risk and the CRS-creditable flood control activities affect residential location choices. We employ a two-stage sorting model to empirically estimate the effects. In the first stage, individuals' risk perception and preference heterogeneity for the CRS activities are considered, while mean effects of flood risk and the CRS activities are estimated in the second stage. We then estimate heterogeneous marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for the CRS activities by category. Results show that age, ethnicity and race, educational attainment, and prior exposure to risk explain risk perception. We find significant values for the CRS-creditable mitigation activities, which provides empirical evidence for the benefits associated with the program. The marginal WTP for an additional credit point earned for public information activities, including hazard disclosure, is found to be the highest. Results also suggest that water amenities dominate flood risk. Thus, high amenity values may increase exposure to flood risk, and flood mitigation projects should be strategized in coastal regions accordingly. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

An Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey of the Proposed Channel Realignment Area at Big Stone-Whetstone Flood Control Project, Big Stone and Lac Qui Parle Counties, Minnesota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

terms of local collections. Charles Hanson: Mr. Hanson is a local collector who has a sizeable prehistoric collection from the island in Artichoke Lake... Artichoke Lake is located approximately 17 miles northeast of Ortonville and does not pertain to this project. He did indicate that he has done some

Coralville Reservoir Water Quality Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-01

Description of the Area and Scope of the Project The Coralville flood control dam is located in Johnson County, Iowa , about three miles north of Iowa City...out of the reservoir. USGS 05453100 Iowa River at Marengo, IA USGS 05453520 Iowa River below Coralville Dam near Coralville , IA max min average...26: Pesticides in Fish. Coralville Reservoir Water Quality Pesticides in Fish Reservoir (Near Lake McBride Spillway) Downstream ( Iowa

Changes in Seasonal and Extreme Hydrologic Conditions of the Georgia Basin/Puget Sound in an Ensemble Regional Climate Simulation for the Mid-Century

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leung, Lai R.; Qian, Yun

This study examines an ensemble of climate change projections simulated by a global climate model (GCM) and downscaled with a region climate model (RCM) to 40 km spatial resolution for the western North America. One control and three ensemble future climate simulations were produced by the GCM following a business as usual scenario for greenhouse gases and aerosols emissions from 1995 to 2100. The RCM was used to downscale the GCM control simulation (1995-2015) and each ensemble future GCM climate (2040-2060) simulation. Analyses of the regional climate simulations for the Georgia Basin/Puget Sound showed a warming of 1.5-2oC and statisticallymore » insignificant changes in precipitation by the mid-century. Climate change has large impacts on snowpack (about 50% reduction) but relatively smaller impacts on the total runoff for the basin as a whole. However, climate change can strongly affect small watersheds such as those located in the transient snow zone, causing a higher likelihood of winter flooding as a higher percentage of precipitation falls in the form of rain rather than snow, and reduced streamflow in early summer. In addition, there are large changes in the monthly total runoff above the upper 1% threshold (or flood volume) from October through May, and the December flood volume of the future climate is 60% above the maximum monthly flood volume of the control climate. Uncertainty of the climate change projections, as characterized by the spread among the ensemble future climate simulations, is relatively small for the basin mean snowpack and runoff, but increases in smaller watersheds, especially in the transient snow zone, and associated with extreme events. This emphasizes the importance of characterizing uncertainty through ensemble simulations.« less

Influence of climate change on flood magnitude and seasonality in the Arga River catchment in Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garijo, Carlos; Mediero, Luis

2018-04-01

Climate change projections suggest that extremes, such as floods, will modify their behaviour in the future. Detailed catchment-scale studies are needed to implement the European Union Floods Directive and give recommendations for flood management and design of hydraulic infrastructure. In this study, a methodology to quantify changes in future flood magnitude and seasonality due to climate change at a catchment scale is proposed. Projections of 24 global climate models are used, with 10 being downscaled by the Spanish Meteorological Agency (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, AEMET) and 14 from the EURO-CORDEX project, under two representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5, from the Fifth Assessment Report provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Downscaled climate models provided by the AEMET were corrected in terms of bias. The HBV rainfall-runoff model was selected to simulate the catchment hydrological behaviour. Simulations were analysed through both annual maximum and peaks-over-threshold (POT) series. The results show a decrease in the magnitude of extreme floods for the climate model projections downscaled by the AEMET. However, results for the climate model projections downscaled by EURO-CORDEX show differing trends, depending on the RCP. A small decrease in the flood magnitude was noticed for the RCP 4.5, while an increase was found for the RCP 8.5. Regarding the monthly seasonality analysis performed by using the POT series, a delay in the flood timing from late-autumn to late-winter is identified supporting the findings of recent studies performed with observed data in recent decades.

Climate change impacts on urban wildfire and flooding policy in Idaho: a comparative policy network perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindquist, E.; Pierce, J. L.

2013-12-01

Numerous frameworks and models exist for understanding the dynamics of the public policy process. A policy network approach considers how and why stakeholders and interests pay attention to and engage in policy problems, such as flood control or developing resilient and fire resistant landscapes. Variables considered in this approach include what the relationships are between these stakeholders, how they influence the process and outcomes, communication patterns within and between policy networks, and how networks change as a result of new information, science, or public interest and involvement with the problem. This approach is useful in understanding the creation of natural hazards policy as new information or situations, such as projected climate change impacts, influence and disrupt the policy process and networks. Two significant natural hazard policy networks exist in the semi-arid Treasure Valley region of Southwest Idaho, which includes the capitol city of Boise and the surrounding metropolitan area. Boise is situated along the Boise River and adjacent to steep foothills; this physiographic setting makes Boise vulnerable to both wildfires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and flooding. Both of these natural hazards have devastated the community in the past and floods and fires are projected to occur with more frequency in the future as a result of projected climate change impacts in the region. While both hazards are fairly well defined problems, there are stark differences lending themselves to comparisons across their respective networks. The WUI wildfire network is large and well developed, includes stakeholders from all levels of government, the private sector and property owner organizations, has well defined objectives, and conducts promotional and educational activities as part of its interaction with the public in order to increase awareness and garner support for its policies. The flood control policy network, however, is less defined, dominated by a few historically strong interests and is constrained (and supported) by the complex legal and management foundations of Western water rights, as well as federal and state regulatory practices for flood control and water provision. Overlap between these networks does occur as many of the stakeholders are the same, adding another dimension to the comparative approach presented here. It is the physical and natural sciences that bind these two networks, however, and create opportunities for convergence as hydrological inputs (snowmelt and rain) and summer drought simultaneously inform and impact efforts to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability and risk from both fire and flood. For example, early spring snowmelt can both increase risks of flooding and contribute to later severe fire conditions, and fires greatly increase the risk of catastrophic floods and debris flows in burned basins. Contributing to both of these potential hazards are changes in the climate in the region. This paper will present findings from a comparative study of these two policy networks and discuss the implications from how climate change is defined, understood, accepted, and integrated in both networks and the policy processes associated with these urban hazards.

A large-scale simulation of climate change effects on flood regime - A case study for the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dullo, T. T.; Gangrade, S.; Marshall, R.; Islam, S. R.; Ghafoor, S. K.; Kao, S. C.; Kalyanapu, A. J.

2017-12-01

The damage and cost of flooding are continuously increasing due to climate change and variability, which compels the development and advance of global flood hazard models. However, due to computational expensiveness, evaluation of large-scale and high-resolution flood regime remains a challenge. The objective of this research is to use a coupled modeling framework that consists of a dynamically downscaled suite of eleven Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate models, a distributed hydrologic model called DHSVM, and a computational-efficient 2-dimensional hydraulic model called Flood2D-GPU to study the impacts of climate change on flood regime in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) River Basin. Downscaled meteorologic forcings for 40 years in the historical period (1966-2005) and 40 years in the future period (2011-2050) were used as inputs to drive the calibrated DHSVM to generate annual maximum flood hydrographs. These flood hydrographs along with 30-m resolution digital elevation and estimated surface roughness were then used by Flood2D-GPU to estimate high-resolution flood depth, velocities, duration, and regime. Preliminary results for the Conasauga river basin (an upper subbasin within ACT) indicate that seven of the eleven climate projections show an average increase of 25 km2 in flooded area (between historic and future projections). Future work will focus on illustrating the effects of climate change on flood duration and area for the entire ACT basin.

Sacramento River Flood Control Project, California, Mid-Valley Area, Phase III. Design Memorandum, Volume 1 of 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-08-01

the Suisun aster, heart-scale, California hibiscus , delta tule-pea, Mason’s lilaeopsis, little mousetail, and Colusa grass. No sites in the study...Environmental Health , the State Water Resources Control Board tested a sediment sample taken under the South Bridge on Highway 113 at the Sutter Bypass

Flood risk and adaptation strategies under climate change and urban expansion: A probabilistic analysis using global data.

PubMed

Muis, Sanne; Güneralp, Burak; Jongman, Brenden; Aerts, Jeroen C J H; Ward, Philip J

2015-12-15

An accurate understanding of flood risk and its drivers is crucial for effective risk management. Detailed risk projections, including uncertainties, are however rarely available, particularly in developing countries. This paper presents a method that integrates recent advances in global-scale modeling of flood hazard and land change, which enables the probabilistic analysis of future trends in national-scale flood risk. We demonstrate its application to Indonesia. We develop 1000 spatially-explicit projections of urban expansion from 2000 to 2030 that account for uncertainty associated with population and economic growth projections, as well as uncertainty in where urban land change may occur. The projections show that the urban extent increases by 215%-357% (5th and 95th percentiles). Urban expansion is particularly rapid on Java, which accounts for 79% of the national increase. From 2000 to 2030, increases in exposure will elevate flood risk by, on average, 76% and 120% for river and coastal floods. While sea level rise will further increase the exposure-induced trend by 19%-37%, the response of river floods to climate change is highly uncertain. However, as urban expansion is the main driver of future risk, the implementation of adaptation measures is increasingly urgent, regardless of the wide uncertainty in climate projections. Using probabilistic urban projections, we show that spatial planning can be a very effective adaptation strategy. Our study emphasizes that global data can be used successfully for probabilistic risk assessment in data-scarce countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Field Testing of Energy-Efficient Flood-Damage-Resistant Residential Envelope Systems Summary Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aglan, H.

2005-08-04

The primary purpose of the project was to identify materials and methods that will make the envelope of a house flood damage resistant. Flood damage resistant materials and systems are intended to be used to repair houses subsequent to flooding. This project was also intended to develop methods of restoring the envelopes of houses that have been flooded but are repairable and may be subject to future flooding. Then if the house floods again, damage will not be as extensive as in previous flood events and restoration costs and efforts will be minimized. The purpose of the first pair ofmore » field tests was to establish a baseline for typical current residential construction practice. The first test modules used materials and systems that were commonly found in residential envelopes throughout the U.S. The purpose of the second pair of field tests was to begin evaluating potential residential envelope materials and systems that were projected to be more flood-damage resistant and restorable than the conventional materials and systems tested in the first pair of tests. The purpose of testing the third slab-on-grade module was to attempt to dry flood proof the module (no floodwater within the structure). If the module could be sealed well enough to prevent water from entering, then this would be an effective method of making the interior materials and systems flood damage resistant. The third crawl space module was tested in the same manner as the previous modules and provided an opportunity to do flood tests of additional residential materials and systems. Another purpose of the project was to develop the methodology to collect representative, measured, reproducible (i.e. scientific) data on how various residential materials and systems respond to flooding conditions so that future recommendations for repairing flood damaged houses could be based on scientific data. An additional benefit of collecting this data is that it will be used in the development of a standard test procedure which could lead to the certification of building materials and systems as flood damage resistant.« less

Post waterflood CO{sub 2} miscible flood in light oil, fluvial-dominated deltaic reservoir. FY 1993 annual report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, D.W.

1995-03-01

The project is a Class 1 DOE-sponsored field demonstration project of a CO{sub 2} miscible flood project at the Port Neches Field in Orange County, Texas. The project will determine the recovery efficiency of CO{sub 2} flooding a waterflooded and a partial waterdrive sandstone reservoir at a depth of 5,800. The project will also evaluate the use of a horizontal CO{sub 2} injection well placed at the original oil-water contact of the waterflooded reservoir. A PC-based reservoir screening model will be developed by Texaco`s research lab in Houston and Louisiana State University will assist in the development of a databasemore » of fluvial-dominated deltaic reservoirs where CO{sub 2} flooding may be applicable. This technology will be transferred throughout the oil industry through a series of technical papers and industry open forums.« less

The integration of the risk in the governance of urban projects: a key issue for a resilient city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moulin, E.; Deroubaix, J.-F.

2012-04-01

Despite a severe regulation concerning the building in flooding areas, 80% of these areas are already built in the Greater Paris (Paris, Val-de-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine and Seine-Saint-Denis). The land use in flooding area is presented as one of the main solutions to solve the ongoing real estate pressure. For instance some of the industrial wastelands located along the river are currently in redevelopment and residential buildings are planned. So landuse in the flooding areas is currently a key issue in the development of the Greater Paris area. Tools and measures, structural or non-structural such as warning systems, barriers, etc do exist and could be a smart way to improve the resilience of the new urbanised areas. The technical solutions are available and efficient, but we notice that these tools are not much implemented. There is a lack of flood risk concern among the stakeholders and the inhabitants1. How landuse stakeholders could integrate the flood risk in the decision making process throughout the implementation of the urban project? Which type of governance favours an efficient development of good flood risk policy including prevention, protection and the management of the crisis? What is the "good" governance of the urban project e.g. enabling to take into account or not to forget the flood risk and to empower the (future) inhabitants? This inhabitants' empowerment includes the improvement of awareness (i.e. inhabitants being aware that they live in a flooded area) and the improvement of concern (i.e. inhabitants adopting the "right" behaviour when the risk occurs). In order to investigate how flood risk is or could be integrated in the project governance, we interviewed stakeholders (elected representatives, architects, property developers, etc.) and observed the integration or the vanishing of the risk throughout the project. In order to develop this topic we rely on a case study. The "Ardoines" is a project aiming at redeveloping an industrial site (South-East Paris), into a project including residential and office buildings and other amenities. In order to elaborate the master plan, the urban planning authority brought together some flood risk experts. With the remarks of the experts, the architect in charge of the landuse elaborated the master plan taking into account the flood risk; reducing vulnerability of the area and improving the resilience in case of floods, towards a threshold plan. How the experts' recommendations appear in the execution phase? We will show how the project completes or departs from the regulatory policy concerning the drawing up and the implementation of the prevention/protection against flood risk in France. How the vulnerability reduction or the resilience improvement reproduce the regulatory fragmentation, i.e.; on one hand the risk prevention plan and on the other hand the crisis management? We will demonstrate how a resilient approach should mix the several regulatory segments and put the inhabitant in the middle of the urban project thanks to suitable urban forms.

44 CFR 78.10 - Project grant approval process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.10 Project grant approval process. The State POC will solicit applications from...

44 CFR 78.10 - Project grant approval process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.10 Project grant approval process. The State POC will solicit applications from...

44 CFR 78.10 - Project grant approval process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.10 Project grant approval process. The State POC will solicit applications from...

44 CFR 78.10 - Project grant approval process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.10 Project grant approval process. The State POC will solicit applications from...

44 CFR 78.10 - Project grant approval process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78.10 Project grant approval process. The State POC will solicit applications from...

Translating Uncertain Sea Level Projections Into Infrastructure Impacts Using a Bayesian Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moftakhari, Hamed; AghaKouchak, Amir; Sanders, Brett F.; Matthew, Richard A.; Mazdiyasni, Omid

2017-12-01

Climate change may affect ocean-driven coastal flooding regimes by both raising the mean sea level (msl) and altering ocean-atmosphere interactions. For reliable projections of coastal flood risk, information provided by different climate models must be considered in addition to associated uncertainties. In this paper, we propose a framework to project future coastal water levels and quantify the resulting flooding hazard to infrastructure. We use Bayesian Model Averaging to generate a weighted ensemble of storm surge predictions from eight climate models for two coastal counties in California. The resulting ensembles combined with msl projections, and predicted astronomical tides are then used to quantify changes in the likelihood of road flooding under representative concentration pathways 4.5 and 8.5 in the near-future (1998-2063) and mid-future (2018-2083). The results show that road flooding rates will be significantly higher in the near-future and mid-future compared to the recent past (1950-2015) if adaptation measures are not implemented.

Intermittent spring flooding of agricultural fields will increase net global-warming potential of greenhouse gas fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, R. F.; Smyth, E. M.; Smith, C. M.; Kantola, I. B.; Krichels, A.; Yang, W. H.; DeLucia, E. H.

2014-12-01

The U.S. Corn Belt is currently a net source of carbon dioxide and nitrous dioxide to the atmosphere but is also a weak sink for methane. Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and duration of spring precipitation in the North American Midwest, resulting in intermittent flooding and ponding in agricultural fields. Inundation changes the greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes of the soil, especially by promoting methanogenesis under anoxic conditions. DNA and 16S cDNA sequencing results of earlier, similar experiments confirmed the presence of methanogens in soil samples, albeit in low abundance (representing <0.01% of reads per sample). We installed collars into bare ground of a central Illinois research field to experiment with flooding conditions and observe changes in gas fluxes, microbial community, and soil chemistry. We established three treatments of five replicates—control, continuously flooded, and intermittently flooded—each with separate collars for gas flux measurements, soil sample collection, and soil probe measurements. A drip irrigation system flooded the headspaces of the collars to produce flooding events. The continuously flooded collars were maintained in a flooded condition for the duration of the experiment, and the intermittently flooded collars were flooded for 72 hours per flooding event and then kept dry for at least 5 days before the next flooding event. We measured net concentrations of N2O, CH4, and CO2 in situ using a static chamber connected to a cavity ringdown spectrometer. We found that the periodicity of wetting and drying events induces hysteresis effects that push GHG shifts to occur rapidly (< 1 hr). Integrating fluxes across the period of the experiment, the intermittently flooded collars showed 88.7% higher global-warming potential of GHG fluxes at the 100-year horizon versus control, with most of change driven by increased net CO2 flux (87.1% higher) and net methane flux (29 times higher). These data indicate that more frequent flooding and ponding events will have a significant impact of increasing the soil GHG emissions from the U.S. Corn Belt region.

Waterfowl density on agricultural fields managed to retain water in winter

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twedt, D.J.; Nelms, C.O.

1999-01-01

Managed water on private and public land provides habitat for wintering waterfowl in the Mississippi Valley, where flood control projects have reduced the area of natural flooding. We compared waterfowl densities on rice, soybean, and moist-soil fields under cooperative agreements to retain water from 1 November through 28 February in Arkansas and Mississippi and assessed temporal changes in waterfowl density during winter in 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. Fields flooded earlier in Arkansas, but retained water later in Mississippi. Over winter, waterfowl densities decreased in Arkansas and increased in Mississippi. Densities of waterfowl, including mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), the most abundant species observed, were greatest on moist-soil fields. However, soybean fields had the greatest densities of northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata).

Sea level rise drives increased tidal flooding frequency at tide gauges along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts: Projections for 2030 and 2045.

PubMed

Dahl, Kristina A; Fitzpatrick, Melanie F; Spanger-Siegfried, Erika

2017-01-01

Tidal flooding is among the most tangible present-day effects of global sea level rise. Here, we utilize a set of NOAA tide gauges along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts to evaluate the potential impact of future sea level rise on the frequency and severity of tidal flooding. Using the 2001-2015 time period as a baseline, we first determine how often tidal flooding currently occurs. Using localized sea level rise projections based on the Intermediate-Low, Intermediate-High, and Highest projections from the U.S. National Climate Assessment, we then determine the frequency and extent of such flooding at these locations for two near-term time horizons: 2030 and 2045. We show that increases in tidal flooding will be substantial and nearly universal at the 52 locations included in our analysis. Long before areas are permanently inundated, the steady creep of sea level rise will force many communities to grapple with chronic high tide flooding in the next 15 to 30 years.

Sea level rise drives increased tidal flooding frequency at tide gauges along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts: Projections for 2030 and 2045

PubMed Central

Fitzpatrick, Melanie F.; Spanger-Siegfried, Erika

2017-01-01

Tidal flooding is among the most tangible present-day effects of global sea level rise. Here, we utilize a set of NOAA tide gauges along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts to evaluate the potential impact of future sea level rise on the frequency and severity of tidal flooding. Using the 2001–2015 time period as a baseline, we first determine how often tidal flooding currently occurs. Using localized sea level rise projections based on the Intermediate-Low, Intermediate-High, and Highest projections from the U.S. National Climate Assessment, we then determine the frequency and extent of such flooding at these locations for two near-term time horizons: 2030 and 2045. We show that increases in tidal flooding will be substantial and nearly universal at the 52 locations included in our analysis. Long before areas are permanently inundated, the steady creep of sea level rise will force many communities to grapple with chronic high tide flooding in the next 15 to 30 years. PMID:28158209

Feasibility Report. Mississippi River at Saint Paul, Minnesota. Reevaluation of Saint Paul Flood Control Project.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

Jackson Street intersection to allow service vehicle access and passenger load- ing facilities at Lambert’s Landing across the river from the project...river from the project. Realignment of the Warner-Shepard Road, Sibley- Jackson Street intersection to allow service vehicle access and passenger...7-9 Ingersoll, F. G.: Member Jackson , J. N.: Member Jaggard, E. A.: Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Member 1890’s -1910’s, President 1893 James, H. C

Frequent floods in the European Alps coincide with cooler periods of the past 2500 years.

PubMed

Glur, Lukas; Wirth, Stefanie B; Büntgen, Ulf; Gilli, Adrian; Haug, Gerald H; Schär, Christoph; Beer, Jürg; Anselmetti, Flavio S

2013-09-26

Severe floods triggered by intense precipitation are among the most destructive natural hazards in Alpine environments, frequently causing large financial and societal damage. Potential enhanced flood occurrence due to global climate change would thus increase threat to settlements, infrastructure, and human lives in the affected regions. Yet, projections of intense precipitation exhibit major uncertainties and robust reconstructions of Alpine floods are limited to the instrumental and historical period. Here we present a 2500-year long flood reconstruction for the European Alps, based on dated sedimentary flood deposits from ten lakes in Switzerland. We show that periods with high flood frequency coincide with cool summer temperatures. This wet-cold synchronism suggests enhanced flood occurrence to be triggered by latitudinal shifts of Atlantic and Mediterranean storm tracks. This paleoclimatic perspective reveals natural analogues for varying climate conditions, and thus can contribute to a better understanding and improved projections of weather extremes under climate change.

Learning about Flood Risk: Comparing the Web-Based and Physical Flood-Walk Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang Rundgren, Shu-Nu; Nyberg, Lars; Evers, Mariele; Alexandersson, Jan

2015-01-01

Numerous of sustainable development related challenges are emerging today, e.g. flooding problems. Our group has developed "the flood walk" project since 2010 to convey flood risk knowledge in an authentic context. Considering the limitation of time and space to educate people the flood risk knowledge, we tried to transform the physical…

Impacts of Climate Change on Regulated Streamflow, Hydrologic Extremes, Hydropower Production, and Sediment Discharge in the Skagit River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, Se-Yeun; Hamlet, Alan F.; Grossman, Eric E.

2016-01-01

Previous studies have shown that the impacts of climate change on the hydrologic response of the Skagit River are likely to be substantial under natural (i.e. unregulated) conditions. To assess the combined effects of changing natural flow and dam operations that determine impacts to regulated flow, a new integrated daily-time-step reservoir operations model was constructed for the Skagit River Basin. The model was used to simulate current reservoir operating policies for historical flow conditions and for projected flows for the 2040s (2030–2059) and 2080s (2070–2099). The results show that climate change is likely to cause substantial seasonal changes in both natural and regulated flow, with more flow in the winter and spring, and less in summer. Hydropower generation in the basin follows these trends, increasing (+ 19%) in the winter/ spring, and decreasing (- 29%) in the summer by the 2080s. The regulated 100-year flood is projected to increase by 23% by the 2040s and 49% by the 2080s. Peak winter sediment loading in December is projected to increase by 335% by the 2080s in response to increasing winter flows, and average annual sediment loading increases from 2.3 to 5.8 teragrams (+ 149%) per year by the 2080s. Regulated extreme low flows (7Q10) are projected to decrease by about 30% by the 2080s, but remain well above natural low flows. Both current and proposed alternative flood control operations are shown to be largely ineffective in mitigating increasing flood risks in the lower Skagit due to the distribution of flow in the basin during floods.

Quality of Surface Water before Implementation of a Flood-Control Project in Chaska, Minnesota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

reports from 165 authors (Palmer, 1968). Scenedesmus , Oscillatoria, Chlamydomonas, and Ankistrodesmus, all identified in the samples, are in the top 10...SCENEDESMACEAE .... CRUCIGENIA dI 4 ...... 550 11 .... SCENEDESMUS 81 $1 .... 1100# 21 .TETRASPORALES ... COCCOMYXACEAE .. ELAKATOTHRIX ........ 160 3

Model Predictive Control application for real time operation of controlled structures for the Water Authority Noorderzijlvest, The Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Heeringen, Klaas-Jan; Gooijer, Jan; Knot, Floris; Talsma, Jan

2015-04-01

In the Netherlands, flood protection has always been a key issue to protect settlements against storm surges and riverine floods. Whereas flood protection traditionally focused on structural measures, nowadays the availability of meteorological and hydrological forecasts enable the application of more advanced real-time control techniques for operating the existing hydraulic infrastructure in an anticipatory and more efficient way. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a powerful technique to derive optimal control variables with the help of model based predictions evaluated against a control objective. In a project for the regional water authority Noorderzijlvest in the north of the Netherlands, it has been shown that MPC can increase the safety level of the system during flood events by an anticipatory pre-release of water. Furthermore, energy costs of pumps can be reduced by making tactical use of the water storage and shifting pump activities during normal operating conditions to off-peak hours. In this way cheap energy is used in combination of gravity flow through gates during low tide periods. MPC has now been implemented for daily operational use of the whole water system of the water authority Noorderzijlvest. The system developed to a real time decision support system which not only supports the daily operation but is able to directly implement the optimal control settings at the structures. We explain how we set-up and calibrated a prediction model (RTC-Tools) that is accurate and fast enough for optimization purposes, and how we integrated it in the operational flood early warning system (Delft-FEWS). Beside the prediction model, the weights and the factors of the objective function are an important element of MPC, since they shape the control objective. We developed special features in Delft-FEWS to allow the operators to adjust the objective function in order to meet changing requirements and to evaluate different control strategies.

Combined effects of projected sea level rise, storm surge, and peak river flows on water levels in the Skagit Floodplain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamman, Josheph J; Hamlet, Alan F.; Fuller, Roger; Grossman, Eric E.

2016-01-01

Current understanding of the combined effects of sea level rise (SLR), storm surge, and changes in river flooding on near-coastal environments is very limited. This project uses a suite of numerical models to examine the combined effects of projected future climate change on flooding in the Skagit floodplain and estuary. Statistically and dynamically downscaled global climate model scenarios from the ECHAM-5 GCM were used as the climate forcings. Unregulated daily river flows were simulated using the VIC hydrology model, and regulated river flows were simulated using the SkagitSim reservoir operations model. Daily tidal anomalies (TA) were calculated using a regression approach based on ENSO and atmospheric pressure forcing simulated by the WRF regional climate model. A 2-D hydrodynamic model was used to estimate water surface elevations in the Skagit floodplain using resampled hourly hydrographs keyed to regulated daily flood flows produced by the reservoir simulation model, and tide predictions adjusted for SLR and TA. Combining peak annual TA with projected sea level rise, the historical (1970–1999) 100-yr peak high water level is exceeded essentially every year by the 2050s. The combination of projected sea level rise and larger floods by the 2080s yields both increased flood inundation area (+ 74%), and increased average water depth (+ 25 cm) in the Skagit floodplain during a 100-year flood. Adding sea level rise to the historical FEMA 100-year flood resulted in a 35% increase in inundation area by the 2040's, compared to a 57% increase when both SLR and projected changes in river flow were combined.

44 CFR 78.3 - Responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION... each State through the annual Cooperative Agreements; (2) Approve Flood Mitigation Plans in accordance... Planning and Projects Grants; (2) Prepare and submit the Flood Mitigation Plan; (3) Implement all approved...

44 CFR 78.3 - Responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION... each State through the annual Cooperative Agreements; (2) Approve Flood Mitigation Plans in accordance... Planning and Projects Grants; (2) Prepare and submit the Flood Mitigation Plan; (3) Implement all approved...

44 CFR 78.3 - Responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION... each State through the annual Cooperative Agreements; (2) Approve Flood Mitigation Plans in accordance... Planning and Projects Grants; (2) Prepare and submit the Flood Mitigation Plan; (3) Implement all approved...

44 CFR 78.3 - Responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION... each State through the annual Cooperative Agreements; (2) Approve Flood Mitigation Plans in accordance... Planning and Projects Grants; (2) Prepare and submit the Flood Mitigation Plan; (3) Implement all approved...

Global and local scale flood discharge simulations in the Rhine River basin for flood risk reduction benchmarking in the Flagship Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gädeke, Anne; Gusyev, Maksym; Magome, Jun; Sugiura, Ai; Cullmann, Johannes; Takeuchi, Kuniyoshi

2015-04-01

The global flood risk assessment is prerequisite to set global measurable targets of post-Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) that mobilize international cooperation and national coordination towards disaster risk reduction (DRR) and requires the establishment of a uniform flood risk assessment methodology on various scales. To address these issues, the International Flood Initiative (IFI) has initiated a Flagship Project, which was launched in year 2013, to support flood risk reduction benchmarking at global, national and local levels. In the Flagship Project road map, it is planned to identify the original risk (1), to identify the reduced risk (2), and to facilitate the risk reduction actions (3). In order to achieve this goal at global, regional and local scales, international research collaboration is absolutely necessary involving domestic and international institutes, academia and research networks such as UNESCO International Centres. The joint collaboration by ICHARM and BfG was the first attempt that produced the first step (1a) results on the flood discharge estimates with inundation maps under way. As a result of this collaboration, we demonstrate the outcomes of the first step of the IFI Flagship Project to identify flood hazard in the Rhine river basin on the global and local scale. In our assessment, we utilized a distributed hydrological Block-wise TOP (BTOP) model on 20-km and 0.5-km scales with local precipitation and temperature input data between 1980 and 2004. We utilized existing 20-km BTOP model, which is applied globally, and constructed the local scale 0.5-km BTOP model for the Rhine River basin. For the BTOP model results, both calibrated 20-km and 0.5-km BTOP models had similar statistical performance and represented observed flood river discharges, epecially for 1993 and 1995 floods. From 20-km and 0.5-km BTOP simulation, the flood discharges of the selected return period were estimated using flood frequency analysis and were comparable to the the river gauging station data at the German part of the Rhine river basin. This is an important finding that both 0.5-km and 20-km BTOP models produce similar flood peak discharges although the 0.5-km BTOP model results indicate the importance of scale in the local flood hazard assessment. In summary, we highlight that this study serves as a demonstrative example of institutional collaboration and is stepping stone for the next step implementation of the IFI Flagship Project.

Collaborative multi-stakeholder approach to drafting flood risk management plans in Wallonia, Belgium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maroy, Edith; Javaux, Mathieu; Vandermosten, Pierre; Englebert, Benjamin

2015-04-01

The Flood Directive 2007/60/CE establishes a common framework within the European Union for assessing and reducing risks posed by floods on human health, the environment, economic activity and cultural heritage. For that purpose, Member States had to establish flood areas and flood risk maps, and subsequently, flood risk management plans (due December 2015). According to the Directive, special attention is to be paid to international coordination for transboundary water courses, integrated management approaches at the catchment scale, cost-effectiveness of measures and public involvement. Management measures must focus on reducing the probability of flooding and the potential consequences of flooding. They must cover prevention, protection and preparedness and must take into account relevant aspects, such as water management, soil management, spatial planning, land use and nature conservation. Floods in Wallonia mostly originate from overflowing of both little sloped rivers and highly reactive rivers but also, from concentrated runoff in the intensely cultivated and erosion-prone region north of the Sambre-Meuse axis. Consequently, walloon flood area maps not only show flood areas based on hydraulic modelling and observations but also runoff concentration axis in agricultural areas. Now released to the public, this information can be used to assess the risk of damage for land planning and erosion control strategies. Incidentally, some 166 km2 were mapped as flood hazard area with a return period of 25 years, 28.8 of which are urbanized or destined to urbanisation and counting of number of approximatively 39.000 people living in those areas. Flood area and flood risk maps should be the starting point of elaborating flood risk management plans. In order to involve the diversity of water managers and stakeholders in the drafting of a management plan for hydrographic districts in Wallonia, responsible authorities decided to mandate scientists and engineers to organize an extensive participatory process. A series of meetings were organised, first, to raise awareness of local managers on the information provided by flood maps and on the objectives of the Directive towards integrated water management. Second, these successive meetings and the use of decision support tools such as a multicriteria analysis matrix allowed the team to collect local information on risks and opportunities, to foster emergence of integrated solutions, and to reach an agreement on priorities at the catchment scale and then at the regional level. This case study provides insights on practicability of using hydrological data on flood hazard in a collaborative, bottom-up approach to flood risk management. Lessons learnt from this project are a foundation for a realistic and effective management plan but limitations of the method and time constrains of this project leave a number of questions as to follow-up, exhaustiveness and cost-effectiveness of measures constituting the plan.

44 CFR 78.3 - Responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE § 78... State through the annual Cooperative Agreements; (2) Approve Flood Mitigation Plans in accordance with... Planning and Projects Grants; (2) Prepare and submit the Flood Mitigation Plan; (3) Implement all approved...

Assessing coastal flood risk and sea level rise impacts at New York City area airports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohman, K. A.; Kimball, N.; Osler, M.; Eberbach, S.

2014-12-01

Flood risk and sea level rise impacts were assessed for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) at four airports in the New York City area. These airports included John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia, Newark International, and Teterboro Airports. Quantifying both present day and future flood risk due to climate change and developing flood mitigation alternatives is crucial for the continued operation of these airports. During Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 all four airports were forced to shut down, in part due to coastal flooding. Future climate change and sea level rise effects may result in more frequent shutdowns and disruptions in travel to and from these busy airports. The study examined the effects of the 1%-annual-chance coastal flooding event for present day existing conditions and six different sea level rise scenarios at each airport. Storm surge model outputs from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided the present day storm surge conditions. 50th and 90thpercentile sea level rise projections from the New York Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) 2013 report were incorporated into storm surge results using linear superposition methods. These projections were evaluated for future years 2025, 2035, and 2055. In addition to the linear superposition approach for storm surge at airports where waves are a potential hazard, one dimensional wave modeling was performed to get the total water level results. Flood hazard and flood depth maps were created based on these results. In addition to assessing overall flooding at each airport, major at-risk infrastructure critical to the continued operation of the airport was identified and a detailed flood vulnerability assessment was performed. This assessment quantified flood impacts in terms of potential critical infrastructure inundation and developed mitigation alternatives to adapt to coastal flooding and future sea level changes. Results from this project are advancing the PANYNJ's understanding of the effects of sea level rise on coastal flooding at the airports and guiding decision-making in the selection of effective adaptation actions. Given the importance of these airports to transportation, this project is advancing security and continuity of national and international commerce well into the 21st century.

Estimates of Present and Future Flood Risk in the Conterminous United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wing, O.; Bates, P. D.; Smith, A.; Sampson, C. C.; Johnson, K.; Fargione, J.; Morefield, P.

2017-12-01

Past attempts to estimate flood risk across the USA either have incomplete coverage, coarse resolution or use overly simplified models of the flooding process. In this paper, we use a new 30m resolution model of the entire conterminous US (CONUS) with realistic flood physics to produce estimates of flood hazard which match to within 90% accuracy the skill of local models built with detailed data. Socio-economic data of commensurate resolution are combined with these flood depths to estimate current and future flood risk. Future population and land-use projections from the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) are employed to indicate how flood risk might change through the 21st Century, while present-day estimates utilize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Structure Inventory and a USEPA map of population distribution. Our data show that the total CONUS population currently exposed to serious flooding is 2.6 to 3.1 times higher than previous estimates; with nearly 41 million Americans living within the so-called 1 in 100-year (1% annual probability) floodplain, compared to only 13 million according to FEMA flood maps. Moreover, socio-economic change alone leads to significant future increases in flood exposure and risk, even before climate change impacts are accounted for. The share of the population living on the 1 in 100-year floodplain is projected to increase from 13.3% in the present-day to 15.6 - 15.8% in 2050 and 16.4 - 16.8% in 2100. The area of developed land within this floodplain, currently at 150,000 km2, is likely to increase by 37 - 72% in 2100 based on the scenarios selected. 5.5 trillion worth of assets currently lie on the 1% floodplain; we project that by 2100 this number will exceed 10 trillion. With this detailed spatial information on present-day flood risk, federal and state agencies can take appropriate action to mitigate losses. Use of USEPA population and land-use projections mean that particular attention can be paid to floodplains where development is projected. Steps to conserve such areas or ensure adequate defenses are in place could avoid the exposure of trillions of dollars of assets, not to mention the human suffering caused by loss of property and life.

Modelling income distribution impacts of water sector projects in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Ahmed, C S; Jones, S

1991-09-01

Dynamic analysis was conducted to assess the long-term impacts of water sector projects on agricultural income distribution, and sensitivity analysis was conducted to check the robustness of the 5 assumptions in this study of income distribution and water sector projects in Bangladesh. 7 transitions are analyzed for mutually exclusive irrigation and flooding projects: Nonirrigation to 1) LLP irrigation, 2) STW irrigation, 3) DTW irrigation, 4) major gravity irrigation, and manually operated shallow tubewell irrigation (MOSTI) and Flood Control Projects (FCD) of 6) medium flooded to shallow flooded, and 7) deeply flooded to shallow flooded. 5 analytical stages are involved: 1) farm budgets are derived with and without project cropping patterns for each transition. 2) Estimates are generated for value added/hectare from each transition. 3) Assumptions are made about the number of social classes, distribution of land ownership between classes, extent of tenancy for each social class, term of tenancy contracts, and extent of hiring of labor for each social class. 4) Annual value added/hectare is distributed among social classes. 5) Using Gini coefficients and simple ratios, the distribution of income between classes is estimated for with and without transition. Assumption I is that there are 4 social classes defined by land acreage: large farmers (5 acres), medium farmers (1.5-5.0), small farmers, (.01-1.49), and landless. Assumption II is that land distribution follows the 1978 Land Occupancy Survey (LOS). Biases, if any, are indicated. Assumption III is that large farmers sharecrop out 15% of land to small farmers. Assumption IV is that landlords provide nonirrigated crop land and take 50% of the crop, and, under irrigation, provide 50% of the fertilizer, pesticide, and irrigation costs and take 50% of the crop. Assumption V is that hired and family labor is assumed to be 40% for small farmers, 60% for medium farmers, and 80% for large farmers. It is understood that the analysis is partially complete, since there if no Assessment of the impact on nonagricultural income and employment, or secondary impacts such as demand for irrigation equipment, services for processing, manufacture and transport services, or investment of new agricultural surpluses. Few empirical studies have been done and the estimates apply only to individual project areas. The results show that inequality is greatest with major (gravity) irrigation, followed by STW, DTW and LLP, FCD (medium to shallow), FCD (deep to shallow), and the most equitable MOSTI. Changes in the absolute income accruing to the rural poor would lead to the rank of major gravity irrigation as raising more above the poverty line, followed by MOSTI, minor irritation (STW, DTW, and LLP), and FCD schemes.

Assessing the impact of climate change on flood types in the Austrian and French Alps using the stochastic weather generator TripleM and rainfall-runoff modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breinl, Korbinian; Turkington, Thea

2017-04-01

We developed a new methodology for classifying flood types, which appears to be particularly suitable for climate change impact studies. Climate change is not only expected to change the magnitude and frequency of Alpine floods but also the types of floods. The distribution of existing flood types may change and new flood types may develop. A shift away from solely focusing on the magnitude and frequency of floods in flood hazard assessment and disaster risk management towards the causal types of floods is required as the types and therefore also timing and characteristics of floods will have implications on both the local social and ecological systems. The flood types are classified using k-means clustering of temperature and precipitation indicators, capturing differences in rainfall amounts, antecedent rainfall, snow-cover, and the day of the year. In a first step, we used the open-source multi-site weather generator TripleM coupled with the fast conceptual rainfall-runoff model HBV to extrapolate the observed discharge time series and generate a large inventory of different types of observed flood events and flood types. The weather generator was then parameterized based on projections of rainfall and temperature to simulate future flood types and events. We selected four climate projections (mild dry, mild wet, warm dry and warm wet conditions) from a set of 15, which originated from the EURO-CORDEX dataset. We worked in two catchments in the Austrian and French Alps that have been affected by floods in the past: the medium-sized Salzach catchment in Austria, which is dominated by rainfall driven flooding during the summer and autumn period, and the small Ubaye catchment in the Southern French Alps, which is dominated by rain-on-snow floods in the spring period. The analysis of the simulated future flood types shows clear changes in the distribution and characteristics of flood types in both study areas under the different climate projections examined.

33 CFR 239.4 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Policy. 239.4 Section 239.4... RESOURCES POLICIES AND AUTHORITIES: FEDERAL PARTICIPATION IN COVERED FLOOD CONTROL CHANNELS § 239.4 Policy. Projects will be formulated and evaluated in accordance with the policies and procedures described in ER...

SCHOOL SITES. SELECTION AND DEVELOPMENT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

REIDA, G.W.

CERTAIN CRITICAL CRITERIA SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN SELECTING THE SCHOOL SITE. IMPORTANT IS THE STUDY OF SUCH FACTORS AS PRESENT AND PROJECTED PUPIL POPULATION, THE SCHOOL MASTER PLAN, MAIN THOROUGHFARES, DWELLINGS, LAND USE, SOILS, (SHOWN BY SERVICE MAPS), EXISTING SCHOOL FACILITIES AND ATTENDANCE, BOUNDARIES, UTILITY SERVICES AND FLOOD CONTROLS.…

Archeological Investigations at the Three Rivers Flood Control Project.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

quartzite, jasper and chert-rich Uvalde gravels. In Pleistocene to Holocene times, valley incision ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 6 and the topographic...fragments and a thick bi-,ace. The latter is elliptical in outline, plano -convex in cross section, and has sinuous edges. The dorsal surface retains

Decision Making Methodology to Mitigate Damage From Glacial Lake Outburst Floods From Imja Lake in Nepal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKinney, D. C.; Cuellar, A. D.

2015-12-01

Climate change has accelerated glacial retreat in high altitude glaciated regions of Nepal leading to the growth and formation of glacier lakes. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) are sudden events triggered by an earthquake, moraine failure or other shock that causes a sudden outflow of water. These floods are catastrophic because of their sudden onset, the difficulty predicting them, and enormous quantity of water and debris rapidly flooding downstream areas. Imja Lake in the Himalaya of Nepal has experienced accelerated growth since it first appeared in the 1960s. Communities threatened by a flood from Imja Lake have advocated for projects to adapt to the increasing threat of a GLOF. Nonetheless, discussions surrounding projects for Imja have not included a rigorous analysis of the potential consequences of a flood, probability of an event, or costs of mitigation projects in part because this information is unknown or uncertain. This work presents a demonstration of a decision making methodology developed to rationally analyze the risks posed by Imja Lake and the various adaptation projects proposed using available information. In this work the authors use decision analysis, data envelopement analysis (DEA), and sensitivity analysis to assess proposed adaptation measures that would mitigate damage in downstream communities from a GLOF. We use an existing hydrodynamic model of the at-risk area to determine how adaptation projects will affect downstream flooding and estimate fatalities using an empirical method developed for dam failures. The DEA methodology allows us to estimate the value of a statistical life implied by each project given the cost of the project and number of lives saved to determine which project is the most efficient. In contrast the decision analysis methodology requires fatalities to be assigned a cost but allows the inclusion of uncertainty in the decision making process. We compare the output of these two methodologies and determine the sensitivity of the conclusions to changes in uncertain input parameters including project cost, value of a statistical life, and time to a GLOF event.

Climate change impacts on flood risk and asset damages within mapped 100-year floodplains of the contiguous United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wobus, Cameron; Gutmann, Ethan; Jones, Russell; Rissing, Matthew; Mizukami, Naoki; Lorie, Mark; Mahoney, Hardee; Wood, Andrew W.; Mills, David; Martinich, Jeremy

2017-12-01

A growing body of work suggests that the extreme weather events that drive inland flooding are likely to increase in frequency and magnitude in a warming climate, thus potentially increasing flood damages in the future. We use hydrologic projections based on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to estimate changes in the frequency of modeled 1 % annual exceedance probability (1 % AEP, or 100-year) flood events at 57 116 stream reaches across the contiguous United States (CONUS). We link these flood projections to a database of assets within mapped flood hazard zones to model changes in inland flooding damages throughout the CONUS over the remainder of the 21st century. Our model generates early 21st century flood damages that reasonably approximate the range of historical observations and trajectories of future damages that vary substantially depending on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions pathway. The difference in modeled flood damages between higher and lower emissions pathways approaches USD 4 billion per year by 2100 (in undiscounted 2014 dollars), suggesting that aggressive GHG emissions reductions could generate significant monetary benefits over the long term in terms of reduced flood damages. Although the downscaled hydrologic data we used have been applied to flood impacts studies elsewhere, this research expands on earlier work to quantify changes in flood risk by linking future flood exposure to assets and damages on a national scale. Our approach relies on a series of simplifications that could ultimately affect damage estimates (e.g., use of statistical downscaling, reliance on a nationwide hydrologic model, and linking damage estimates only to 1 % AEP floods). Although future work is needed to test the sensitivity of our results to these methodological choices, our results indicate that monetary damages from inland flooding could be significantly reduced through substantial GHG mitigation.

Modeled changes in 100 year Flood Risk and Asset Damages within Mapped Floodplains of the Contiguous United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wobus, C. W.; Gutmann, E. D.; Jones, R.; Rissing, M.; Mizukami, N.; Lorie, M.; Mahoney, H.; Wood, A.; Mills, D.; Martinich, J.

2017-12-01

A growing body of recent work suggests that the extreme weather events that drive inland flooding are likely to increase in frequency and magnitude in a warming climate, thus increasing monetary damages from flooding in the future. We use hydrologic projections based on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to estimate changes in the frequency of modeled 1% annual exceedance probability flood events at 57,116 locations across the contiguous United States (CONUS). We link these flood projections to a database of assets within mapped flood hazard zones to model changes in inland flooding damages throughout the CONUS over the remainder of the 21st century, under two greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions scenarios. Our model generates early 21st century flood damages that reasonably approximate the range of historical observations, and trajectories of future damages that vary substantially depending on the GHG emissions pathway. The difference in modeled flood damages between higher and lower emissions pathways approaches $4 billion per year by 2100 (in undiscounted 2014 dollars), suggesting that aggressive GHG emissions reductions could generate significant monetary benefits over the long-term in terms of reduced flood risk. Although the downscaled hydrologic data we used have been applied to flood impacts studies elsewhere, this research expands on earlier work to quantify changes in flood risk by linking future flood exposure to assets and damages at a national scale. Our approach relies on a series of simplifications that could ultimately affect damage estimates (e.g., use of statistical downscaling, reliance on a nationwide hydrologic model, and linking damage estimates only to 1% AEP floods). Although future work is needed to test the sensitivity of our results to these methodological choices, our results suggest that monetary damages from inland flooding could be substantially reduced through more aggressive GHG mitigation policies.

Flood Warning and Forecasting System in Slovakia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leskova, Danica

2016-04-01

In 2015, it finished project Flood Warning and Forecasting System (POVAPSYS) as part of the flood protection in Slovakia till 2010. The aim was to build POVAPSYS integrated computerized flood forecasting and warning system. It took a qualitatively higher level of output meteorological and hydrological services in case of floods affecting large territorial units, as well as local flood events. It is further unfolding demands on performance and coordination of meteorological and hydrological services, troubleshooting observation, evaluation of data, fast communication, modeling and forecasting of meteorological and hydrological processes. Integration of all information entering and exiting to and from the project POVAPSYS provides Hydrological Flood Forecasting System (HYPOS). The system provides information on the current hydrometeorological situation and its evolution with the generation of alerts and notifications in case of exceeding predefined thresholds. HYPOS's functioning of the system requires flawless operability in critical situations while minimizing the loss of its key parts. HYPOS is a core part of the project POVAPSYS, it is a comprehensive software solutions based on a modular principle, providing data and processed information including alarms, in real time. In order to achieve full functionality of the system, in proposal, we have put emphasis on reliability, robustness, availability and security.

Assessment of watershed regionalization for the land use change parameterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randusová, Beata; Kohnová, Silvia; Studvová, Zuzana; Marková, Romana; Nosko, Radovan

2016-04-01

The estimation of design discharges and water levels of extreme floods is one of the most important parts of the design process for a large number of engineering projects and studies. Floods and other natural hazards initiated by climate, soil, and land use changes are highly important in the 21st century. Flood risks and design flood estimation is particularly challenging. Methods of design flood estimation can be applied either locally or regionally. To obtain the design values in such cases where no recorded data exist, many countries have adopted procedures that fit the local conditions and requirements. One of these methods is the Soil Conservation Service - Curve number (SCS-CN) method which is often used in design flood estimation for ungauged sites. The SCS-CN method is an empirical rainfall-runoff model developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly called the Soil Conservation Service or SCS). The runoff curve number (CN) is based on the hydrological soil characteristics, land use, land management and antecedent saturation conditions of soil. This study is focused on development of the SCS-CN methodology for the changing land use conditions in Slovak basins (with the pilot site of the Myjava catchment), which regionalize actual state of land use data and actual rainfall and discharge measurements of the selected river basins. In this study the state of the water erosion and sediment transport along with a subsequent proposal of erosion control measures was analyzed as well. The regionalized SCS-CN method was subsequently used for assessing the effectiveness of this control measure to reduce runoff from the selected basin. For the determination of the sediment transport from the control measure to the Myjava basin, the SDR (Sediment Delivery Ratio) model was used.

Historical Sediment Sources and Delivery on the Lower Mississippi River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahl, T. A.; Biedenharn, D. S.; Little, C. D.

2015-12-01

The development of the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) and its floodplain for navigation and flood control has been ongoing since the 18th century, with the most concerted efforts occurring as a result of the Flood Control Act (FCA) of 1928 following the Great Flood of 1927. The Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) Project that was spawned from the FCA of 1928 has produced a massive, comprehensive system for flood control and channel stabilization that includes levees, channel improvements, and floodways, as well as tributary reservoirs and other basin improvements. Additionally, the development of the river for safe and dependable navigation has generated a substantial engineering effort involving river training structures, meander cutoffs, and dredging. The historical, and present-day morphology of the LMR reflects an integration of all these engineering interventions (and the process-responses they have triggered in the fluvial system), combined with natural drivers of channel change and evolution, including floods and droughts, hurricanes, neotectonic activity, geologic outcrops, climate change, and relative sea-level rise. In response to the complex requirements in navigation, flood risk reduction, and environmental restoration, all with multiple stakeholders, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created the Mississippi River Geomorphology & Potamology (MRG&P) Program. The goals of the MRG&P are to advance the knowledge of the geomorphology of the LMR and to transfer this technology to improve and sustain long-term management of the system. The results presented herein come from several MRG&P studies. The historical river morphology, and particularly the sources and delivery of sediments have changed dramatically over the past two centuries. In this presentation, the changes in sediment sources, and the manner in which this sediment is delivered through the channel system from the early 1800s to present-day is described.

The AVI project: A bibliographical and archive inventory of landslides and floods in Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzzetti, Fausto; Cardinali, Mauro; Reichenbach, Paola

1994-07-01

The AVI project was commissioned by the Minister of Civil Protection to the National Group for Prevention of Hydrogeologic Hazards to complete an inventory of areas historically affected by landslides and floods in Italy. More than 300 people, divided into 15 research teams and two support groups, worked for one year on the project. Twenty-two journals were systematically searched for the period 1918 1990, 350,000 newspaper issues were screened, and 39,953 articles were collected. About 150 experts on mass movement and floods were interviewed and 1482 published and unpublished technical and scientific reports were reviewed. The results of the AVI project, in spite of the limitations, represent the most comprehensive archiving of mass movement and floods ever prepared in Italy. The type and quality of the information collected and the methodologies and techniques used to make the inventory are discussed. Possible applications and future developments are also presented.

The Effects of Saltwater Intrusion to Flood Mitigation Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azida Abu Bakar, Azinoor; Khairudin Khalil, Muhammad

2018-03-01

The objective of this study is to determine the effects of saltwater intrusion to flood mitigation project located in the flood plains in the district of Muar, Johor. Based on the studies and designs carried out, one of the effective flood mitigation options identified is the Kampung Tanjung Olak bypass and Kampung Belemang bypass at the lower reaches of Sungai Muar. But, the construction of the Kampung Belemang and Tanjung Olak bypass, while speeding up flood discharges, may also increase saltwater intrusion during drought low flows. Establishing the dynamics of flooding, including replicating the existing situation and the performance with prospective flood mitigation interventions, is most effectively accomplished using computer-based modelling tools. The finding of this study shows that to overcome the problem, a barrage should be constructed at Sungai Muar to solve the saltwater intrusion and low yield problem of the river.

A Framework for Flood Risk Analysis and Benefit Assessment of Flood Control Measures in Urban Areas

PubMed Central

Li, Chaochao; Cheng, Xiaotao; Li, Na; Du, Xiaohe; Yu, Qian; Kan, Guangyuan

2016-01-01

Flood risk analysis is more complex in urban areas than that in rural areas because of their closely packed buildings, different kinds of land uses, and large number of flood control works and drainage systems. The purpose of this paper is to propose a practical framework for flood risk analysis and benefit assessment of flood control measures in urban areas. Based on the concept of disaster risk triangle (hazard, vulnerability and exposure), a comprehensive analysis method and a general procedure were proposed for urban flood risk analysis. Urban Flood Simulation Model (UFSM) and Urban Flood Damage Assessment Model (UFDAM) were integrated to estimate the flood risk in the Pudong flood protection area (Shanghai, China). S-shaped functions were adopted to represent flood return period and damage (R-D) curves. The study results show that flood control works could significantly reduce the flood risk within the 66-year flood return period and the flood risk was reduced by 15.59%. However, the flood risk was only reduced by 7.06% when the flood return period exceeded 66-years. Hence, it is difficult to meet the increasing demands for flood control solely relying on structural measures. The R-D function is suitable to describe the changes of flood control capacity. This frame work can assess the flood risk reduction due to flood control measures, and provide crucial information for strategy development and planning adaptation. PMID:27527202

Assessment of the Change Detection Procedure Dedicated to Flood Monitoring Using Envisat Wide Swath Mode Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiren; Yesou, Herve; Malosti, Rita; Andreoli, Remi; Huang, Shifeng; Xin, Jingfeng; Cattaneo, Fabrizia

2008-04-01

The Flood Dragon project enhances the Envisat contribution for natural disaster monitoring. Flood DFRAGON project had much more exploited the ENVISAT resource for crisis management than the International Charter Space and major Disasters since 2002. Indeed, during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Chinese flood seasons, over the 27 attempted NRT exploitations of Envisat, 23 were successful. Obtained results over floods, affecting Yangtze and Songua, Huaihe watersheds as pollution events on Taihue lake and Nen River are illustrated. Lessons are discussed in terms of programming, downloading, processing, and images type and format. Recommendations for the background mission of the future Sentinel 1 constellation are given.

Archaeological Testing and Survey: Testing of Three Sites and Survey of a Road Detour within Proposed Project Construction Zones, Burlington Dam Flood Control Project Area, Upper Souris River, North Dakota,

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-01-01

reported in Burgess et al. (1973:19). Low bottom species in the study area include American elm (Ulmus americanus), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica...deposits with "Calgon" before water screening. Because of slow permeability clay is very slippery when it becomes wet and can be hazardous to workers. The

Los Coches Creek, San Diego County, California Detailed Project Report for Flood Control and Environmental Assessment. Main Report and Environmental Appendix.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-08-01

as California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), elderberry ( Sambucus p.), bror.r bacoharis (Baccharis sarathroides), and coast live oak (Quercus...emergent wetland and riparian habitat, essentially all of the wetland and riparian habitat in the project area (Table EA-1). Access requirements for...reach a level of significance. The construction specifications would require the construction contractor to avoid polluting the creek with fuels, oils

Big Creek Flood Control Project, Cleveland, Ohio. Phase II. General Design Memorandum.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-08-01

enviromental measure to -minii polluted leachate, if say, from flowing down the embashment. 1. Comnt 12(a). The freboard on the chute will be revised...cost ratio); (3) operational dependability; and (4) socio -environmental effects, including external damage effects. Each of these alternative plans is...schedule for the utility relocations will not be in conflict with the construction schedule for the major components of the project outlined above. 112

Frequent floods in the European Alps coincide with cooler periods of the past 2500 years

PubMed Central

Glur, Lukas; Wirth, Stefanie B.; Büntgen, Ulf; Gilli, Adrian; Haug, Gerald H.; Schär, Christoph; Beer, Jürg; Anselmetti, Flavio S.

2013-01-01

Severe floods triggered by intense precipitation are among the most destructive natural hazards in Alpine environments, frequently causing large financial and societal damage. Potential enhanced flood occurrence due to global climate change would thus increase threat to settlements, infrastructure, and human lives in the affected regions. Yet, projections of intense precipitation exhibit major uncertainties and robust reconstructions of Alpine floods are limited to the instrumental and historical period. Here we present a 2500-year long flood reconstruction for the European Alps, based on dated sedimentary flood deposits from ten lakes in Switzerland. We show that periods with high flood frequency coincide with cool summer temperatures. This wet-cold synchronism suggests enhanced flood occurrence to be triggered by latitudinal shifts of Atlantic and Mediterranean storm tracks. This paleoclimatic perspective reveals natural analogues for varying climate conditions, and thus can contribute to a better understanding and improved projections of weather extremes under climate change. PMID:24067733

Future trends in flood risk in Indonesia - A probabilistic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muis, Sanne; Guneralp, Burak; Jongman, Brenden; Ward, Philip

2014-05-01

Indonesia is one of the 10 most populous countries in the world and is highly vulnerable to (river) flooding. Catastrophic floods occur on a regular basis; total estimated damages were US 0.8 bn in 2010 and US 3 bn in 2013. Large parts of Greater Jakarta, the capital city, are annually subject to flooding. Flood risks (i.e. the product of hazard, exposure and vulnerability) are increasing due to rapid increases in exposure, such as strong population growth and ongoing economic development. The increase in risk may also be amplified by increasing flood hazards, such as increasing flood frequency and intensity due to climate change and land subsidence. The implementation of adaptation measures, such as the construction of dykes and strategic urban planning, may counteract these increasing trends. However, despite its importance for adaptation planning, a comprehensive assessment of current and future flood risk in Indonesia is lacking. This contribution addresses this issue and aims to provide insight into how socio-economic trends and climate change projections may shape future flood risks in Indonesia. Flood risk were calculated using an adapted version of the GLOFRIS global flood risk assessment model. Using this approach, we produced probabilistic maps of flood risks (i.e. annual expected damage) at a resolution of 30"x30" (ca. 1km x 1km at the equator). To represent flood exposure, we produced probabilistic projections of urban growth in a Monte-Carlo fashion based on probability density functions of projected population and GDP values for 2030. To represent flood hazard, inundation maps were computed using the hydrological-hydraulic component of GLOFRIS. These maps show flood inundation extent and depth for several return periods and were produced for several combinations of GCMs and future socioeconomic scenarios. Finally, the implementation of different adaptation strategies was incorporated into the model to explore to what extent adaptation may be able to decrease future risks. Preliminary results show that the urban extent in Indonesia is projected to increase within 211 to 351% over the period 2000-2030 (5 and 95 percentile). Mainly driven by this rapid urbanization, potential flood losses in Indonesia increase rapidly and are primarily concentrated on the island of Java. The results reveal the large risk-reducing potential of adaptation measures. Since much of the urban development between 2000 and 2030 takes place in flood-prone areas, strategic urban planning (i.e. building in safe areas) may significantly reduce the urban population and infrastructure exposed to flooding. We conclude that a probabilistic risk approach in future flood risk assessment is vital; the drivers behind risk trends (exposure, hazard, vulnerability) should be understood to develop robust and efficient adaptation pathways.

Urban development under extreme hydrologic and weather conditions for El Paso-Juarez: Recommendations resulting from hydrologic modeling, GIS, and remote sensing analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barud-Zubillaga, Alberto

During the 2006 El Paso-Juarez flood there were many concerns regarding the capability of the existing stormwater system to handle 50- and 100-year flood events in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico area. Moreover in 2008, a considerable wet year from the normal 223 mm of annual precipitation for El Paso demonstrated that the area could very well received large amounts of precipitation at localized areas in short periods of time, representing a great flood threat to residents living in areas prone to flood. Some climate change projections for the area are exactly what had occurred over the last two decades; an increased number of torrential rainstorms over smaller concentrated pieces of land separated by longer years of drought between rainstorms. This study consisted in three projects focused on three critical regions within the El Paso-Juarez area that were greatly affected by the 2006 Flood. The goal was to identify if natural arroyos or the existent built stormwater system, could properly managed the projected precipitation patterns. The three projects described in this dissertation touch on the following points: (a) the importance of a reliable precipitation model that could accurately describes precipitation patterns in the region under extreme drought and wet climates conditions; (b) differences in land use/land cover characteristics as factors promoting or disrupting the possibility for flooding, and (c) limitations and capabilities of existent stormwater systems and natural arroyos as means to control flooding. Conclusions and recommendations are shown below, which apply not only to each particular project, but also to all study areas and similar areas in the El Paso-Juarez region. Urbanization can improve or worsen a pre-existing natural stormwater system if built under its required capacity. Such capacity should be calculated considering extreme weather conditions, based on a denser network of precipitation stations to capture the various microclimates found in the region and taking into account climate change predictions. Development of new areas needs to consider not only the watershed of study but its relation to other watersheds around them. Basin parameters seemed to be of low impact while comparing them with precipitation rates. High resolution DEMs, such as those derived from LiDAR can dramatically improve the accuracy and reliability of a hydrological model. Hardware capabilities and limitations however should be considered. The overall recommendations derived from this dissertation are to direct new studies, policies and regulations at the three levels of government---local, state and federal---to: limit urban development to areas of no or low potential for flooding; implementing some type of ecological, green corridors, or conservation easements to preserve these areas; build semi-natural or hybrid stormwater infrastructure to slowdown, collect, and ultimately, transport runoff to the Rio Grande or any other waterway; consider extreme wet and dry scenarios for designation of flood-prone areas and future construction of stormwater infrastructure; and design stormwater infrastructure to retrofit the existing natural and irrigation drains.

Flood resilience technology, systems and toolls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garvin, S.; Kelly, D.

2012-04-01

In recent years there has been a general acceptance that the risk from flooding is increasing, primarily due to increased urbanization and the impact of climate change (Zevenbergen et al, 2010). Flood resilience technology (FRe T) is a term used to describe a collection of technologies, materials and products that are used to protect and allow recovery of buildings, communities and infrastructure from flooding. River or coastal flooding is the focus of the legislation, regulation and guidance that is intended to control development and ensure the risk to new properties is low. However, the cost of building and maintaining primary flood defense systems for rivers and coasts is becoming prohibitive and as such future flood management needs to consider a range of measures to manage risk, in particular improving the resilience of buildings, infrastructure and communities. Surface water flooding is now known to cause as much damage as coastal and riverine flooding combined and is as likely to be experienced by both existing and new developments. Therefore FRe T solutions need to be adaptable and flexible. Previous research has shown that barriers exist to the acceptance and use of FRe T by a range of stakeholders. This includes the need to deploy household level items in time, the uncertainty over the performance of FRe T in actual flood situations or reluctance to adopt new or unknown solutions. Investment by public authorities in FRe Technology in recent years has typically increased in countries such as the UK. However, there has been to date little consideration of the system within which the technology has been employed and there is a lack of tools to assist decision makers. The SMARTeST project (an EU FP7 research project) is addressing the issues involved in FRe technology implementation. The findings of the research will be presented, including case studies where the integrated approaches of technology, systems and tools have been considered. SMARTeST seeks to create an environment for innovation in FRe technology, using new approaches that will reduce the risks involved in function, deployment, performance. The paper will describe how alliances of manufacturers, test houses and research organizations can bring about innovation. (Reference; Zevenbergen C, et al, C22 Book, Urban Flood Management, 2010)

Flood precautionary behaviour of private households in Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreibich, Heidi; Gani Adnan, Sarfaraz; Thi Chinh, Do; Bubeck, Philip

2015-04-01

Flood risk is high and it is projected to increase in many places due to the effects of climate change and the on-going intensification of human activities in risk-prone areas. These projections and the considerable uncertainties associated with these developments increasingly require integrated approaches in flood risk management. In addition to flood protection, private precautionary measures aim at reducing the potential negative consequences of floods. Thus, insights into flood precautionary behaviour are important. This study is grounded on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), which refers to the cognitive process that people undergo when evaluating their own ability to avoid a certain risk. Results of a survey among 858 flood-prone households in Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam are presented. It is shown that flood-coping appraisal is an important variable in terms of precautionary behaviour. Thus, risk communication should focus more on the potential of precautionary measures to effectively reduce flood damage, as well as on information about how to implement such measures in practice.

Assessing societal impacts when planning restoration of large alluvial rivers: a case study of the Sacramento River project, California.

PubMed

Golet, Gregory H; Roberts, Michael D; Larsen, Eric W; Luster, Ryan A; Unger, Ron; Werner, Gregg; White, Gregory G

2006-06-01

Studies have shown that ecological restoration projects are more likely to gain public support if they simultaneously increase important human services that natural resources provide to people. River restoration projects have the potential to influence many of the societal functions (e.g., flood control, water quality) that rivers provide, yet most projects fail to consider this in a comprehensive manner. Most river restoration projects also fail to take into account opportunities for revitalization of large-scale river processes, focusing instead on opportunities presented at individual parcels. In an effort to avoid these pitfalls while planning restoration of the Sacramento River, we conducted a set of coordinated studies to evaluate societal impacts of alternative restoration actions over a large geographic area. Our studies were designed to identify restoration actions that offer benefits to both society and the ecosystem and to meet the information needs of agency planning teams focusing on the area. We worked with local partners and public stakeholders to design and implement studies that assessed the effects of alternative restoration actions on flooding and erosion patterns, socioeconomics, cultural resources, and public access and recreation. We found that by explicitly and scientifically melding societal and ecosystem perspectives, it was possible to identify restoration actions that simultaneously improve both ecosystem health and the services (e.g., flood protection and recreation) that the Sacramento River and its floodplain provide to people. Further, we found that by directly engaging with local stakeholders to formulate, implement, and interpret the studies, we were able to develop a high level of trust that ultimately translated into widespread support for the project.

Increased Extreme Hydrological Events and Decreased Water Supply Availability for the Southwestern United States Projected by Mid-Century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pagan, B. R.; Ashfaq, M.; Rastogi, D.; Naz, B. S.; Kao, S. C.; Mei, R.; Kendall, D. R.; Pal, J. S.

2014-12-01

Semi-arid Southern California relies primarily on imported water originating mostly from snowpack in basins outside of the region including the San-Joaquin River, Tulare Lake, Sacramento River, Owens Valley, Mono Lake, and Colorado River basins. This study provides an integrated ensemble approach to assessing climate change impacts on the hydrologic cycle and hydrologic extremes for all water supplies to Southern California. Output from 10 global climate models is used to force a regional climate model and hydrological model resulting in high-resolution 4.17-km output for the region. Greenhouse gas concentrations are prescribed according to historical values for the present-day (1965-2005) and the IPCC Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 for the near to mid term future (2010-2050). On the annual timescale, temperature, precipitation and evaporation increase throughout the majority of the study area. With increased temperatures, precipitation is less likely to fall as snow, decreasing snowpack and natural storage and shifting peak flows to earlier in the year. Daily annual maximum runoff and precipitation events are projected to significantly increase in intensity and frequency by mid-century. The 50-year event, for example, becomes approximately five times more likely in the Colorado River basin and twice as likely in the other basins. In densely populated coastal Southern Californian cities, extreme flood events become three to five times as likely substantially increasing the risk of overburdening flood control systems and potential widespread flooding. The escalating likelihood of the combined effects of runoff occurring earlier in the year and in significantly higher amounts poses a substantial flood control risk requiring adaptation measures such as water release from reservoirs. Significant snowpack reductions and increased flood risk will likely necessitate additional multiyear storage solutions for urban and agricultural regions in the Southwestern US.

Increased Extreme Hydrological Events and Decreased Water Supply Availability for the Southwestern United States Projected by Mid-Century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pagan, B. R.; Ashfaq, M.; Rastogi, D.; Naz, B. S.; Kao, S. C.; Mei, R.; Kendall, D. R.; Pal, J. S.

2015-12-01

Semi-arid Southern California relies primarily on imported water originating mostly from snowpack in basins outside of the region including the San-Joaquin River, Tulare Lake, Sacramento River, Owens Valley, Mono Lake, and Colorado River basins. This study provides an integrated ensemble approach to assessing climate change impacts on the hydrologic cycle and hydrologic extremes for all water supplies to Southern California. Output from 10 global climate models is used to force a regional climate model and hydrological model resulting in high-resolution 4.17-km output for the region. Greenhouse gas concentrations are prescribed according to historical values for the present-day (1965-2005) and the IPCC Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 for the near to mid term future (2010-2050). On the annual timescale, temperature, precipitation and evaporation increase throughout the majority of the study area. With increased temperatures, precipitation is less likely to fall as snow, decreasing snowpack and natural storage and shifting peak flows to earlier in the year. Daily annual maximum runoff and precipitation events are projected to significantly increase in intensity and frequency by mid-century. The 50-year event, for example, becomes approximately five times more likely in the Colorado River basin and twice as likely in the other basins. In densely populated coastal Southern Californian cities, extreme flood events become three to five times as likely substantially increasing the risk of overburdening flood control systems and potential widespread flooding. The escalating likelihood of the combined effects of runoff occurring earlier in the year and in significantly higher amounts poses a substantial flood control risk requiring adaptation measures such as water release from reservoirs. Significant snowpack reductions and increased flood risk will likely necessitate additional multiyear storage solutions for urban and agricultural regions in the Southwestern US.

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Sediment - Water Exchange of Mercury in a Managed Flood Conveyance System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heim, W. A.; Stephenson, M.; Negrey, J.; Gill, G. A.; Coale, K. H.; DiGiorgio, C.; Harris, R. C.

2016-12-01

Yolo Bypass is the largest flood bypass in the Sacramento Valley, California. During high flow flood events water is diverted into the Yolo Bypass from the Sacramento River to control river stage and protect the cities of Sacramento, West Sacramento, and Davis from flooding. Climate change projections for the Yolo Bypass indicate the risk of flooding will increase. An increase in flooding would result in increased connectivity of the flood plain with downstream habitats as well as provide conditions favorable for in situ production of methylmercury (MeHg). Conversion of inorganic mercury (Hg) to the more toxic organic form MeHg in freshwater systems is generally accepted to be mediated by bacteria activity. There are a number of environmental variables (organic carbon, sulfate, oxygen) and conditions (temperature, porosity, soil type) that could influence the net production of MeHg and its ultimate release into the water column. This study investigated sediment-water exchange of both Hg and MeHg from the following habitat types in the Yolo Bypass: wild rice, white rice, seasonal wetlands, irrigated pasture, non-irrigated pasture, fallow land, farm land, freshwater tidal wetland, and agricultural drain. Two methods were used to determine sediment-water exchange of inorganic and organic mercury; first a direct assessment using incubated cores and second, modeling the sediment-water exchange from measurements of interstitial pore water concentration gradients. Results indicate habitat type, land use, and flooding influence Hg and MeHg fluxes. If flooding frequency increases in the Yolo Bypass mercury fluxes are expected to increase resulting in an increase in Hg load to downstream habitats and an increase in biotic exposure to MeHg in the system. A next step will be to utilize data generated from this study in the Dynamic Mercury Cycling Model (D-MCM) which will be used to improve our understanding of factors controlling production and transport of Hg and MeHg in the Yolo Bypass.

Projected Risk of Flooding Disaster over China in 21st Century Based on CMIP5 Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Rouke; Xu, Ying

2016-04-01

Based on the simulations from CMIP5 models, using climate indices which have high correlation with historical disaster data, and in combination with terrain elevation data and the socio-economic data, to project the flooding disaster risk, the vulnerability of flooding hazard affected body and the risk of flooding hazard respectively during the near term(2015-2039), medium term(2045-2069) and long term(2075-2099) under RCP8.5. According to the IPCC AR5 WGII, we used risk evaluation model of disaster: R=E*H*V. R on behalf of disaster risk index. H, E and V express risk, exposure and vulnerability respectively. The results show that the extreme flooding disaster risk will gradually increase during different terms in the future, and regions with high risk level of flooding hazard are might mainly located in southeastern and eastern China. Under the RCP8.5 greenhouse gas emissions scenario, the high risk of flooding disaster in future might mainly appear in eastern part of Sichuan, most of North China, and major of East China. Compared with the baseline period,21st century forward, although the occurrence of floods area changes little, the regional strong risk will increase during the end of the 21st century. Due to the coarse resolution of climate models and the methodology for determining weight coefficients, large uncertainty still exists in the projection of the flooding disaster risk.

Increased flood risks in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valleys, CA, under climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, T.; Hidalgo-Leon, H.; Dettinger, M.; Cayan, D.

2008-12-01

Natural calamities like floods cause immense damages to human society globally, and California is no exception. A simulation analysis of flood generation in the western Sierra Nevada of California was carried out on simulated by the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrologic model under prescribed changes in precipitation (+10 percent) and temperature (+3oC and +5oC) to evaluate likely changes in 3-day flood- frequency curves under climate change. An additional experiment was carried out where snow production was artificially turned off in VIC. All these experiments showed larger flood magnitudes from California's Northern Sierra Nevada (NSN) and Southern Sierra Nevada (SSN), but the changes (for floods larger than the historical 20-year floods) were significant (at 90 percent confidence level) only in the SSN for severe warming cases. Another analysis using downscaled daily precipitation and temperature projections from three General Circulation Models (CNRM CM3, GFDL CM2.1 and NCAR PCM1) and emission scenario A2 as input to VIC yielded a general increase in the 3-days annual maximum flows under climate change. The increases are significant (at 90 percent confidence level) in the SSN for the period 2051-2099 with all the three climate models analyzed. In the NSN the increases are significant only with the CNRM CM3 model. In general, the frequency of floods increases or stayed same under the projected future climates, and some of the projected floods were unprecedentedly large when compared to historical simulations.

24 CFR 234.17 - Mortgagor and mortgagee requirements for maintaining flood insurance coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mortgagor and mortgagee requirements for maintaining flood insurance coverage. 234.17 Section 234.17 Housing and Urban Development... maintaining flood insurance coverage. The maintenance of flood insurance coverage on the project by the...

Use of real time control modelling on the urban sewage system of Nancy.

PubMed

Zug, M; Faure, D; De Belly, B; Phan, L

2001-01-01

Since 1991, European Legislation on the urban treatment of wastewater requires local authorities to take into account the treatment of polluted water transported by the sewerage system and this during dry and wet weather conditions. In the seventies, the urban Community of Grand Nancy constructed storage tanks in its sewerage system in order to prevent flooding and wish today to use them to reduce and control the pollution discharges into the receiving water. This action is a part of a European LIFE project 1996-2000. The main aim of this project was to assess the effectiveness of reducing pollution of one particular retention basin, the 12,000 m3 Gentilly tank. This one has two operating modes: protection against floods during heavy rain and reduction of pollutant overflows during lighter rain. To assess its effect on the pollutant discharge, the HYDROWORKS DM software and its Real Time Control Module have been used, calibrated and validated. As this study is still in progress, this paper describes the studied site and the modelling results under different weather conditions and shows that the mathematical model can be used to simulate the operation of the catchment area and its associated sewerage system realistically.

Analysis and projections of climate change impacts on flood risks in the Dniester river basin based on the ENSEMBLES RCM data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krakovska, S.; Balabukh, V.; Palamarchuk, L.; Djukel, G.; Gnatiuk, N.

2012-04-01

The pilot project "Reducing vulnerability to extreme floods and climate change in the Dniester river basin" started in May 2010 in the frame of the Dniester-III project which is implemented by OSCE, UNECE and UNEP in close collaboration with authorities and NGOs from Moldova and Ukraine. The project is a part of the Environment and Security initiative (ENVSEC) and aims to reduce risks from climate change - and specifically flooding - for security by improving the adaptive capacity of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, taking into account both current climate variability and long-term impacts of climate change on flood risks (http://www1.unece.org/ehlm/platform/display/ClimateChange/Dniester). The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe, one of the largest rivers of the Carpathians. The Dniester flows from northwest to southeast on the territory of Ukraine, Moldova and Transdniestria. The length of the Dniester is 1352 km with basin area of 72100 km2. The river starts in the Carpathian Mountains at an altitude of 900 m above the sea level and flows into the Dniester estuary, which is connected to the Black Sea. In order to reduce impacts from extreme floods in the Dniester river basin under transient climate conditions the first task of the project was to assess the recent climate changes and particularly extreme precipitation events. For this purpose database of the specially worked out system with inputs from observational data from 1980 up to now of all stations within the Dniester basin was applied. Retrospective analysis of severe hydrometeorological events has revealed that more than 30% of precipitation at warm half of the year are heavy and very heavy rains. And input of such extreme precipitation to annual sum increased during last 30 year by about 7% per decade in the region. Possible reason for this is an intensification of convection in bottom 5km layer of the troposphere which is observed from the middle 90th of the 20th century. During this period an intensive rises of surface air temperature and average temperature of the troposphere (a thickness of 1000-500hPa layer) were found in the investigated region that together with increase of moisture content of the atmosphere led to rise of free convection level and convectively unstable layers of the atmosphere reached almost to 100hPa. The later resulted in an essential increase (almost twice) of Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) and, accordingly, speed of updrafts. Ensemble of seven runs of Regional Climate Models (RCM) driven by four Atmosphere and Ocean General Circulation Models (AOGCM) from the ENSEMBLES database was applied in order to obtain projected values of air temperature and precipitation changes for 2021-2050 period within the Dniester basin on a monthly basis. To make calculations more accurate the Dniester basin was subdivided into 3 regions every with 2 subregions according to river geomorphology and topography. Verification of RCM on control 1971-2000 period by E-Obs and stations' data has allowed to obtain optimum ensembles of RCM for every subregion and climate characteristic. Note, that just two regional climate models REMO and RCA both driven by ECHAM5 provided the best results either for all delineated regions or for the entire Dniester basin. Projections for 2021-2050 period were calculated from the same obtained optimum ensembles of RCM as for the control one. More or less uniform air temperature rise is expected in all subregions and months by 0.7-1.7 oC. But projections for precipitation change are more disperse: within a few per cents for annual sums, but almost 20% less for the middle and lower Dniester in August and October (drought risk) and over 15% more for the high flow of the river in September and December (flood risk). Indices of extremes recommended by ECA&D were calculated from daily data of REMO and RCA A1B runs for control and projected periods. The analysis of precipitation extremes (SDII, RX1day, RX5day, etc.) has demonstrated that two models have similar projections for the middle part of the river and opposite tendencies for the upper and lower Dniester. In any case for all regions number of events with very heavy rains (>30mm) and their inputs in monthly and annual sums will increase make flash flood risks more pronounced.

[Dynamic simulation analysis of effects of project of ditching for drain on Oncomelania hupensis snail control and flood prevention security in Dongting Lake region].

PubMed

Zheng, Zhu; Wang-Yuan, Wei; Qian-Hui, Liu; Ben-Jiao, Hu; Ze-Min, Sun

2017-01-19

To evaluate the effects of the project of ditching for drain on Oncomelania hupensis snail control and flood prevention security and explore the optimal engineering design plan in Dongting Lake region. A retrospective study was performed on the previous studies about the project of ditching for drain. The reference values of project indices were determined. The outside levee of Nanhu New Distinct of Yueyang City in Dongting Lake region was selected as the study area, and the cross section of marshland perpendicular to the center line of the levee was extracted to research. According to the situations of various water levels, a dynamic simulation was performed on the effect and security of the project of ditching for drain through the software FLAC 3D . The retrospective study showed that the project would be effective when the relatively subsoil water level decreased by 0.35 m, and the soil water content decreased correspondingly. The dynamic simulation by FLAC 3D showed that the minimum safe distances between transverse ditch 1, vertical ditch and levee toe should be 25 m and 13 m respectively. The digging depth of transverse ditch and vertical ditch should be 1.2 m and 1.0 m respectively. If the width of marshland in drought period was less than 500 m, one transverse ditch was efficient. Otherwise, more transverse ditches should be set with the intervals of 300 m. The project of ditching for drain is an effective ecological snail elimination method. Optimizing the digging depth of ditches and distances between transverse ditches, vertical ditch and levee toe will ensure the effects and security of the project.

Lake Darling Flood Control Project, Souris River, North Dakota. General Project Design.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

contribute significantly to waterfowl production and provide resting areas for migrating waterfowl. Their upland and wooded areas support deer and small...of storage over about 370 acres of grass and wooded lands. Addition of a dam on Gassman Coulee would eliminate the threat of severe damages and loss...Renville County. Although rustic, the wooded area is also a haven from the sun and wind which is so prevalent on the North Dakota plains. There are

Cultural Resource Inventory of Lands in and Adjacent to the City of Rochester, Minnesota Flood Control Project on the South Fork Zumbro River,

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-14

the area directly east of present- day Rochester contained fire-maintained oak openings and barrens . This area consisted of oak groves or single trees...Archaeological Survey of Lands Adjacent to the Pine River Reservoir; University of Minnesota and St. Paul District Corps of Engineers; Archaeological Field...Archaeological Field Services, Inc.; Principal Investigator. 1980 An Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey of the Harrison Hills Project, Plymouth , Hennepin

Coastal hazards in a changing world: projecting and communicating future coastal flood risk at the local-scale using the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, Andrea; Barnard, Patrick; Erikson, Li; Foxgrover, Amy; Limber, Patrick; Vitousek, Sean; Fitzgibbon, Michael; Wood, Nathan

2017-04-01

The risk of coastal flooding will increase for many low-lying coastal regions as predominant contributions to flooding, including sea level, storm surge, wave setup, and storm-related fluvial discharge, are altered with climate change. Community leaders and local governments therefore look to science to provide insight into how climate change may affect their areas. Many studies of future coastal flooding vulnerability consider sea level and tides, but ignore other important factors that elevate flood levels during storm events, such as waves, surge, and discharge. Here we present a modelling approach that considers a broad range of relevant processes contributing to elevated storm water levels for open coast and embayment settings along the U.S. West Coast. Additionally, we present online tools for communicating community-relevant projected vulnerabilities. The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) is a numerical modeling system developed to predict coastal flooding due to both sea-level rise (SLR) and plausible 21st century storms for active-margin settings like the U.S. West Coast. CoSMoS applies a predominantly deterministic framework of multi-scale models encompassing large geographic scales (100s to 1000s of kilometers) to small-scale features (10s to 1000s of meters), resulting in flood extents that can be projected at a local resolution (2 meters). In the latest iteration of CoSMoS applied to Southern California, U.S., efforts were made to incorporate water level fluctuations in response to regional storm impacts, locally wind-generated waves, coastal river discharge, and decadal-scale shoreline and cliff changes. Coastal hazard projections are available in a user-friendly web-based tool (www.prbo.org/ocof), where users can view variations in flood extent, maximum flood depth, current speeds, and wave heights in response to a range of potential SLR and storm combinations, providing direct support to adaptation and management decisions. In order to capture the societal aspect of the hazard, projections are combined with socioeconomic exposure to produce clear, actionable information (https://www.usgs.gov/apps/hera/); this integrated approach to hazard displays provides an example of how to effectively translate complex climate impacts projections into simple, societally-relevant information.

Catchment scale multi-objective flood management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, Steve; Worrall, Peter; Rosolova, Zdenka; Hammond, Gene

2010-05-01

Rural land management is known to affect both the generation and propagation of flooding at the local scale, but there is still a general lack of good evidence that this impact is still significant at the larger catchment scale given the complexity of physical interactions and climatic variability taking place at this level. The National Trust, in partnership with the Environment Agency, are managing an innovative project on the Holnicote Estate in south west England to demonstrate the benefits of using good rural land management practices to reduce flood risk at the both the catchment and sub-catchment scales. The Holnicote Estate is owned by the National Trust and comprises about 5,000 hectares of land, from the uplands of Exmoor to the sea, incorporating most of the catchments of the river Horner and Aller Water. There are nearly 100 houses across three villages that are at risk from flooding which could potentially benefit from changes in land management practices in the surrounding catchment providing a more sustainable flood attenuation function. In addition to the contribution being made to flood risk management there are a range of other ecosystems services that will be enhanced through these targeted land management changes. Alterations in land management will create new opportunities for wildlife and habitats and help to improve the local surface water quality. Such improvements will not only create additional wildlife resources locally but also serve the landscape response to climate change effects by creating and enhancing wildlife networks within the region. Land management changes will also restore and sustain landscape heritage resources and provide opportunities for amenity, recreation and tourism. The project delivery team is working with the National Trust from source to sea across the entire Holnicote Estate, to identify and subsequently implement suitable land management techniques to manage local flood risk within the catchments. These techniques will include: controlling headwater drainage, increasing evapotranspiration and interception by creating new woodlands in the upper catchment areas, enabling coarse woody debris dams to slow down water flows through steep valleys, improving soil water storage potential by appropriate soil and crop management, retaining water on lowland flood meadows and wet woodland creation within the floodplain. The project, due to run from 2009 until 2013, incorporates hydrometric and water quality monitoring, together with hydrologic and hydraulic modelling in order to attempt to demonstrate the effect of land management changes on flood dynamics and flood risk management. To date, the project team have undertaken the fundamental catchment characterisation work to understand its physical setting and the interaction of the physical processes that influence the hydrological response of the catchment to incident precipitation. The results of this initial work has led to the identification of a suitably robust hydrometric monitoring network within the catchments to meet the needs of providing both quantitative evidence of the impacts of land management change on flood risk, together with generating good quality datasets for the validation and testing of the new hydrologic models. As the project aims to demonstrate ‘best practice' in all areas, the opportunity has been taken to install a network of automatic hydrometric monitoring equipment, together with an associated telemetry system, in order to maximise data coverage, accuracy and reliability. Good quality datasets are a critical requirement for reliable modelling. The modelling will also be expanded to incorporate climate change scenarios. This paper will describe the catchment characterisation work undertaken to date, the proposed land management changes in relation to flood risk management, the initial catchment hydraulic modelling work and the implementation of the new hydrometric monitoring network within the study area.

An analysis of European riverine flood risk and adaptation measures under projected climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouwer, Laurens; Burzel, Andreas; Holz, Friederike; Winsemius, Hessel; de Bruijn, Karind

2015-04-01

There is increasing need to assess costs and benefits of adaptation at scales beyond the river basin. In Europe, such estimates are required at the European scale in order to set priorities for action and financing, for instance in the context of the EU Adaptation Strategy. The goal of this work as part of the FP7 BASE project is to develop a flood impact model that can be applied at Pan-European scale and that is able to project changes in flood risk due to climate change and socio-economic developments, and costs of adaptation. For this research, we build upon the global flood hazard estimation method developed by Winsemius et al. (Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 2013), that produces flood inundation maps at different return period, for present day (EU WATCH) and future climate (IPCC scenarios RCP4.5 and 8.5, for five climate models). These maps are used for the assessment of flood impacts. We developed and tested a model for assessing direct economic flood damages by using large scale land use maps. We characterise vulnerable land use functions, in particular residential, commercial, industrial, infrastructure and agriculture, using depth-damage relationships. Furthermore, we apply up to NUTS3 level information on Gross Domestic Product, which is used as a proxy for relative differences in maximum damage values between different areas. Next, we test two adaptation measures, by adjusting flood protection levels and adjusting damage functions. The results show the projected changes in flood risk in the future. For example, on NUTS2 level, flood risk increases in some regions up to 179% (between the baseline scenario 1960-1999 and time slice 2010-2049). On country level there are increases up to 60% for selected climate models. The conference presentation will show the most relevant improvements in damage modelling on the continental scale, and results of the analysis of adaptation measures. The results will be critically discussed under the aspect of major uncertainties in both future flood hazards as well as damage costs and adaptation effects and costs.

Belford proactive flood solutions: scientific evidence to influence local and national policy by multi-purpose runoff management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, M.; Quinn, P. F.; Jonczyk, J.

2010-12-01

The increased risk from flooding continues to be of concern to governments all around the world and flood protection is becoming more of a challenge. In the UK, climate change projections indicate more extremes within the weather systems. In addition, there is an increased demand for using land in urban areas beside channels. These developments both put pressure on our flood defences and there is a need for new solutions to managing flood risk. There is currently support within the England and Wales Environment Agency for sustainable flood management solutions such as storage ponds, wetlands, beaver dams and willow riparian features (referred to here as Runoff Attenuation Features, or RAFs). However the effectiveness of RAFs are not known at the catchment scale since they have only really been trailed at the plot scale. These types of mitigation measure can offer benefits to water quality and create ecological habitats. The village of Belford, situated in the Belford Burn catchment (6km2), northern England, has suffered from numerous flood events. In addition, the catchment suffers from water quality issues within the channel and high sediment loads are having an impact on the ecology of the nearby estuary. There was a desire by the Local Environment Agency Flood Levy team to deliver an alternative catchment-based solution to the problem. With funding from the Northumbria Regional Flood Defence Committee, the Environment Agency North East Local Levy team and Newcastle University have created a partnership to address the flood problem trailing soft engineered RAF’s at the catchment scale. The partnership project, “Belford proactive flood solutions” is testing novel techniques in reducing flood risk in small sub-catchments for the Environment Agency. The project provides the information needed to understand whether the multi-functional mitigation measures are working at the sub-catchment scale. Data suggest that the mitigation measures present have delayed the overall travel time of the flood peak in the catchment by 33%. The current maximum flood storage capacity of all the features stands at around 15,000 m3. The evidence also suggests that a dam like in-stream mitigation measure can significantly reduce sediment load. Other benefits of some mitigation features include large increase in the population of water voles over the past two years. The scheme also acts as a demonstration site for interested stakeholders where they can learn about this approach to flood risk management and see the multipurpose benefits. As the project has progressed and lessons have been learnt, it has been possible to develop a runoff management toolkit for implementing these mitigation measures in other catchments of similar size. Already, the local Environment Agency has utilised the tools and recently applied similar mitigation measures to other catchments. On-going modelling exercises in the project are using the data to explore the up-scaling of the features to larger catchments.

Comprehensive planning and the dragon to slay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leopold, Luna Bergere

1965-01-01

Several years ago I was in India as consultant to that government concerning a flood-control project on the Kosi River in the State of Bihar. The Kosi originates near Mount Everest and emerges from the Himalayas to flow southward for nearly a hundred miles across the Ganges plain. It is a braided river with an ill-defined channel consisting of many distributaries wandering around myriad islands in an unsystematic way. Owing to the fact that the Kosi has moved laterally across its low-angle fan about 75 miles in a hundred years it has progressively devastated by flooding large areas of agricultural land.The Indian government has chosen as the most practical way to alleviate the flood damage, the construction of levees separated by a distance of about nine miles and confining the river through most of the course of its plain.

Prediflood: A French research project aiming at developing a road submersion warning system for flash flood prone areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naulin, J. P.; Payrastre, O.; Gaume, E.; Delrieu, G.; Arnaud, P.; Lutoff, C.; Vincendon, B.

2010-09-01

Accurate flood forecasts are crucial for an efficient flood event management. Until now, hydro-meteorological forecasts have been mainly used for early-warnings in France (Meteorological and flood vigilance maps) or over the world (Flash-flood guidances). Forecasts are also often limited to the main streams or to specific watersheds with particular assets like hydropower dams, leaving aside large parts of the territory. Distributed hydro-meteorological forecasting models, able to take advantage of the now available high spatial and temporal resolution rainfall measurements, are promising tools for anticipating and quantifying the short term consequences of storm events all over a region. They would be very useful, especially in regions frequently affected by severe storms with complex spatio-temporal patterns. They would provide the necessary information for flood event management services to identify the areas at risk and to take the appropriate safety and rescue measures: prepositioning of rescue means, stopping of the traffic on exposed roads, determination of safe accesses or evacuation routes. Some preliminary tests conducted by the LCPC within the European project FLOODsite have shown encouraging results of a distributed hydro-meteorological forecasting model. It seems possible, despite the limits of the available rainfall measurements and the shortcomings of the rainfall-runoff models, to deliver distributed forecasts of possible local flood consequences - road submersion risk rating at about 5000 different locations over the Gard department in the tested case - with an acceptable level of accuracy. The PreDiFlood project (http://heberge.lcpc.fr/prediflood/) aims at consolidating and extending these first results with the objective to conduct pre-operational tests with possible end-users at the end of the project. Such a tool will not replace, but complement existing flood forecasting approaches in time and space domains that have not been covered until now (short term forecasting at a regional scale). It will produce a completely new type of forecasts and the usefulness of such data for the emergency services for their real-time decision making will be assessed within the project. Beyond the direct operational objectives, this project aims at demonstrating, on a specific application (the now-casting of road submersions), the possibilities and also the limits and hence the needed improvements of tools that are still underused: radar quantitative precipitation estimates but also precipitation now-castings, distributed rainfall-runoff models, and the recent knowledge acquired on flash-floods consequence evaluation as well as event management.

33 CFR 203.50 - Nonstructural alternatives to rehabilitation of flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm... rehabilitation, repair, or restoration of flood control works damaged by floods or coastal storms. (b) Policy. (1...

Impacts of future climate change on urban flood volumes in Hohhot in northern China: benefits of climate change mitigation and adaptations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qianqian; Leng, Guoyong; Huang, Maoyi

2018-01-01

As China becomes increasingly urbanised, flooding has become a regular occurrence in its major cities. Assessing the effects of future climate change on urban flood volumes is crucial to informing better management of such disasters given the severity of the devastating impacts of flooding (e.g. the 2016 flooding events across China). Although recent studies have investigated the impacts of future climate change on urban flooding, the effects of both climate change mitigation and adaptation have rarely been accounted for together in a consistent framework. In this study, we assess the benefits of mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and locally adapting to climate change by modifying drainage systems to reduce urban flooding under various climate change scenarios through a case study conducted in northern China. The urban drainage model - Storm Water Management Model - was used to simulate urban flood volumes using current and two adapted drainage systems (i.e. pipe enlargement and low-impact development, LID), driven by bias-corrected meteorological forcing from five general circulation models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 archive. Results indicate that urban flood volume is projected to increase by 52 % over 2020-2040 compared to the volume in 1971-2000 under the business-as-usual scenario (i.e. Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5). The magnitudes of urban flood volumes are found to increase nonlinearly with changes in precipitation intensity. On average, the projected flood volume under RCP 2.6 is 13 % less than that under RCP 8.5, demonstrating the benefits of global-scale climate change mitigation efforts in reducing local urban flood volumes. Comparison of reduced flood volumes between climate change mitigation and local adaptation (by improving drainage systems) scenarios suggests that local adaptation is more effective than climate change mitigation in reducing future flood volumes. This has broad implications for the research community relative to drainage system design and modelling in a changing environment. This study highlights the importance of accounting for local adaptation when coping with future urban floods.

Impacts of future climate change on urban flood volumes in Hohhot in northern China: benefits of climate change mitigation and adaptations

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Qianqian; Leng, Guoyong; Huang, Maoyi

2018-01-15

As China becomes increasingly urbanised, flooding has become a regular occurrence in its major cities. Assessing the effects of future climate change on urban flood volumes is crucial to informing better management of such disasters given the severity of the devastating impacts of flooding (e.g. the 2016 flooding events across China). Although recent studies have investigated the impacts of future climate change on urban flooding, the effects of both climate change mitigation and adaptation have rarely been accounted for together in a consistent framework. In this study, we assess the benefits of mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)more » emissions and locally adapting to climate change by modifying drainage systems to reduce urban flooding under various climate change scenarios through a case study conducted in northern China. The urban drainage model – Storm Water Management Model – was used to simulate urban flood volumes using current and two adapted drainage systems (i.e. pipe enlargement and low-impact development, LID), driven by bias-corrected meteorological forcing from five general circulation models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 archive. Results indicate that urban flood volume is projected to increase by 52 % over 2020–2040 compared to the volume in 1971–2000 under the business-as-usual scenario (i.e. Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5). The magnitudes of urban flood volumes are found to increase nonlinearly with changes in precipitation intensity. On average, the projected flood volume under RCP 2.6 is 13 % less than that under RCP 8.5, demonstrating the benefits of global-scale climate change mitigation efforts in reducing local urban flood volumes. Comparison of reduced flood volumes between climate change mitigation and local adaptation (by improving drainage systems) scenarios suggests that local adaptation is more effective than climate change mitigation in reducing future flood volumes. This has broad implications for the research community relative to drainage system design and modelling in a changing environment. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of accounting for local adaptation when coping with future urban floods.« less

Impacts of future climate change on urban flood volumes in Hohhot in northern China: benefits of climate change mitigation and adaptations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Qianqian; Leng, Guoyong; Huang, Maoyi

As China becomes increasingly urbanised, flooding has become a regular occurrence in its major cities. Assessing the effects of future climate change on urban flood volumes is crucial to informing better management of such disasters given the severity of the devastating impacts of flooding (e.g. the 2016 flooding events across China). Although recent studies have investigated the impacts of future climate change on urban flooding, the effects of both climate change mitigation and adaptation have rarely been accounted for together in a consistent framework. In this study, we assess the benefits of mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)more » emissions and locally adapting to climate change by modifying drainage systems to reduce urban flooding under various climate change scenarios through a case study conducted in northern China. The urban drainage model – Storm Water Management Model – was used to simulate urban flood volumes using current and two adapted drainage systems (i.e. pipe enlargement and low-impact development, LID), driven by bias-corrected meteorological forcing from five general circulation models in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 archive. Results indicate that urban flood volume is projected to increase by 52 % over 2020–2040 compared to the volume in 1971–2000 under the business-as-usual scenario (i.e. Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5). The magnitudes of urban flood volumes are found to increase nonlinearly with changes in precipitation intensity. On average, the projected flood volume under RCP 2.6 is 13 % less than that under RCP 8.5, demonstrating the benefits of global-scale climate change mitigation efforts in reducing local urban flood volumes. Comparison of reduced flood volumes between climate change mitigation and local adaptation (by improving drainage systems) scenarios suggests that local adaptation is more effective than climate change mitigation in reducing future flood volumes. This has broad implications for the research community relative to drainage system design and modelling in a changing environment. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of accounting for local adaptation when coping with future urban floods.« less

7 CFR 650.12 - NRCS decisionmaking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... NRCS provides technical and financial assistance for projects under the Watershed Protection and Flood... are as follows: (1) For Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention projects: (i) Application for... comment is solicited. A decision is made to stop planning assistance or to develop a watershed plan. (iii...

7 CFR 650.12 - NRCS decisionmaking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... NRCS provides technical and financial assistance for projects under the Watershed Protection and Flood... are as follows: (1) For Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention projects: (i) Application for... comment is solicited. A decision is made to stop planning assistance or to develop a watershed plan. (iii...

7 CFR 650.12 - NRCS decisionmaking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

.... NRCS provides technical and financial assistance for projects under the Watershed Protection and Flood... are as follows: (1) For Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention projects: (i) Application for... comment is solicited. A decision is made to stop planning assistance or to develop a watershed plan. (iii...

7 CFR 650.12 - NRCS decisionmaking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... NRCS provides technical and financial assistance for projects under the Watershed Protection and Flood... are as follows: (1) For Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention projects: (i) Application for... comment is solicited. A decision is made to stop planning assistance or to develop a watershed plan. (iii...

Socio-economic Impact Analysis for Near Real-Time Flood Detection in the Lower Mekong River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oddo, P.; Ahamed, A.; Bolten, J. D.

2017-12-01

Flood events pose a severe threat to communities in the Lower Mekong River Basin. The combination of population growth, urbanization, and economic development exacerbate the impacts of these flood events. Flood damage assessments are frequently used to quantify the economic losses in the wake of storms. These assessments are critical for understanding the effects of flooding on the local population, and for informing decision-makers about future risks. Remote sensing systems provide a valuable tool for monitoring flood conditions and assessing their severity more rapidly than traditional post-event evaluations. The frequency and severity of extreme flood events are projected to increase, further illustrating the need for improved flood monitoring and impact analysis. In this study we implement a socio-economic damage model into a decision support tool with near real-time flood detection capabilities (NASA's Project Mekong). Surface water extent for current and historical floods is found using multispectral Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250-meter imagery and the spectral Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) signatures of permanent water bodies (MOD44W). Direct and indirect damages to populations, infrastructure, and agriculture are assessed using the 2011 Southeast Asian flood as a case study. Improved land cover and flood depth assessments result in a more refined understanding of losses throughout the Mekong River Basin. Results suggest that rapid initial estimates of flood impacts can provide valuable information to governments, international agencies, and disaster responders in the wake of extreme flood events.

An early career researcher's perspective on presenting flood risk research to the media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, Louise

2017-04-01

My research lies at the intersection of three disciplines: hydrology, climatology, and geomorphology, and focusses on understanding the drivers of changing flood hazards to improve flood projections. Because flooding has major impacts on people's lives, and flood losses are projected to continue to increase in future decades, attribution studies are readily picked up by the press. As an Early Career Researcher, I will share my own experiences in communicating flood-related research results (through university press releases, Twitter, blog posts, and interviews), and what I have learnt about the types of strategies that can be followed to increase research dissemination/outreach, and the "Attention Score" of individual papers. In terms of interacting with the media, I will also share some suggestions regarding the types of questions that often arise, as well as awareness strategies to avoid potential pitfalls, misunderstandings or misinterpretations.

33 CFR 211.12 - Exchange of lands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Exchange of lands. 211.12 Section... of Real Estate Acquired for Civil Works Purposes § 211.12 Exchange of lands. The Secretary of the Army is authorized to exchange lands acquired for river and harbor and flood control projects for...

Effects of prescribed fire on recruitment of Juniperus and Opuntia in a semiarid grassland watershed

Treesearch

Burton K. Pendleton; Rosemary L. Pendleton; Carleton S. White

2008-01-01

The Bernalillo Watershed Protection Project was begun in 1953 following catastrophic erosion and flooding of small communities below. Although erosion control features and protection from grazing successfully increased grass cover and stabilized watershed soils, the expansion of juniper woodland (Juniperus monosperma) into the grassland watershed...

Tijuana River Flood Control Project, San Diego County, California.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-05-20

vulgare Fragrant everlasting Gnaphalium beneolens White hoarhound Marrubium vulgere Hottentot-f ig Mesembryanthemum edule ANNUALS Tumbleweed Amaranthus a...scoparium California box-thorn Lycium californicum See fig Mesembryanthemum chilense Ice plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Hottentot fig... Mesembryanthemum edule Little ice plant Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum Coastal prickly pear Opuntia occidentalis San Diego cholla Opuntia serpentia Salt marsh

Flood Control, Roseau River, Roseau and Kittson Counties, Minnesota. Final Environmental Impact Statement. Supplement.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

business, and entrepreneur acquisition of presently marginal lands. The perceived result of withdrawal would be the shift of Roseau County from a com...impact statement (5S1) for this project we* plsed oa Eile witb the Council on Invironmenal Quality (CEQ) in April 1972. Because of incresing eaviromatal

What's the Use of Land? A Secondary School Social Studies Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jefferson County Public Schools, Lakewood, CO.

A land use unit using information from space programs is intended to help secondary teachers develop, plan, and implement land use programs in the social studies classroom. The subject of this unit is a flood control dam in Colorado. Interdisciplinary curriculum includes activities in mapmaking, environmental and mathematical studies, local…

75 FR 8047 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-23

..., and the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (CCCFCWCD) will serve as... be analyzed in depth in the EIS/EIR include project specific and cumulative effects on hydraulics..., cultural resources, recreation, land use, fisheries, water quality, air quality, and transportation. c...

7 CFR 1980.433 - Flood or mudslide hazard area precautions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 14 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Flood or mudslide hazard area precautions. 1980.433... Program § 1980.433 Flood or mudslide hazard area precautions. (See subpart A, § 1980.42.) Administrative The State Director is responsible for determining if a project is located in a special flood or...

Effects of Flood Control Strategies on Flood Resilience Under Sociohydrological Disturbances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Kyungmin; Jeong, Hanseok; Sangwan, Nikhil; Yu, David J.

2018-04-01

A community capacity to cope with flood hazards, or community flood resilience, emerges from the interplay of hydrological and social processes. This interplay can be significantly influenced by the flood control strategy adopted by a society, i.e., how a society sets its desired flood protection level and strives to achieve this goal. And this interplay can be further complicated by rising land-sea level differences, seasonal water level fluctuations, and economic change. But not much research has been done on how various forms of flood control strategies affect human-flood interactions under these disturbances and therefore flood resilience in the long run. The current study is an effort to address these issues by developing a conceptual model of human-flood interaction mediated by flood control strategies. Our model extends the existing model of Yu et al. (2017), who investigated the flood resilience of a community-based flood protection system in coastal Bangladesh. The major extensions made in this study are inclusions of various forms of flood control strategies (both adaptive and nonadaptive ones), the challenge of rising land-sea level differences, and various high tide level scenarios generated from modifying the statistical variances and averages. Our results show that adaptive forms of flood control strategies tend to outperform nonadaptive ones for maintaining the model community's flood protection system. Adaptive strategies that dynamically adjust target flood protection levels through close monitoring of flood damages and social memories of flood risk can help the model community deal with various disturbances.

Deep Uncertainty Surrounding Coastal Flood Risk Projections: A Case Study for New Orleans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Tony E.; Keller, Klaus

2017-10-01

Future sea-level rise drives severe risks for many coastal communities. Strategies to manage these risks hinge on a sound characterization of the uncertainties. For example, recent studies suggest that large fractions of the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) may rapidly disintegrate in response to rising global temperatures, leading to potentially several meters of sea-level rise during the next few centuries. It is deeply uncertain, for example, whether such an AIS disintegration will be triggered, how much this would increase sea-level rise, whether extreme storm surges intensify in a warming climate, or which emissions pathway future societies will choose. Here, we assess the impacts of these deep uncertainties on projected flooding probabilities for a levee ring in New Orleans, LA. We use 18 scenarios, presenting probabilistic projections within each one, to sample key deeply uncertain future projections of sea-level rise, radiative forcing pathways, storm surge characterization, and contributions from rapid AIS mass loss. The implications of these deep uncertainties for projected flood risk are thus characterized by a set of 18 probability distribution functions. We use a global sensitivity analysis to assess which mechanisms contribute to uncertainty in projected flood risk over the course of a 50-year design life. In line with previous work, we find that the uncertain storm surge drives the most substantial risk, followed by general AIS dynamics, in our simple model for future flood risk for New Orleans.

Hydrologic regime controls soil phosphorus fluxes in restoration and undisturbed wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aldous, A.; McCormick, P.; Ferguson, C.; Graham, S.; Craft, C.

2005-01-01

Many wetland restoration projects occur on former agricultural soils that have a history of disturbance and fertilization, making them prone to phosphorus (P) release upon flooding. To study the relationship between P release and hydrologic regime, we collected soil cores from three restoration wetlands and three undisturbed wetlands around Upper Klamath Lake in southern Oregon, U.S.A. Soil cores were subjected to one of three hydrologic regimes - flooded, moist, and dry - for 7.5 weeks, and P fluxes were measured upon reflooding. Soils from restoration wetlands released P upon reflooding regardless of the hydrologic regime, with the greatest releases coming from soils that had been flooded or dried. Undisturbed wetland soils released P only after drying. Patterns in P release can be explained by a combination of physical and biological processes, including the release of iron-bound P due to anoxia in the flooded treatment and the mineralization of organic P under aerobic conditions in the dry treatment. Higher rates of soil P release from restoration wetland soils, particularly under flooded conditions, were associated with higher total P concentrations compared with undisturbed wetland soils. We conclude that maintaining moist soil is the means to minimize P release from recently flooded wetland soils. Alternatively, prolonged flooding provides a means of liberating excess labile P from former agricultural soils while minimizing continued organic P mineralization and soil subsidence. ?? 2005 Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Flooding and Clostridium difficile Infection: A Case-Crossover Analysis

PubMed Central

Lin, Cynthia J.; Wade, Timothy J.; Hilborn, Elizabeth D.

2015-01-01

Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that can spread by water. It often causes acute gastrointestinal illness in older adults who are hospitalized and/or receiving antibiotics; however, community-associated infections affecting otherwise healthy individuals have become more commonly reported. A case-crossover study was used to assess emergency room (ER) and outpatient visits for C. difficile infection following flood events in Massachusetts from 2003 through 2007. Exposure status was based on whether or not a flood occurred prior to the case/control date during the following risk periods: 0–6 days, 7–13 days, 14–20 days, and 21–27 days. Fixed-effects logistic regression was used to estimate the risk of diagnosis with C. difficile infection following a flood. There were 129 flood events and 1575 diagnoses of C. difficile infection. Among working age adults (19–64 years), ER and outpatient visits for C. difficile infection were elevated during the 7–13 days following a flood (Odds Ratio, OR = 1.69; 95% Confidence Interval, CI: 0.84, 3.37). This association was more substantial among males (OR = 3.21; 95% CI: 1.01–10.19). Associations during other risk periods were not observed (p < 0.05). Although we were unable to differentiate community-associated versus nosocomial infections, a potential increase in C. difficile infections should be considered as more flooding is projected due to climate change. PMID:26090609

Flooding and Clostridium difficile Infection: A Case-Crossover Analysis.

PubMed

Lin, Cynthia J; Wade, Timothy J; Hilborn, Elizabeth D

2015-06-17

Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that can spread by water. It often causes acute gastrointestinal illness in older adults who are hospitalized and/or receiving antibiotics; however, community-associated infections affecting otherwise healthy individuals have become more commonly reported. A case-crossover study was used to assess emergency room (ER) and outpatient visits for C. difficile infection following flood events in Massachusetts from 2003 through 2007. Exposure status was based on whether or not a flood occurred prior to the case/control date during the following risk periods: 0-6 days, 7-13 days, 14-20 days, and 21-27 days. Fixed-effects logistic regression was used to estimate the risk of diagnosis with C. difficile infection following a flood. There were 129 flood events and 1575 diagnoses of C. difficile infection. Among working age adults (19-64 years), ER and outpatient visits for C. difficile infection were elevated during the 7-13 days following a flood (Odds Ratio, OR = 1.69; 95% Confidence Interval, CI: 0.84, 3.37). This association was more substantial among males (OR = 3.21; 95% CI: 1.01-10.19). Associations during other risk periods were not observed (p < 0.05). Although we were unable to differentiate community-associated versus nosocomial infections, a potential increase in C. difficile infections should be considered as more flooding is projected due to climate change.

Increasing precipitation volatility in twenty-first-century California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swain, Daniel L.; Langenbrunner, Baird; Neelin, J. David; Hall, Alex

2018-05-01

Mediterranean climate regimes are particularly susceptible to rapid shifts between drought and flood—of which, California's rapid transition from record multi-year dryness between 2012 and 2016 to extreme wetness during the 2016-2017 winter provides a dramatic example. Projected future changes in such dry-to-wet events, however, remain inadequately quantified, which we investigate here using the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble of climate model simulations. Anthropogenic forcing is found to yield large twenty-first-century increases in the frequency of wet extremes, including a more than threefold increase in sub-seasonal events comparable to California's `Great Flood of 1862'. Smaller but statistically robust increases in dry extremes are also apparent. As a consequence, a 25% to 100% increase in extreme dry-to-wet precipitation events is projected, despite only modest changes in mean precipitation. Such hydrological cycle intensification would seriously challenge California's existing water storage, conveyance and flood control infrastructure.

Flood projections within the Niger River Basin under future land use and climate change.

PubMed

Aich, Valentin; Liersch, Stefan; Vetter, Tobias; Fournet, Samuel; Andersson, Jafet C M; Calmanti, Sandro; van Weert, Frank H A; Hattermann, Fred F; Paton, Eva N

2016-08-15

This study assesses future flood risk in the Niger River Basin (NRB), for the first time considering the simultaneous effects of both projected climate change and land use changes. For this purpose, an ecohydrological process-based model (SWIM) was set up and validated for past climate and land use dynamics of the entire NRB. Model runs for future flood risks were conducted with an ensemble of 18 climate models, 13 of them dynamically downscaled from the CORDEX Africa project and five statistically downscaled Earth System Models. Two climate and two land use change scenarios were used to cover a broad range of potential developments in the region. Two flood indicators (annual 90th percentile and the 20-year return flood) were used to assess the future flood risk for the Upper, Middle and Lower Niger as well as the Benue. The modeling results generally show increases of flood magnitudes when comparing a scenario period in the near future (2021-2050) with a base period (1976-2005). Land use effects are more uncertain, but trends and relative changes for the different catchments of the NRB seem robust. The dry areas of the Sahelian and Sudanian regions of the basin show a particularly high sensitivity to climatic and land use changes, with an alarming increase of flood magnitudes in parts. A scenario with continuing transformation of natural vegetation into agricultural land and urbanization intensifies the flood risk in all parts of the NRB, while a "regreening" scenario can reduce flood magnitudes to some extent. Yet, land use change effects were smaller when compared to the effects of climate change. In the face of an already existing adaptation deficit to catastrophic flooding in the region, the authors argue for a mix of adaptation and mitigation efforts in order to reduce the flood risk in the NRB. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Bayesian-based system to assess wave-driven flooding hazards on coral reef-lined coasts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearson, S. G.; Storlazzi, Curt; van Dongeren, A. R.; Tissier, M. F. S.; Reniers, A. J. H. M.

2017-01-01

Many low-elevation, coral reef-lined, tropical coasts are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, sea level rise, and wave-induced flooding. The considerable morphological diversity of these coasts and the variability of the hydrodynamic forcing that they are exposed to make predicting wave-induced flooding a challenge. A process-based wave-resolving hydrodynamic model (XBeach Non-Hydrostatic, “XBNH”) was used to create a large synthetic database for use in a “Bayesian Estimator for Wave Attack in Reef Environments” (BEWARE), relating incident hydrodynamics and coral reef geomorphology to coastal flooding hazards on reef-lined coasts. Building on previous work, BEWARE improves system understanding of reef hydrodynamics by examining the intrinsic reef and extrinsic forcing factors controlling runup and flooding on reef-lined coasts. The Bayesian estimator has high predictive skill for the XBNH model outputs that are flooding indicators, and was validated for a number of available field cases. It was found that, in order to accurately predict flooding hazards, water depth over the reef flat, incident wave conditions, and reef flat width are the most essential factors, whereas other factors such as beach slope and bed friction due to the presence or absence of corals are less important. BEWARE is a potentially powerful tool for use in early warning systems or risk assessment studies, and can be used to make projections about how wave-induced flooding on coral reef-lined coasts may change due to climate change.

Declining vulnerability to river floods and the global benefits of adaptation

PubMed Central

Jongman, Brenden; Winsemius, Hessel C.; Aerts, Jeroen C. J. H.; Coughlan de Perez, Erin; van Aalst, Maarten K.; Kron, Wolfgang; Ward, Philip J.

2015-01-01

The global impacts of river floods are substantial and rising. Effective adaptation to the increasing risks requires an in-depth understanding of the physical and socioeconomic drivers of risk. Whereas the modeling of flood hazard and exposure has improved greatly, compelling evidence on spatiotemporal patterns in vulnerability of societies around the world is still lacking. Due to this knowledge gap, the effects of vulnerability on global flood risk are not fully understood, and future projections of fatalities and losses available today are based on simplistic assumptions or do not include vulnerability. We show for the first time (to our knowledge) that trends and fluctuations in vulnerability to river floods around the world can be estimated by dynamic high-resolution modeling of flood hazard and exposure. We find that rising per-capita income coincided with a global decline in vulnerability between 1980 and 2010, which is reflected in decreasing mortality and losses as a share of the people and gross domestic product exposed to inundation. The results also demonstrate that vulnerability levels in low- and high-income countries have been converging, due to a relatively strong trend of vulnerability reduction in developing countries. Finally, we present projections of flood losses and fatalities under 100 individual scenario and model combinations, and three possible global vulnerability scenarios. The projections emphasize that materialized flood risk largely results from human behavior and that future risk increases can be largely contained using effective disaster risk reduction strategies. PMID:25902499

Declining vulnerability to river floods and the global benefits of adaptation.

PubMed

Jongman, Brenden; Winsemius, Hessel C; Aerts, Jeroen C J H; Coughlan de Perez, Erin; van Aalst, Maarten K; Kron, Wolfgang; Ward, Philip J

2015-05-05

The global impacts of river floods are substantial and rising. Effective adaptation to the increasing risks requires an in-depth understanding of the physical and socioeconomic drivers of risk. Whereas the modeling of flood hazard and exposure has improved greatly, compelling evidence on spatiotemporal patterns in vulnerability of societies around the world is still lacking. Due to this knowledge gap, the effects of vulnerability on global flood risk are not fully understood, and future projections of fatalities and losses available today are based on simplistic assumptions or do not include vulnerability. We show for the first time (to our knowledge) that trends and fluctuations in vulnerability to river floods around the world can be estimated by dynamic high-resolution modeling of flood hazard and exposure. We find that rising per-capita income coincided with a global decline in vulnerability between 1980 and 2010, which is reflected in decreasing mortality and losses as a share of the people and gross domestic product exposed to inundation. The results also demonstrate that vulnerability levels in low- and high-income countries have been converging, due to a relatively strong trend of vulnerability reduction in developing countries. Finally, we present projections of flood losses and fatalities under 100 individual scenario and model combinations, and three possible global vulnerability scenarios. The projections emphasize that materialized flood risk largely results from human behavior and that future risk increases can be largely contained using effective disaster risk reduction strategies.

Lac Qui Parle Flood Control Project Master Plan for Public Use Development and Resource Management.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

the project area is the disposal of dead carp. Minnesota fishing regulations prohibit fishermen from returning rough fish to lakes or rivers after...in trash cans. Unless the dead fish are removed virtually daily, they begin to decompose and smell. Due to current work- force constraints, the Corps...is unable to remove the dead fish as often as it would like. No easy solution to this problem is apparent. 6.25 Potential for Future Development The

Project Operations: Flood Control Operations and Maintenance Policies

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-10-30

President and an internal review performed by the Corps task group shortly after failure of the Teton Dam , we have undertaken numerous actions to modify our...practice for design, construction and operation of Corps reservoir projects. One important item as a result of the Teton Dam failure and the review...1 Glossary 1-4 1-2 CHAPTER 2 - Dam Operations Management Purpose 2-1 2-1 Policy 2-2 2-1 Emergency Plan 2-3 2-1 Dam Safety Training 2-4 2-2

Recreational Appendix Report, Elm Fork Flood Control Project, Dallas and Denton Counties, Texas.

DTIC Science & Technology

1973-05-01

Sambucus canadensis 9. Texas Sophora Sophora affinis It will be recognized that, among both the trees and the understory woody plants, there are a number...a new treatment plant for the Town of Flower Mound is ex- pected to come into operation in 1973 on a branch of Denton Creek. The Flower Mound Plant is...within the market area will be in the immediate vicinity of the Project. Coppell, Irving, Carrollton, Flower Mound, Lewisville, Piano and Hebron are all

Pawcatuck River and Narragansett Bay Drainage Basins Water and Related Land Resources Study. Big River Reservoir Project. Volume I. Main Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

Bristol County Water Company Kent County Water Authority Audubon Society of Rhode Island Rhode Island League of Women Voters Ecology Action for Rhode Island...restoration, or improvement of the quality of certain natural and cultural resources and ecological systems. The NED objectives can be achieved by...achieved by the same project purposes, if properly applied. Flood control measures that include or allow preser- vation of ecologically valuable wetland

Accounting for rainfall spatial variability in the prediction of flash floods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saharia, Manabendra; Kirstetter, Pierre-Emmanuel; Gourley, Jonathan J.; Hong, Yang; Vergara, Humberto; Flamig, Zachary L.

2017-04-01

Flash floods are a particularly damaging natural hazard worldwide in terms of both fatalities and property damage. In the United States, the lack of a comprehensive database that catalogues information related to flash flood timing, location, causative rainfall, and basin geomorphology has hindered broad characterization studies. First a representative and long archive of more than 15,000 flooding events during 2002-2011 is used to analyze the spatial and temporal variability of flash floods. We also derive large number of spatially distributed geomorphological and climatological parameters such as basin area, mean annual precipitation, basin slope etc. to identify static basin characteristics that influence flood response. For the same period, the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) has produced a decadal archive of Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor (MRMS) radar-only precipitation rates at 1-km spatial resolution with 5-min temporal resolution. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to analyze the impact of event-level precipitation variability on flooding using a big data approach. To analyze the impact of sub-basin scale rainfall spatial variability on flooding, certain indices such as the first and second scaled moment of rainfall, horizontal gap, vertical gap etc. are computed from the MRMS dataset. Finally, flooding characteristics such as rise time, lag time, and peak discharge are linked to derived geomorphologic, climatologic, and rainfall indices to identify basin characteristics that drive flash floods. The database has been subjected to rigorous quality control by accounting for radar beam height and percentage snow in basins. So far studies involving rainfall variability indices have only been performed on a case study basis, and a large scale approach is expected to provide a deeper insight into how sub-basin scale precipitation variability affects flooding. Finally, these findings are validated using the National Weather Service storm reports and a historical flood fatalities database. This analysis framework will serve as a baseline for evaluating distributed hydrologic model simulations such as the Flooded Locations And Simulated Hydrographs Project (FLASH) (http://flash.ou.edu).

Post Waterflood CO2 Miscible Flood in Light Oil, Fluvial-Dominated Deltaic Reservoir (Pre-Work and Project Proposal), Class I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bou-Mikael, Sami

This project outlines a proposal to improve the recovery of light oil from waterflooded fluvial dominated deltaic (FDD) reservoir through a miscible carbon dioxide (CO2) flood. The site is the Port Neches Field in Orange County, Texas. The field is well explored and well exploited. The project area is 270 acres within the Port Neches Field.

Quantifying the effect of autonomous adaptation to global river flood projections: application to future flood risk assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinoshita, Youhei; Tanoue, Masahiro; Watanabe, Satoshi; Hirabayashi, Yukiko

2018-01-01

This study represents the first attempt to quantify the effects of autonomous adaptation on the projection of global flood hazards and to assess future flood risk by including this effect. A vulnerability scenario, which varies according to the autonomous adaptation effect for conventional disaster mitigation efforts, was developed based on historical vulnerability values derived from flood damage records and a river inundation simulation. Coupled with general circulation model outputs and future socioeconomic scenarios, potential future flood fatalities and economic loss were estimated. By including the effect of autonomous adaptation, our multimodel ensemble estimates projected a 2.0% decrease in potential flood fatalities and an 821% increase in potential economic losses by 2100 under the highest emission scenario together with a large population increase. Vulnerability changes reduced potential flood consequences by 64%-72% in terms of potential fatalities and 28%-42% in terms of potential economic losses by 2100. Although socioeconomic changes made the greatest contribution to the potential increased consequences of future floods, about a half of the increase of potential economic losses was mitigated by autonomous adaptation. There is a clear and positive relationship between the global temperature increase from the pre-industrial level and the estimated mean potential flood economic loss, while there is a negative relationship with potential fatalities due to the autonomous adaptation effect. A bootstrapping analysis suggests a significant increase in potential flood fatalities (+5.7%) without any adaptation if the temperature increases by 1.5 °C-2.0 °C, whereas the increase in potential economic loss (+0.9%) was not significant. Our method enables the effects of autonomous adaptation and additional adaptation efforts on climate-induced hazards to be distinguished, which would be essential for the accurate estimation of the cost of adaptation to climate change.

Scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Cumberland County, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dudley, Robert W.; Schalk, Charles W.

2006-01-01

This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maine Water Science Center as the deliverable for scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Cumberland County, Maine, under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Inter-Agency Agreement Number HSFE01-05-X-0018. This section of the report explains the objective of the task and the purpose of the report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a plan in 1997 to modernize the FEMA flood mapping program. FEMA flood maps delineate flood hazard areas in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's plan outlined the steps necessary to update FEMA's flood maps for the nation to a seamless digital format and streamline FEMA's operations in raising public awareness of the importance of the maps and responding to requests to revise them. The modernization of flood maps involves conversion of existing information to digital format and integration of improved flood hazard data as needed. To determine flood mapping modernization needs, FEMA has established specific scoping activities to be done on a county-by-county basis for identifying and prioritizing requisite flood-mapping activities for map modernization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with FEMA and the Maine State Planning Office Floodplain Management Program, began scoping work in 2005 for Cumberland County. Scoping activities included assembling existing data and map needs information for communities in Cumberland County, documentation of data, contacts, community meetings, and prioritized mapping needs in a final scoping report (this document), and updating the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) Database or its successor with information gathered during the scoping process. The average age of the FEMA floodplain maps in Cumberland County, Maine is 21 years. Most of these studies were in the early to mid 1980s. However, in the ensuing 20-25 years, development has occurred in many of the watersheds, and the characteristics of the watersheds have changed with time. Therefore, many of the older studies may not depict current conditions nor accurately estimate risk in terms of flood heights. The following is the scope of work as defined in the FEMA/USGS Statement of Work: Task 1: Collect data from a variety of sources including community surveys, other Federal and State Agencies, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) State Coordinators, Community Assistance Visits (CAVs) and FEMA archives. Lists of mapping needs will be obtained from the MNUSS database, community surveys, and CAVs, if available. FEMA archives will be inventoried for effective FIRM panels, FIS reports, and other flood-hazard data or existing study data. Best available base map information, topographic data, flood-hazard data, and hydrologic and hydraulic data will be identified. Data from the Maine Floodplain Management Program database also will be utilized. Task 2: Contact communities in Cumberland County to notify them that FEMA and the State have selected them for a map update, and that a project scope will be developed with their input. Topics to be reviewed with the communities include (1) Purpose of the Flood Map Project (for example, the update needs that have prompted the map update); (2) The community's mapping needs; (3) The community's available mapping, hydrologic, hydraulic, and flooding information; (4) target schedule for completing the project; and (5) The community's engineering, planning, and geographic information system (GIS) capabilities. On the basis of the collected information from Task 1 and community contacts/meetings in Task 2, the USGS will develop a Draft Project Scope for the identified mapping needs of the communities in Cumberland County. The following items will be addressed in the Draft Project Scope: review of available information, determine if and how effective FIS data can be used in new project, and identify other data needed to

Raising awareness of the importance of engineering protections against floods with "Flood-o-poly" v.2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valyrakis, Manousos; Cheng, Ming

2017-04-01

This study presents the results of a survey focusing on the use of a new fit for purpose designed city in a sand-box model, namely "Flood-o-poly" version 2, which is building on the success of the previous model. "Flood-o-poly" has been successfully presented to thousands of students of all ages in the School of Engineering Open days (University of Glasgow), Widening Participation, Glasgow Science Festival, Glasgow Science Museum and Engineering Hydraulics classes and Design projects, over the last four years. The new design involves a new and extended 3D scaled model that accurately replicates the topography of a city along with its rivers, towards demonstrating the impacts of flooding (induced artificially in the scaled physical model via the use of small water pumps). "Flood-o-poly" is a highly visual and well popularized engineering outreach project (developed from the applicant at the University of Glasgow), which has already been extensively used to showcase the detrimental impacts of flooding, for both the natural ecosystems and the build infrastructure alike (see https://twitter.com/WaterEngLab/status/758270564561784832 on Twitter and https://youtu.be/H5oThT6QaTc on Youtube). This involves a highly interactive session where the students simulate the scenarios of "urbanization" (by placing more buildings on the flood-planes) and "climate change" where more extreme flow rates have to be routed through the river. The project demonstrates how this design can benefit the cohorts of the 3rd and 4rth year Civil Engineering undergraduate students, the students attending the School's Open days, Widening Participation Days, Glasgow Science Festival and Glasgow Science Museum events. "Flood-o-poly" focuses on personalizing the student experience with regard to flood impacts and promotes the need for resilient and sustainable flood protection designs. Further, using novel presentation and student-centered technologies, the students are given a truly unique experience and appreciate engineering principles and design approaches, as well as appreciate contemporary and optimal (under certain realistic constraints) flood protections that can be used to protect "Flood-o-poly" from extreme hydrologic events.

Field-scale simulation of chemical flooding

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saad, N.

1989-01-01

A three-dimensional compositional chemical flooding simulator (UTCHEM) has been improved. The new mathematical formulation, boundary conditions, and a description of the physicochemical models of the simulator are presented. This improved simulator has been used for the study of the low tension pilot project at the Big Muddy field near Casper, Wyoming. Both the tracer injection conducted prior to the injection of the chemical slug, and the chemical flooding stages of the pilot project, have been analyzed. Not only the oil recovery but also the tracers, polymer, alcohol and chloride histories have been successfully matched with field results. Simulation results indicatemore » that, for this fresh water reservoir, the salinity gradient during the preflush and the resulting calcium pickup by the surfactant slug played a major role in the success of the project. In addition, analysis of the effects of the crossflow on the performance of the pilot project indicates that, for the well spacing of the pilot, crossflow does not play as important a role as it might for a large-scale project. To improve the numerical efficiency of the simulator, a third order convective differencing scheme has been applied to the simulator. This method can be used with non-uniform mesh, and therefore is suited for simulation studies of large-scale multiwell heterogeneous reservoirs. Comparison of the results with one and two dimensional analytical solutions shows that this method is effective in eliminating numerical dispersion using relatively large grid blocks. Results of one, two and three-dimensional miscible water/tracer flow, water flooding, polymer flooding, and micellar-polymer flooding test problems, and results of grid orientation studies, are presented.« less

Priority setting for government investment in forestry conservation schemes-an example from New Zealand

Treesearch

Colin L. O' Loughlin

1991-01-01

In New Zealand responsibility for funding flood protection and erosion prevention and control projects rests largely with local regional authorities. However, in 1988 Central Government decided to provide direct funding for a major forestry conservation scheme in the erosion-susceptible East Coast region. Government's investment decision was influenced by a number...

Archeological Reconnaissance within the Lost Creek Flood Control Project Area, Platte County, Nebraska.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-12-01

cotizists of a diversion channel and training levee located north of the main Columbus, Nebraska k m II II I I lll I I IIIII business district (figure 1...in- corporated by the authors. ComtemporarY 20th Century Material. The authors agree as to the usefulness of the term suggested and have adopted

Population Trends and Management of the Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) on the Sacramento River, California

Treesearch

Barrett A. Garrison; Ronald W. Schlorff; Joan M. Humphrey; Stephen A. Laymon; Frank J. Michny

1989-01-01

Annual monitoring of Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia) along the Sacramento River, California has been conducted since 1986 to determine population trends, evaluate impacts from bank protection and flood control projects, and implement and monitor mitigation efforts. The population of Bank Swallows in a 50-mile river reach remained static over 3...

43 CFR 45.73 - How will the bureau analyze a proposed alternative and formulate its modified condition or...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., distribution, cost, and use; (2) Flood control; (3) Navigation; (4) Water supply; (5) Air quality; and (6..., including: (1) Any evidence on the implementation costs or operational impacts for electricity production of...) Cost significantly less to implement; or (ii) Result in improved operation of the project works for...

Cultural Resource Investigation of Lands Affected by a Flood Control Project at Chaska, Minnesota, along the Minnesota River

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

ethnohistory 1959-76 Minnesota, North Dakota, annual archaeological research 1967 Paleolithic site survey, Pakistan Professional Associations: American...34Interesting Archaeological Reading." Minnesota Archaeologist, Vol. 32, No’s. 1 and 2, pp. 113-114. "Notes on a Paleolithic Site Survey in Pakistan." Asian

Combining information from multiple flood projections in a hierarchical Bayesian framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Vine, Nataliya

2016-04-01

This study demonstrates, in the context of flood frequency analysis, the potential of a recently proposed hierarchical Bayesian approach to combine information from multiple models. The approach explicitly accommodates shared multimodel discrepancy as well as the probabilistic nature of the flood estimates, and treats the available models as a sample from a hypothetical complete (but unobserved) set of models. The methodology is applied to flood estimates from multiple hydrological projections (the Future Flows Hydrology data set) for 135 catchments in the UK. The advantages of the approach are shown to be: (1) to ensure adequate "baseline" with which to compare future changes; (2) to reduce flood estimate uncertainty; (3) to maximize use of statistical information in circumstances where multiple weak predictions individually lack power, but collectively provide meaningful information; (4) to diminish the importance of model consistency when model biases are large; and (5) to explicitly consider the influence of the (model performance) stationarity assumption. Moreover, the analysis indicates that reducing shared model discrepancy is the key to further reduction of uncertainty in the flood frequency analysis. The findings are of value regarding how conclusions about changing exposure to flooding are drawn, and to flood frequency change attribution studies.

Flash floods warning technique based on wireless communication networks data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

David, Noam; Alpert, Pinhas; Messer, Hagit

2010-05-01

Flash floods can occur throughout or subsequent to rainfall events, particularly in cases where the precipitation is of high-intensity. Unfortunately, each year these floods cause severe property damage and heavy casualties. At present, there are no sufficient real time flash flood warning facilities found to cope with this phenomenon. Here we show the tremendous potential of flash floods advanced warning based on precipitation measurements of commercial microwave links. As was recently shown, wireless communication networks supply high resolution precipitation measurements at ground level while often being situated in flood prone areas, covering large parts of these hazardous regions. We present the flash flood warning potential of the wireless communication system for two different cases when floods occurred at the Judean desert and at the northern Negev in Israel. In both cases, an advanced warning regarding the hazard could have been announced based on this system. • This research was supported by THE ISRAEL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (grant No. 173/08). This work was also supported by a grant from the Yeshaya Horowitz Association, Jerusalem. Additional support was given by the PROCEMA-BMBF project and by the GLOWA-JR BMBF project.

Sea-level Rise Increases the Frequency of Nuisance Flooding in Coastal Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moftakhari Rostamkhani, H.; Aghakouchak, A.; Sanders, B. F.; Feldman, D.; Sweet, W.; Matthew, R.; Luke, A.

2015-12-01

The global warming-drivensea-level rise (SLR) posesa serious threat for population and assets in flood-prone coastal zones over the next century. The rate of SLR is accelerated in recent decades and is expected to increase based on current trajectories of anthropogenic activities and greenhouse gas emissions. Over the 20th century, an increase in the frequency of nuisance (minor) flooding has been reported due to the reduced gap between tidal datum and flood stage. Nuisance flooding (NF), however non-destructive, causes public inconvenience, business interruption, and substantial economic losses due to impacts such as road closures and degradation of infrastructure. It also portends an increased risk in severe floods. Here we report substantial increases in NF along the coasts of United States due to SLR over the past decades. We then take the projected SLR under the least and the most extreme representative concentration pathways (e.gRCP2.6 and RCP 8.5) to estimate the increase in NF in the near- (2030) and mid-term (2050) future. The results suggest that projected SLR will cause up to two-fold more frequent NF by 2050, compared with the 20th century. The projected increase in NF will have significant socio-economic impacts and pose public health risks especially in rapidly urbanized coastal regions.

Probabilistic Projections of Future Sea-Level Change and Their Implications for Flood Risk Management: Insights from the American Climate Prospectus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopp, R. E., III; Delgado, M.; Horton, R. M.; Houser, T.; Little, C. M.; Muir-Wood, R.; Oppenheimer, M.; Rasmussen, D. M., Jr.; Strauss, B.; Tebaldi, C.

2014-12-01

Global mean sea level (GMSL) rise projections are insufficient for adaptation planning; local decisions require local projections that characterize risk over a range of timeframes and tolerances. We present a global set of local sea level (LSL) projections to inform decisions on timescales ranging from the coming decades through the 22nd century. We present complete probability distributions, informed by a combination of expert community assessment, expert elicitation, and process modeling [1]. We illustrate the application of this framework by estimating the joint distribution of future sea-level change and coastal flooding, and associated economic costs [1,2]. In much of the world in the current century, differences in median LSL projections are due primarily to varying levels of non-climatic uplift or subsidence. In the 22nd century and in the high-end tails, larger ice sheet contributions, particularly from the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS), contribute significantly to site-to-site differences. Uncertainty in GMSL and most LSL projections is dominated by the uncertain AIS component. Sea-level rise dramatically reshapes flood risk. For example, at the New York City (Battery) tide gauge, our projections indicate a likely (67% probability) 21st century LSL rise under RCP 8.5 of 65--129 cm (1-in-20 chance of exceeding 154 cm). Convolving the distribution of projected sea-level rise with the extreme value distribution of flood return periods indicates that this rise will cause the current 1.80 m `1-in-100 year' flood event to occur an expected nine times over the 21st century -- equivalent to the expected number of `1-in-11 year' floods in the absence of sea-level change. Projected sea-level rise for 2100 under RCP 8.5 would likely place 80-160 billion of current property in New York below the high tide line, with a 1-in-20 chance of losses >190 billion. Even without accounting for potential changes in storms themselves, it would likely increase average annual storm damage by 2.6-5.2 billion (1-in-20 chance of >7 billion). Projected increases in tropical cyclone intensity would further increase damages [2]. References: [1] R. E. Kopp et al. (2014), Earth's Future, doi:10.1002/2014EF000239. [2] T. Houser et al. (2014), American Climate Prospectus, www.climateprospectus.org.

Cascade reservoir flood control operation based on risk grading and warning in the Upper Yellow River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xuejiao, M.; Chang, J.; Wang, Y.

2017-12-01

Flood risk reduction with non-engineering measures has become the main idea for flood management. It is more effective for flood risk management to take various non-engineering measures. In this paper, a flood control operation model for cascade reservoirs in the Upper Yellow River was proposed to lower the flood risk of the water system with multi-reservoir by combining the reservoir flood control operation (RFCO) and flood early warning together. Specifically, a discharge control chart was employed to build the joint RFCO simulation model for cascade reservoirs in the Upper Yellow River. And entropy-weighted fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was adopted to establish a multi-factorial risk assessment model for flood warning grade. Furthermore, after determining the implementing mode of countermeasures with future inflow, an intelligent optimization algorithm was used to solve the optimization model for applicable water release scheme. In addition, another model without any countermeasure was set to be a comparative experiment. The results show that the model developed in this paper can further decrease the flood risk of water system with cascade reservoirs. It provides a new approach to flood risk management by coupling flood control operation and flood early warning of cascade reservoirs.

A project optimization for small watercourses restoration in the northern part of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain by the geoinformation and hydrodynamic modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voronin, Alexander; Vasilchenko, Ann; Khoperskov, Alexander

2018-03-01

The project of small watercourses restoration in the northern part of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain is considered together with the aim of increasing the watering of the territory during small and medium floods. The topography irregularity, the complex structure of the floodplain valley consisting of large number of small watercourses, the presence of urbanized and agricultural areas require careful preliminary analysis of the hydrological safety and efficiency of geographically distributed project activities. Using the digital terrain and watercourses structure models of the floodplain, the hydrodynamic flood model, the analysis of the hydrological safety and efficiency of several project implementation strategies has been conducted. The objective function values have been obtained from the hydrodynamic calculations of the floodplain territory flooding for virtual digital terrain models simulating alternatives for the geographically distributed project activities. The comparative efficiency of several empirical strategies for the geographically distributed project activities, as well as a two-stage exact solution method for the optimization problem has been studied.

The credibility challenge for global fluvial flood risk analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trigg, M. A.; Birch, C. E.; Neal, J. C.; Bates, P. D.; Smith, A.; Sampson, C. C.; Yamazaki, D.; Hirabayashi, Y.; Pappenberger, F.; Dutra, E.; Ward, P. J.; Winsemius, H. C.; Salamon, P.; Dottori, F.; Rudari, R.; Kappes, M. S.; Simpson, A. L.; Hadzilacos, G.; Fewtrell, T. J.

2016-09-01

Quantifying flood hazard is an essential component of resilience planning, emergency response, and mitigation, including insurance. Traditionally undertaken at catchment and national scales, recently, efforts have intensified to estimate flood risk globally to better allow consistent and equitable decision making. Global flood hazard models are now a practical reality, thanks to improvements in numerical algorithms, global datasets, computing power, and coupled modelling frameworks. Outputs of these models are vital for consistent quantification of global flood risk and in projecting the impacts of climate change. However, the urgency of these tasks means that outputs are being used as soon as they are made available and before such methods have been adequately tested. To address this, we compare multi-probability flood hazard maps for Africa from six global models and show wide variation in their flood hazard, economic loss and exposed population estimates, which has serious implications for model credibility. While there is around 30%-40% agreement in flood extent, our results show that even at continental scales, there are significant differences in hazard magnitude and spatial pattern between models, notably in deltas, arid/semi-arid zones and wetlands. This study is an important step towards a better understanding of modelling global flood hazard, which is urgently required for both current risk and climate change projections.

The Irma-sponge Program: Methodologies For Sustainable Flood Risk Management Along The Rhine and Meuse Rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooijer, A.; van Os, A. G.

Recent flood events and socio-economic developments have increased the awareness of the need for improved flood risk management along the Rhine and Meuse Rivers. In response to this, the IRMA-SPONGE program incorporated 13 research projects in which over 30 organisations from all 6 River Basin Countries co-operated. The pro- gram is financed partly by the European INTERREG Rhine-Meuse Activities (IRMA). The main aim of IRMA-SPONGE is defined as: "The development of methodologies and tools to assess the impact of flood risk reduction measures and of land-use and climate change scenarios. This to support the spatial planning process in establish- ing alternative strategies for an optimal realisation of the hydraulic, economical and ecological functions of the Rhine and Meuse River Basins." Further important objec- tives are to promote transboundary co-operation in flood risk management by both scientific and management organisations, and to promote public participation in flood management issues. The projects in the program are grouped in three clusters, looking at measures from different scientific angles. The results of the projects in each cluster have been evaluated to define recommendations for flood risk management; some of these outcomes call for a change to current practices, e.g.: 1. (Flood Risk and Hydrol- ogy cluster): hydrological changes due to climate change exceed those due to further land use change, and are significant enough to necessitate a change in flood risk man- agement strategies if the currently claimed protection levels are to be sustained. 2. (Flood Protection and Ecology cluster): to not only provide flood protection but also enhance the ecological quality of rivers and floodplains, new flood risk management concepts ought to integrate ecological knowledge from start to finish, with a clear perspective on the type of nature desired and the spatial and time scales considered. 3. (Flood Risk Management and Spatial Planning cluster): extreme floods can not be prevented by taking mainly upstream measures; significant and space-consuming lo- cal measures will therefore be needed in the lower Rhine and Meuse deltas. However, there is also a need for improved flood risk management upstream, which calls for better spatial planning procedures. More detailed information on the IRMA-SPONGE program can be found on our website: www.irma-sponge.org.

Interactions between the flooding regime and floodplain grasslands in the Tana River Delta, in Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leauthaud, Crystele; Musila, Winfred; Duvail, Stéphanie; Kergoat, Laurent; Hiernaux, Pierre; Grippa, Manuela; Albergel, Jean

2017-04-01

The floodplain grasslands of the Tana River Delta, located on the East African coast in Kenya, form part of an intertwined socio-ecological deltaic system of high biodiversity value that delivers numerous goods and services. Mainly composed of Echinochloa stagnina (Retz) P. Beauv., a high-value forage species, this ecosystem is the major dry-season grazing grounds of the local pastoralist communities. The construction of hydroelectric infrastructure has led to a modification of the flooding regime. The impacts of the resulting reduction of floods in the deltaic zone on ecosystem properties and services still need to be assessed. In such a perspective, this study characterizes the link between the flooding regime of the Tana River and the growth pattern of its floodplain grassland. Aboveground dry phytomass was sampled for 15 months under a wide variety of naturally flooded and non-flooded conditions and controlled irrigation and cutting frequency treatments. Annual aboveground dry phytomass attained high values between 11 T.ha-1 and 32 T.ha-1 and annual net primary production of the grasslands reached 35 T.ha-1.year-1. Growth rates clearly depended on the flooding regime, management and climate conditions and were on average more than twice as fast during, and 50% faster after the floods, relative to pre-flood conditions. A plant growth model allowed testing the effect of different flooding regimes on plant productivity, confirming very low productivity in the absence of floods. These results suggest that rangeland and water management for the Tana River deltaic wetlands are tightly linked. The projected construction of another dam could lead to a reduction of flood extent and period and a decrease of grassland productivity and growth duration. Mitigation of this type of negative impacts, which will have direct and adverse consequences for the pastoralist communities as well as on the delivery of other goods and services, needs to be undertaken.

Modelling climate impact on floods under future emission scenarios using an ensemble of climate model projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wetterhall, F.; Cloke, H. L.; He, Y.; Freer, J.; Pappenberger, F.

2012-04-01

Evidence provided by modelled assessments of climate change impact on flooding is fundamental to water resource and flood risk decision making. Impact models usually rely on climate projections from Global and Regional Climate Models, and there is no doubt that these provide a useful assessment of future climate change. However, cascading ensembles of climate projections into impact models is not straightforward because of problems of coarse resolution in Global and Regional Climate Models (GCM/RCM) and the deficiencies in modelling high-intensity precipitation events. Thus decisions must be made on how to appropriately pre-process the meteorological variables from GCM/RCMs, such as selection of downscaling methods and application of Model Output Statistics (MOS). In this paper a grand ensemble of projections from several GCM/RCM are used to drive a hydrological model and analyse the resulting future flood projections for the Upper Severn, UK. The impact and implications of applying MOS techniques to precipitation as well as hydrological model parameter uncertainty is taken into account. The resultant grand ensemble of future river discharge projections from the RCM/GCM-hydrological model chain is evaluated against a response surface technique combined with a perturbed physics experiment creating a probabilisic ensemble climate model outputs. The ensemble distribution of results show that future risk of flooding in the Upper Severn increases compared to present conditions, however, the study highlights that the uncertainties are large and that strong assumptions were made in using Model Output Statistics to produce the estimates of future discharge. The importance of analysing on a seasonal basis rather than just annual is highlighted. The inability of the RCMs (and GCMs) to produce realistic precipitation patterns, even in present conditions, is a major caveat of local climate impact studies on flooding, and this should be a focus for future development.

Holocene flood stack from three Eifel maar lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunck, Heiko; Sirocko, Frank

2015-04-01

Lacustrine sediments are very sensitive to natural and anthropogenically enviromental changes. Thus, lake sediments are excellent climate archives and can be used for reconstructions of past precipitation and flood events. However, we extend our flood record for MIS 2/3 to the entire Holocene up to recent years to get a complete flood stack for the last 60 000 years. The present study reconstructs paleo floods from event layers in the sediment, of Schalkenmehren Maar (SM3), Ulmen Maar (UM1) and Holzmaar (HM1) combined with recent gauge time-series. All three maar lakes has an inflow by a local stream. Accordingly the sedimentation rate is directly linked to runoff activity and the bioturbation was low so that event layers become visible, but varves are only preserved in lake Holzmaar. The maar sites are situated in the Eifel near to the town of Daun and were drilled in the ELSA (Eifel Laminated Sediment archive) project. The Eifel area is well suited to approximate Central European weather, because modern water level gauge data from Eifel rivers correlate with respective data from the Rhine (Wernli and Pfahl, 2009). Combined sedimentological, paleobotanical and geochemical data received from SM3, UM1 and HM1 builds the foundation of the 14C based chronology. The synchronisation of the record is controlled by tephra time markers and pollen. Both are used to align the main cores of the ELSA project and construct an integrated age model for the last 220 000 years [b2k] (Förster and Sirocko, 2014). For the extension of our MIS 2/3 flood stack we used the Laacher See Tephra (10 900 BC) as marker for the correlation with the Holocene cores. To study the flood events in detail, 10 cm long thin sections were used to distinguish flood layers from distal turbidites. Turbidites have a continuous grain size gradation; the grains size profile of flood events is in contrast characterized by several grain size maxima over the entire layer thickness. A flood event over several days shows numerous peaks of intense discharge, which lead to a discontinuous grain size gradient. The thickness of each flood layer was measured for the classification of the event intensity. As a consequence, 118 flood layers over 7.5 mm thickness were detected in all 3 cores. Flood layers in the interval 10 900 BC up to 4000 BC are not as clearly visible in Holzmaar or Schalkenmehrener Maar as during the later Holocene (when humans cultivated the landscape) but visible flood layers are regularly observed in the record from Ulmen. The Flood layers from 4000 BC up to now are most common in the medieval and Roman sections of the cores; the major events have occurred at 1342 AD, 800 BC and 2100 BC. Our time-series represents the first highly-resolved chronology for flood events from 60 000 years until present times and indicates variable periodicities of flood activity linked to predominant climatic and anthropogenic development.

Amplification of flood frequencies with local sea level rise and emerging flood regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchanan, Maya K.; Oppenheimer, Michael; Kopp, Robert E.

2017-06-01

The amplification of flood frequencies by sea level rise (SLR) is expected to become one of the most economically damaging impacts of climate change for many coastal locations. Understanding the magnitude and pattern by which the frequency of current flood levels increase is important for developing more resilient coastal settlements, particularly since flood risk management (e.g. infrastructure, insurance, communications) is often tied to estimates of flood return periods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report characterized the multiplication factor by which the frequency of flooding of a given height increases (referred to here as an amplification factor; AF). However, this characterization neither rigorously considered uncertainty in SLR nor distinguished between the amplification of different flooding levels (such as the 10% versus 0.2% annual chance floods); therefore, it may be seriously misleading. Because both historical flood frequency and projected SLR are uncertain, we combine joint probability distributions of the two to calculate AFs and their uncertainties over time. Under probabilistic relative sea level projections, while maintaining storm frequency fixed, we estimate a median 40-fold increase (ranging from 1- to 1314-fold) in the expected annual number of local 100-year floods for tide-gauge locations along the contiguous US coastline by 2050. While some places can expect disproportionate amplification of higher frequency events and thus primarily a greater number of historically precedented floods, others face amplification of lower frequency events and thus a particularly fast growing risk of historically unprecedented flooding. For example, with 50 cm of SLR, the 10%, 1%, and 0.2% annual chance floods are expected respectively to recur 108, 335, and 814 times as often in Seattle, but 148, 16, and 4 times as often in Charleston, SC.

Pilot project for a hybrid road-flooding forecasting system on Squaw Creek : [tech transfer summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

According to the National Weather Service, more than : half of the fatalities attributed to flash floods are : people swept away in vehicles when trying to cross an : intersection that is flooded. Efforts are underway to : improve prediction of the l...

Flood information for flood-plain planning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bue, Conrad D.

1967-01-01

Floods are natural and normal phenomena. They are catastrophic simply because man occupies the flood plain, the highwater channel of a river. Man occupies flood plains because it is convenient and profitable to do so, but he must purchase his occupancy at a price-either sustain flood damage, or provide flood-control facilities. Although large sums of money have been, and are being, spent for flood control, flood damage continues to mount. However, neither complete flood control nor abandonment of the flood plain is practicable. Flood plains are a valuable resource and will continue to be occupied, but the nature and degree of occupancy should be compatible with the risk involved and with the degree of protection that is practicable to provide. It is primarily to meet the needs for defining the risk that the flood-inundation maps of the U.S. Geological Survey are prepared.

Moral Hazard: How The National Flood Insurance Program Is Limiting Risk Reduction

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE December...assessment, floodplain management , and flood insurance. A study of the NFIP concludes that aspects of the program limit risk reduction...floodplain management , risk assessment, disaster recovery, flood insurance claim, pre-flood insurance rate map 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 123 16. PRICE CODE

Flood risk and insurance loss potential in the Thames Gateway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eldridge, J.; Horn, D.

2009-04-01

The Thames Gateway, currently Europe's largest regeneration project, is an area of redevelopment located in the South East of England, with Government plans to create up to 160,000 new homes and 180,000 new jobs by 2016. Although the new development is intended to contribute £12bn annually to the economy, the potential flood risk is high, with much of the area situated on Thames tidal floodplain and vulnerable to both storm surges and peak river flows. This poses significant hazard to those inhabiting the area and has raised concern amongst the UK insurance industry, who would be liable for significant financial claims if a large flood event were to occur, particularly with respect to the number of new homes and businesses being built in flood risk areas. Flood risk and the potential damage to both lives and assets in vulnerable areas have gained substantial recognition, in light of recent flooding events, from both governmental agencies and in the public's awareness of flood hazard. This has resulted in a change in UK policy with planning policy for flood risk (PPS25, Planning Policy Statement 25) adopting a more strategic approach to development, as well as a new Flooding and Water Bill which is due for consultation in 2009. The Government and the Association of British Insurers, who represent the UK insurance industry, have also recently changed their Statement of Principles which guides provision of flood insurance in the future. This PhD research project aims to quantify flood risk in the Thames Gateway area with a view to evaluating the insurance loss potential under different insurance and planning scenarios. Using current sources of inundation extent, and incorporating varying insurance penetration rates and degrees of adoption of planning policy and guidance, it focuses on estimating flood risk under these different scenarios. This presentation introduces the development of the project and the theory and methodology which will be used to address the research problem, and presents the initial findings, including an overview of the major developments going ahead in the area and an indication of areas of high asset value and potential for inundation based on topography and standard of protection of defences.

Using Deep Learning to Assess Future Flood Magnitude and Frequency in the Semi-arid and Snowmelt-dominated Missouri River Headwater Catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francois, B.; Wi, S.; Brown, C.

2017-12-01

There has been growing interest for hydrologists and water resources managers about the emergence of non-stationarities associated with the hydro-meteorological processes driving floods. Among the potential causes of non-stationarity, climate change is deemed a major one. Understanding the effects of climate change on hydrological regimes of the Missouri River is challenging. In this region, floods are mainly triggered by snow melting, either when temperatures get mild in spring/summer, or when rain falls over snow in early spring and fall. The sparsely gauged and topographically complex area degrades the value of hydrological modeling that otherwise might foreshadow the evolution of hydro-meteorological interactions between precipitation, temperature and snow. In this work, we explore the utility of Deep Learning (DL) for assessing flood magnitude change under climate change. By using multiple hidden layers within artificial neural networks (ANNs), DL allows modeling complex interactions between inputs (i.e. precipitation, temperature and snow water equivalent) and outputs (i.e. water discharge). The objective is to develop a parsimonious model of the flood processes that maintain the contribution of nonstationary factors and their potential evolution under climate change, while reducing extraneous factors not central to flood generation. By comparing ANN's performance with outputs from two hydrological models of differing complexity (i.e. VIC, SAC-SMA), we evaluate the modeling capability of ANNs for three snow-dominated catchments that represent different flood regimes (Yellowstone River at Billings (MT; USGS 06214500), Powder River near Locate (MT; USGS 06326500) and James River near Scotland (SD; USGS 06478500)). Nonstationary inputs for each flood process model are derived from dynamically downscaled climate projections (from the NARCCAP experiment) to project floods in the three selected catchments. The uncertainty of future snow projections as well as its impact on spring flooding are explored. Future flood frequency obtained with ANNs is compared with the one obtained thanks to hydrological models and with the traditional approach as described in Bulletin 17C. Keywords: Flood, Climate-change, Snow, Neural Networks

Adaptation to floods in future climate: a practical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doroszkiewicz, Joanna; Romanowicz, Renata; Radon, Radoslaw; Hisdal, Hege

2016-04-01

In this study some aspects of the application of the 1D hydraulic model are discussed with a focus on its suitability for flood adaptation under future climate conditions. The Biała Tarnowska catchment is used as a case study. A 1D hydraulic model is developed for the evaluation of inundation extent and risk maps in future climatic conditions. We analyse the following flood indices: (i) extent of inundation area; (ii) depth of water on flooded land; (iii) the flood wave duration; (iv) the volume of a flood wave over the threshold value. In this study we derive a model cross-section geometry following the results of primary research based on a 500-year flood inundation extent. We compare two methods of localisation of cross-sections from the point of view of their suitability to the derivation of the most precise inundation outlines. The aim is to specify embankment heights along the river channel that would protect the river valley in the most vulnerable locations under future climatic conditions. We present an experimental design for scenario analysis studies and uncertainty reduction options for future climate projections obtained from the EUROCORDEX project. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the project CHIHE (Climate Change Impact on Hydrological Extremes), carried out in the Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, funded by Norway Grants (contract No. Pol-Nor/196243/80/2013). The hydro-meteorological observations were provided by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW), Poland.

Crowdsourced data for flood hydrology: Feedback from recent citizen science projects in Argentina, France and New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Coz, Jérôme; Patalano, Antoine; Collins, Daniel; Guillén, Nicolás Federico; García, Carlos Marcelo; Smart, Graeme M.; Bind, Jochen; Chiaverini, Antoine; Le Boursicaud, Raphaël; Dramais, Guillaume; Braud, Isabelle

2016-10-01

New communication and digital image technologies have enabled the public to produce large quantities of flood observations and share them through social media. In addition to flood incident reports, valuable hydraulic data such as the extent and depths of inundated areas and flow rate estimates can be computed using messages, photos and videos produced by citizens. Such crowdsourced data help improve the understanding and modelling of flood hazard. Since little feedback on similar initiatives is available, we introduce three recent citizen science projects which have been launched independently by research organisations to quantitatively document flood flows in catchments and urban areas of Argentina, France, and New Zealand. Key drivers for success appear to be: a clear and simple procedure, suitable tools for data collecting and processing, an efficient communication plan, the support of local stakeholders, and the public awareness of natural hazards.

Secure Control Systems for the Energy Sector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Rhett; Stewart, John; Chavez, Adrian

The Padlock Project is an alliance between Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc. (SEL). SEL is the prime contractor on the Padlock project. Rhett Smith (SEL) is the project director and Adrian Chaves (SNL) and John Stewart (TVA) are principle investigators. SEL is the world’s leader in microprocessor-based electronic equipment for protecting electric power systems. The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states at prices below the national average. TVA, which receives no taxpayer money and makes nomore » profits, also provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists utilities, and state and local governments with economic development.« less

New version of 1 km global river flood hazard maps for the next generation of Aqueduct Global Flood Analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutanudjaja, Edwin; van Beek, Rens; Winsemius, Hessel; Ward, Philip; Bierkens, Marc

2017-04-01

The Aqueduct Global Flood Analyzer, launched in 2015, is an open-access and free-of-charge web-based interactive platform which assesses and visualises current and future projections of river flood impacts across the globe. One of the key components in the Analyzer is a set of river flood inundation hazard maps derived from the global hydrological model simulation of PCR-GLOBWB. For the current version of the Analyzer, accessible on http://floods.wri.org/#/, the early generation of PCR-GLOBWB 1.0 was used and simulated at 30 arc-minute ( 50 km at the equator) resolution. In this presentation, we will show the new version of these hazard maps. This new version is based on the latest version of PCR-GLOBWB 2.0 (https://github.com/UU-Hydro/PCR-GLOBWB_model, Sutanudjaja et al., 2016, doi:10.5281/zenodo.60764) simulated at 5 arc-minute ( 10 km at the equator) resolution. The model simulates daily hydrological and water resource fluxes and storages, including the simulation of overbank volume that ends up on the floodplain (if flooding occurs). The simulation was performed for the present day situation (from 1960) and future climate projections (until 2099) using the climate forcing created in the ISI-MIP project. From the simulated flood inundation volume time series, we then extract annual maxima for each cell, and fit these maxima to a Gumbel extreme value distribution. This allows us to derive flood volume maps of any hazard magnitude (ranging from 2-year to 1000-year flood events) and for any time period (e.g. 1960-1999, 2010-2049, 2030-2069, and 2060-2099). The derived flood volumes (at 5 arc-minute resolution) are then spread over the high resolution terrain model using an updated GLOFRIS downscaling module (Winsemius et al., 2013, doi:10.5194/hess-17-1871-2013). The updated version performs a volume spreading sequentially from more upstream basins to downstream basins, hence enabling a better inclusion of smaller streams, and takes into account spreading of water over diverging deltaic regions. This results in a set of high resolution hazard maps of flood inundation depth at 30 arc-second ( 1 km at the equator) resolution. Together with many other updates and new features, the resulting flood hazard maps will be used in the next generation of the Aqueduct Global Flood Analyzer.

Study on Public Flood Risk Cognition and Behavioral Response Based on IEC Strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Xin; Xu, Xiaofeng; Zhou, Guilin; Pan, Shaolin; Mi, Tengfei

2017-11-01

In order to disseminate knowledge and information on flood risks in flood-prone areas, raise public awareness of flood risks and reduce possible damage to the public, a questionnaire survey was coducted among 260 residents of nine selected communities in Jiaozhou City to learn the public awareness and behavioral response to flood risks at different early warning levels. IEC key information of flood risk awareness was modified and formulated through group discussions, in-depth individual interviews and on-site observation. The awareness of residents in the project area was enhanced through the public participation, environmental management and flood management training, which plays a very important role in reducing flood losses.

Capturing the multiple benefits associated with nature-based solutions: lessons from natural flood management project in the Cotswolds, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Short, Chrisopher; Clarke, Lucy; Uttley, Chris; Smith, Brian

2017-04-01

Following severe flooding in 2007, and subsequent smaller flood events, a decision was taken in 2012 to explore nature-based solutions in 250km2 river catchment in the southern Cotswolds in the UK. A major tributary within the catchment has been designated as rapid response; with a primarily limestone geology limestone and a mixture of spring and surface drained sources along a number of tributaries feeding in the river, with one main population centre where the water bodies converge. The project involves landscape and land management interventions aimed at attenuating high flows to reduce flood risk through changes in land management practices in both agriculture and forestry and slowing peak flows in surface flows through increased infiltration and attenuation areas. After three years of the project it is clear that the threshold for effectiveness requires the majority of the upstream catchment area to be implementing these measures. However, the cost effectiveness of the approach seems to be substantial compared to traditional hard-engineering approaches. The level of community involvement, including local flood forums, is high and the social, and natural, capital has been enhanced through the project. Early results suggest that there have been localized improvements in water quality and biodiversity as well as a reduction in peak flow but such changes are difficult to directly associate to the project. What is clear is the role of communities, landowners and partners to implement natural flood management on a catchment wide scale. In this sense the project has adopted a co-management or adaptive management approach which brings together the knowledges of hydrologists, ecologists, farmers, woodland owners and the local community to implement locally be-spoke solutions within a broader project framework. This paper will outline the initial findings and the governance structure that has assisted in the early success of the project within a theoretical framework of co-management and suggest how this type of framework is suitable for a range of nature-based solutions across Europe. However, the challenge remains of capturing the multiple-benefits that such projects offer as these are often missed through conventional approaches such as cost-benefit analysis and some reflections on this will also be presented along with a potential way forward.

Flood risk analysis for flood control and sediment transportation in sandy regions: A case study in the Loess Plateau, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Aijun; Chang, Jianxia; Wang, Yimin; Huang, Qiang; Zhou, Shuai

2018-05-01

Traditional flood risk analysis focuses on the probability of flood events exceeding the design flood of downstream hydraulic structures while neglecting the influence of sedimentation in river channels on regional flood control systems. This work advances traditional flood risk analysis by proposing a univariate and copula-based bivariate hydrological risk framework which incorporates both flood control and sediment transport. In developing the framework, the conditional probabilities of different flood events under various extreme precipitation scenarios are estimated by exploiting the copula-based model. Moreover, a Monte Carlo-based algorithm is designed to quantify the sampling uncertainty associated with univariate and bivariate hydrological risk analyses. Two catchments located on the Loess plateau are selected as study regions: the upper catchments of the Xianyang and Huaxian stations (denoted as UCX and UCH, respectively). The univariate and bivariate return periods, risk and reliability in the context of uncertainty for the purposes of flood control and sediment transport are assessed for the study regions. The results indicate that sedimentation triggers higher risks of damaging the safety of local flood control systems compared with the event that AMF exceeds the design flood of downstream hydraulic structures in the UCX and UCH. Moreover, there is considerable sampling uncertainty affecting the univariate and bivariate hydrologic risk evaluation, which greatly challenges measures of future flood mitigation. In addition, results also confirm that the developed framework can estimate conditional probabilities associated with different flood events under various extreme precipitation scenarios aiming for flood control and sediment transport. The proposed hydrological risk framework offers a promising technical reference for flood risk analysis in sandy regions worldwide.

75 FR 61161 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, OMB No. 1660-0072...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-04

... program/project performance for Flood Mitigation Assistance program, Severe Repetitive Loss, Repetitive Flood Claim, and Pre-Disaster Mitigation activities. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before... INFORMATION: This collection of information is necessary to implement grants for the Flood Mitigation...

18 CFR 801.8 - Flood plain management and protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... COMMISSION GENERAL POLICIES § 801.8 Flood plain management and protection. (a) Periodic inundation of lands... of flood prone lands with approval of the appropriate signatory party, to safeguard public health... tributaries by encroachment. (2) Plan and promote implementation of projects and programs of a structural and...

40 CFR 122.34 - As an operator of a regulated small MS4, what will my NPDES MS4 storm water permit require?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., accumulated sediments, floatables, and other debris); and ways to ensure that new flood management projects... management program designed to reduce the discharge of pollutants from your MS4 to the maximum extent... Clean Water Act. Your storm water management program must include the minimum control measures described...

Sacramento River Flood Control Project, California, Mid-Valley Area, Phase III. Design Memorandum, Volume 2 of 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-08-01

spp.), clover (Melilotus spp. and Trifoliumsppp.), cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium ), several thistles (Cirsium sp.), grasses, and forbs form an often...including grasses, daisies (Compositae family), cottonwood seedlings, cockelbur (Xanthium strumarium ), mint (Labiatae family), and wild mustard...vegetative species including grasses, daisies (Compositae family), cottonwood seedlings, cockelbur (Xanthium strumarium ), mint (Labiatae family), and wild

Characterizing climate-change impacts on the 1.5-yr flood flow in selected basins across the United States: a probabilistic approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walker, John F.; Hay, Lauren E.; Markstrom, Steven L.; Dettinger, Michael D.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) model was applied to basins in 14 different hydroclimatic regions to determine the sensitivity and variability of the freshwater resources of the United States in the face of current climate-change projections. Rather than attempting to choose a most likely scenario from the results of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an ensemble of climate simulations from five models under three emissions scenarios each was used to drive the basin models. Climate-change scenarios were generated for PRMS by modifying historical precipitation and temperature inputs; mean monthly climate change was derived by calculating changes in mean climates from current to various future decades in the ensemble of climate projections. Empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) were fitted to the PRMS model output driven by the ensemble of climate projections and provided a basis for randomly (but representatively) generating realizations of hydrologic response to future climates. For each realization, the 1.5-yr flood was calculated to represent a flow important for sediment transport and channel geomorphology. The empirical probability density function (pdf) of the 1.5-yr flood was estimated using the results across the realizations for each basin. Of the 14 basins studied, 9 showed clear temporal shifts in the pdfs of the 1.5-yr flood projected into the twenty-first century. In the western United States, where the annual peak discharges are heavily influenced by snowmelt, three basins show at least a 10% increase in the 1.5-yr flood in the twenty-first century; the remaining two basins demonstrate increases in the 1.5-yr flood, but the temporal shifts in the pdfs and the percent changes are not as distinct. Four basins in the eastern Rockies/central United States show at least a 10% decrease in the 1.5-yr flood; the remaining two basins demonstrate decreases in the 1.5-yr flood, but the temporal shifts in the pdfs and the percent changes are not as distinct. Two basins in the eastern United States show at least a 10% decrease in the 1.5-yr flood; the remaining basin shows little or no change in the 1.5-yr flood.

Assessing reservoir operations risk under climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brekke, L.D.; Maurer, E.P.; Anderson, J.D.; Dettinger, M.D.; Townsley, E.S.; Harrison, A.; Pruitt, T.

2009-01-01

Risk-based planning offers a robust way to identify strategies that permit adaptive water resources management under climate change. This paper presents a flexible methodology for conducting climate change risk assessments involving reservoir operations. Decision makers can apply this methodology to their systems by selecting future periods and risk metrics relevant to their planning questions and by collectively evaluating system impacts relative to an ensemble of climate projection scenarios (weighted or not). This paper shows multiple applications of this methodology in a case study involving California's Central Valley Project and State Water Project systems. Multiple applications were conducted to show how choices made in conducting the risk assessment, choices known as analytical design decisions, can affect assessed risk. Specifically, risk was reanalyzed for every choice combination of two design decisions: (1) whether to assume climate change will influence flood-control constraints on water supply operations (and how), and (2) whether to weight climate change scenarios (and how). Results show that assessed risk would motivate different planning pathways depending on decision-maker attitudes toward risk (e.g., risk neutral versus risk averse). Results also show that assessed risk at a given risk attitude is sensitive to the analytical design choices listed above, with the choice of whether to adjust flood-control rules under climate change having considerably more influence than the choice on whether to weight climate scenarios. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

Sustainable Improvement of Urban River Network Water Quality and Flood Control Capacity by a Hydrodynamic Control Approach-Case Study of Changshu City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Chen; Yang, Fan; Liu, Guoqing; Liu, Yang; Wang, Long; Fan, Ziwu

2017-01-01

Water environment of urban rivers suffers degradation with the impacts of urban expansion, especially in Yangtze River Delta. The water area in cites decreased sharply, and some rivers were cut off because of estate development, which brings the problems of urban flooding, flow stagnation and water deterioration. The approach aims to enhance flood control capability and improve the urban river water quality by planning gate-pump stations surrounding the cities and optimizing the locations and functions of the pumps, sluice gates, weirs in the urban river network. These gate-pump stations together with the sluice gates and weirs guarantee the ability to control the water level in the rivers and creating hydraulic gradient artificially according to mathematical model. Therefore the flow velocity increases, which increases the rate of water exchange, the DO concentration and water body self-purification ability. By site survey and prototype measurement, the river problems are evaluated and basic data are collected. The hydrodynamic model of the river network is established and calibrated to simulate the scenarios. The schemes of water quality improvement, including optimizing layout of the water distribution projects, improvement of the flow discharge in the river network and planning the drainage capacity are decided by comprehensive Analysis. Finally the paper introduces the case study of the approach in Changshu City, where the approach is successfully implemented.

33 CFR 239.7 - Separation of flood control works from urban drainage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Separation of flood control works... OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WATER RESOURCES POLICIES AND AUTHORITIES: FEDERAL PARTICIPATION IN COVERED FLOOD CONTROL CHANNELS § 239.7 Separation of flood control works from urban drainage. Covered...

33 CFR 208.32 - Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith, Canadian River, Tex.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Lake Meredith in the interest of flood control as follows: (a) Flood control storage in the reservoir... control pool) initially amounts to 462,100 acre-feet. Whenever the reservoir level is within this... as much as practicable the flood damage below the reservoir. All flood control releases shall be made...

33 CFR 208.32 - Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith, Canadian River, Tex.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Lake Meredith in the interest of flood control as follows: (a) Flood control storage in the reservoir... control pool) initially amounts to 462,100 acre-feet. Whenever the reservoir level is within this... as much as practicable the flood damage below the reservoir. All flood control releases shall be made...

Extreme hydrological changes in the southwestern US drive reductions in water supply to Southern California by mid century

DOE PAGES

Pagán, Brianna R.; Ashfaq, Moetasim; Rastogi, Deeksha; ...

2016-09-21

The Southwestern United States has a greater vulnerability to climate change impacts on water security due to a reliance on snowmelt driven imported water. The State of California, which is the most populous and agriculturally productive in the United States, depends on an extensive artificial water storage and conveyance system primarily for irrigated agriculture, municipal and industrial supply and hydropower generation. Here we take an integrative high-resolution ensemble approach to examine near term climate change impacts on all imported and local sources of water supply to Southern California. While annual precipitation is projected to remain the same or slightly increase,more » rising temperatures result in a shift in precipitation type towards more rainfall, reducing cold season snowpack and earlier snowmelt. Associated with these hydrological changes are substantial increases in both dry and flood event frequency and intensity. On one hand, the greater probability of drought decreases imported water supply availability. On the other hand, earlier snowmelt and significantly stronger winter precipitation events pose increased flood risk requiring water releases from reservoirs for flood control, also potentially decreasing water availability. As a result, lack of timely local water resource expansion coupled with climate change projections and population increases may leave the area in extended periods of shortages.« less

Extreme hydrological changes in the southwestern US drive reductions in water supply to Southern California by mid century

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pagán, Brianna R.; Ashfaq, Moetasim; Rastogi, Deeksha

The Southwestern United States has a greater vulnerability to climate change impacts on water security due to a reliance on snowmelt driven imported water. The State of California, which is the most populous and agriculturally productive in the United States, depends on an extensive artificial water storage and conveyance system primarily for irrigated agriculture, municipal and industrial supply and hydropower generation. Here we take an integrative high-resolution ensemble approach to examine near term climate change impacts on all imported and local sources of water supply to Southern California. While annual precipitation is projected to remain the same or slightly increase,more » rising temperatures result in a shift in precipitation type towards more rainfall, reducing cold season snowpack and earlier snowmelt. Associated with these hydrological changes are substantial increases in both dry and flood event frequency and intensity. On one hand, the greater probability of drought decreases imported water supply availability. On the other hand, earlier snowmelt and significantly stronger winter precipitation events pose increased flood risk requiring water releases from reservoirs for flood control, also potentially decreasing water availability. As a result, lack of timely local water resource expansion coupled with climate change projections and population increases may leave the area in extended periods of shortages.« less

Detailed Project Report and Environmental Assessment on Upper Gordons Creek, Urban Flood Damage Reduction Measures at Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

REDUCTION MEASURES AT HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI US Army Corps SEPTEMBER 1986 of Engineers Mobile District DTIC South Atlantic Division O ELECTE S APR 14S1 87...8. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER(&) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT, PROJECT. TASK U.S...Army Corps of Enineers AREA & WORK UNIT NUMBERS ATTN: SAMPD-FW 1 P.O. Box 2288, Mobile , AL 36628 $1. CONTROLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADDRESS 12. REPORT

Estimated post-flood effects through Sentinel and Landsat data to support civil protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cicala, Luca; Angelino, Cesario Vincenzo; Fiscante, Nicomino; Focareta, Mariano

2016-10-01

On October 15, 2015, a severe and devastating flood hit the region of Sannio, Southern Italy, and the city of Benevento. Benevento and the hilly area of Sannio, have already experienced similar disasters, but the natural disasters occurred in the past did not help to better cope with current ones. The flood in this almost unknown area of Campania reached its climax with the flooding of the Tammaro and Calore rivers. The extent of the damage to the region, businesses and people was very heavy. Benevento is the most affected area. Utilizing a combination of remote-sensing techniques, Geographic Information System (GIS) data, this project employed Sentinel-1/2 and Landsat 8 imagery taken before and during the floods to calculate total inundated area and delineate flood extent. This data was then used to assess pre-existing flood hazard maps of the area. The resulting maps and methodologies from this project were delivered to the local governments and organizations as they work to better understand this historic event and plan for recovery throughout the region. The main goal of this study is to map flood inundation using principally open, free and full data acquired by Sentinel and Landsat satellite platforms operated by European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) respectively.

Impact of climate change on New York City's coastal flood hazard: Increasing flood heights from the preindustrial to 2300 CE.

PubMed

Garner, Andra J; Mann, Michael E; Emanuel, Kerry A; Kopp, Robert E; Lin, Ning; Alley, Richard B; Horton, Benjamin P; DeConto, Robert M; Donnelly, Jeffrey P; Pollard, David

2017-11-07

The flood hazard in New York City depends on both storm surges and rising sea levels. We combine modeled storm surges with probabilistic sea-level rise projections to assess future coastal inundation in New York City from the preindustrial era through 2300 CE. The storm surges are derived from large sets of synthetic tropical cyclones, downscaled from RCP8.5 simulations from three CMIP5 models. The sea-level rise projections account for potential partial collapse of the Antarctic ice sheet in assessing future coastal inundation. CMIP5 models indicate that there will be minimal change in storm-surge heights from 2010 to 2100 or 2300, because the predicted strengthening of the strongest storms will be compensated by storm tracks moving offshore at the latitude of New York City. However, projected sea-level rise causes overall flood heights associated with tropical cyclones in New York City in coming centuries to increase greatly compared with preindustrial or modern flood heights. For the various sea-level rise scenarios we consider, the 1-in-500-y flood event increases from 3.4 m above mean tidal level during 1970-2005 to 4.0-5.1 m above mean tidal level by 2080-2100 and ranges from 5.0-15.4 m above mean tidal level by 2280-2300. Further, we find that the return period of a 2.25-m flood has decreased from ∼500 y before 1800 to ∼25 y during 1970-2005 and further decreases to ∼5 y by 2030-2045 in 95% of our simulations. The 2.25-m flood height is permanently exceeded by 2280-2300 for scenarios that include Antarctica's potential partial collapse. Copyright © 2017 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Polymers for enhanced oil recovery: fundamentals and selection criteria.

PubMed

Rellegadla, Sandeep; Prajapat, Ganshyam; Agrawal, Akhil

2017-06-01

With a rising population, the demand for energy has increased over the years. As per the projections, both fossil fuel and renewables will remain as major energy source (678 quadrillion BTU) till 2030 with fossil fuel contributing 78% of total energy consumption. Hence, attempts are continuously made to make fossil fuel production more sustainable and cheaper. From the past 40 years, polymer flooding has been carried out in marginal oil fields and have proved to be successful in many cases. The common expectation from polymer flooding is to obtain 50% ultimate recovery with 15 to 20% incremental recovery over secondary water flooding. Both naturally derived polymers like xanthan gum and synthetic polymers like partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) have been used for this purpose. Earlier laboratory and field trials revealed that salinity and temperature are the major issues with the synthetic polymers that lead to polymer degradation and adsorption on the rock surface. Microbial degradation and concentration are major issues with naturally derived polymers leading to loss of viscosity and pore throat plugging. Earlier studies also revealed that polymer flooding is successful in the fields where oil viscosity is quite higher (up to 126 cp) than injection water due to improvement in mobility ratio during polymer flooding. The largest successful polymer flood was reported in China in 1990 where both synthetic and naturally derived polymers were used in nearly 20 projects. The implementation of these projects provides valuable suggestions for further improving the available processes in future. This paper examines the selection criteria of polymer, field characteristics that support polymer floods and recommendation to design a large producing polymer flooding.

Impact of climate change on New York City’s coastal flood hazard: Increasing flood heights from the preindustrial to 2300 CE

PubMed Central

Mann, Michael E.; Emanuel, Kerry A.; Alley, Richard B.; Horton, Benjamin P.; DeConto, Robert M.; Donnelly, Jeffrey P.; Pollard, David

2017-01-01

The flood hazard in New York City depends on both storm surges and rising sea levels. We combine modeled storm surges with probabilistic sea-level rise projections to assess future coastal inundation in New York City from the preindustrial era through 2300 CE. The storm surges are derived from large sets of synthetic tropical cyclones, downscaled from RCP8.5 simulations from three CMIP5 models. The sea-level rise projections account for potential partial collapse of the Antarctic ice sheet in assessing future coastal inundation. CMIP5 models indicate that there will be minimal change in storm-surge heights from 2010 to 2100 or 2300, because the predicted strengthening of the strongest storms will be compensated by storm tracks moving offshore at the latitude of New York City. However, projected sea-level rise causes overall flood heights associated with tropical cyclones in New York City in coming centuries to increase greatly compared with preindustrial or modern flood heights. For the various sea-level rise scenarios we consider, the 1-in-500-y flood event increases from 3.4 m above mean tidal level during 1970–2005 to 4.0–5.1 m above mean tidal level by 2080–2100 and ranges from 5.0–15.4 m above mean tidal level by 2280–2300. Further, we find that the return period of a 2.25-m flood has decreased from ∼500 y before 1800 to ∼25 y during 1970–2005 and further decreases to ∼5 y by 2030–2045 in 95% of our simulations. The 2.25-m flood height is permanently exceeded by 2280–2300 for scenarios that include Antarctica’s potential partial collapse. PMID:29078274

Impact of climate change on New York City's coastal flood hazard: Increasing flood heights from the preindustrial to 2300 CE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garner, Andra J.; Mann, Michael E.; Emanuel, Kerry A.; Kopp, Robert E.; Lin, Ning; Alley, Richard B.; Horton, Benjamin P.; DeConto, Robert M.; Donnelly, Jeffrey P.; Pollard, David

2017-11-01

The flood hazard in New York City depends on both storm surges and rising sea levels. We combine modeled storm surges with probabilistic sea-level rise projections to assess future coastal inundation in New York City from the preindustrial era through 2300 CE. The storm surges are derived from large sets of synthetic tropical cyclones, downscaled from RCP8.5 simulations from three CMIP5 models. The sea-level rise projections account for potential partial collapse of the Antarctic ice sheet in assessing future coastal inundation. CMIP5 models indicate that there will be minimal change in storm-surge heights from 2010 to 2100 or 2300, because the predicted strengthening of the strongest storms will be compensated by storm tracks moving offshore at the latitude of New York City. However, projected sea-level rise causes overall flood heights associated with tropical cyclones in New York City in coming centuries to increase greatly compared with preindustrial or modern flood heights. For the various sea-level rise scenarios we consider, the 1-in-500-y flood event increases from 3.4 m above mean tidal level during 1970–2005 to 4.0–5.1 m above mean tidal level by 2080–2100 and ranges from 5.0–15.4 m above mean tidal level by 2280–2300. Further, we find that the return period of a 2.25-m flood has decreased from ˜500 y before 1800 to ˜25 y during 1970–2005 and further decreases to ˜5 y by 2030–2045 in 95% of our simulations. The 2.25-m flood height is permanently exceeded by 2280–2300 for scenarios that include Antarctica's potential partial collapse.

Climate change, atmospheric rivers, and floods in California - a multimodel analysis of storm frequency and magnitude changes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dettinger, M.

2011-01-01

Recent studies have documented the important role that "atmospheric rivers" (ARs) of concentrated near-surface water vapor above the Pacific Ocean play in the storms and floods in California, Oregon, and Washington. By delivering large masses of warm, moist air (sometimes directly from the Tropics), ARs establish conditions for the kinds of high snowlines and copious orographic rainfall that have caused the largest historical storms. In many California rivers, essentially all major historical floods have been associated with AR storms. As an example of the kinds of storm changes that may influence future flood frequencies, the occurrence of such storms in historical observations and in a 7-model ensemble of historical-climate and projected future climate simulations is evaluated. Under an A2 greenhouse-gas emissions scenario (with emissions accelerating throughout the 21st Century), average AR statistics do not change much in most climate models; however, extremes change notably. Years with many AR episodes increase, ARs with higher-than-historical water-vapor transport rates increase, and AR storm-temperatures increase. Furthermore, the peak season within which most ARs occur is commonly projected to lengthen, extending the flood-hazard season. All of these tendencies could increase opportunities for both more frequent and more severe floods in California under projected climate changes. ?? 2011 American Water Resources Association.

Chapter 8: Droughts, Floods, and Wildfires

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wehner, M. F.; Arnold, J. R.; Knutson, T.; Kunkel, K. E.; LeGrande, A. N.

2017-01-01

Recent droughts and associated heat waves have reached record intensity in some regions of the United States; however, by geographical scale and duration, the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s remains the benchmark drought and extreme heat event in the historical record (very high confidence). While by some measures drought has decreased over much of the continental United States in association with long-term increases in precipitation, neither the precipitation increases nor inferred drought decreases have been confidently attributed to anthropogenic forcing. The human effect on recent major U.S. droughts is complicated. Little evidence is found for a human influence on observed precipitation deficits, but much evidence is found for a human influence on surface soil moisture deficits due to increased evapotranspiration caused by higher temperatures. Future decreases in surface (top 10 cm) soil moisture from anthropogenic forcing over most of the United States are likely as the climate warms under higher scenarios. Substantial reductions in western U.S. winter and spring snowpack are projected as the climate warms. Earlier spring melt and reduced snow water equivalent have been formally attributed to human-induced warming (high confidence) and will very likely be exacerbated as the climate continues to warm (very high confidence). Under higher scenarios, and assuming no change to current water resources management, chronic, long-duration hydrological drought is increasingly possible by the end of this century. Detectable changes in some classes of flood frequency have occurred in parts of the United States and are a mix of increases and decreases. Extreme precipitation, one of the controlling factors in flood statistics, is observed to have generally increased and is projected to continue to do so across the United States in a warming atmosphere. However, formal attribution approaches have not established a significant connection of increased riverine flooding to human-induced climate change, and the timing of any emergence of a future detectable anthropogenic change in flooding is unclear. The incidence of large forest fires in the western United States and Alaska has increased since the early 1980s and is projected to further increase in those regions as the climate warms, with profound changes to certain ecosystems.

Real-Time Optimal Flood Control Decision Making and Risk Propagation Under Multiple Uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Feilin; Zhong, Ping-An; Sun, Yimeng; Yeh, William W.-G.

2017-12-01

Multiple uncertainties exist in the optimal flood control decision-making process, presenting risks involving flood control decisions. This paper defines the main steps in optimal flood control decision making that constitute the Forecast-Optimization-Decision Making (FODM) chain. We propose a framework for supporting optimal flood control decision making under multiple uncertainties and evaluate risk propagation along the FODM chain from a holistic perspective. To deal with uncertainties, we employ stochastic models at each link of the FODM chain. We generate synthetic ensemble flood forecasts via the martingale model of forecast evolution. We then establish a multiobjective stochastic programming with recourse model for optimal flood control operation. The Pareto front under uncertainty is derived via the constraint method coupled with a two-step process. We propose a novel SMAA-TOPSIS model for stochastic multicriteria decision making. Then we propose the risk assessment model, the risk of decision-making errors and rank uncertainty degree to quantify the risk propagation process along the FODM chain. We conduct numerical experiments to investigate the effects of flood forecast uncertainty on optimal flood control decision making and risk propagation. We apply the proposed methodology to a flood control system in the Daduhe River basin in China. The results indicate that the proposed method can provide valuable risk information in each link of the FODM chain and enable risk-informed decisions with higher reliability.

Comparison of recent sedimentation patterns in Mondsee and Hallstätter See (Upper Austria) and implications for palaeoflood reconstructions in the Eastern European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauterbach, Stefan; Kämpf, Lucas; Swierczynski, Tina; Tjallingii, Rik; Brauer, Achim

2017-04-01

Rainfall-triggered flood events represent one of the most serious societal and economic threats in Central Europe. Nevertheless, the thorough assessment of this hazard is still limited by the restricted knowledge about the long-term spatio-temporal recurrence patterns and complex climatic trigger mechanisms of extreme flood events. As instrumental and documentary flood time series rarely exceed a few hundred years, long and precisely dated palaeoflood records from natural archives, e.g. lake sediments, offer an excellent opportunity to gain important information about long-term flood dynamics. This can improve the understanding of flood occurrence under different climatic boundary conditions as well as flood-generating processes and thus allow a more reliable assessment of future flood scenarios. However, the spatial coverage of lake sediment palaeoflood records across Europe is still limited and individual lakes are very heterogeneous in their sedimentological response and sensitivity to flooding. It therefore remains questionable whether single lake sediment palaeoflood records are representative on a larger spatial scale. Investigating adjacent lakes in terms of their individual flood response can therefore (1) help to improve the understanding of key hydro-climatological variables and lake internal processes, both controlling flood layer deposition, and (2) allow to assess the completeness and representativeness of single palaeoflood records, particularly with regard to different flood seasonality. Here we present first data from a project aiming at establishing a new palaeoflood record for the Eastern Alps by investigating the sediments of Hallstätter See in the Calcareous Alps of Upper Austria. These are compared with results from adjacent Mondsee (ca. 35 km to the northwest), located at the northern fringe of the Calcareous Alps. The recent sediments from these two lakes have been investigated with respect to their reflection of large flood events by using detailed sediment microfacies analysis on large-scale thin sections and high-resolution µ-XRF scanning. The depositional environment in Hallstätter See is mainly controlled by seasonally variable and largely runoff-triggered input of allochthonous clastic-detrital material by the Traun River, a major tributary of the Danube. In consequence, the sediments reveal a complex cm- to sub-mm-scale lamination, reflecting detrital input by frequent individual runoff events that are not necessarily extreme floods. This largely contrasts the depositional environment in Mondsee, where detrital material delivered through the relatively small tributaries is intercalated within the regular endogenic calcite varves only during major flood events. This comparison highlights that both lake systems are very different in their response to flooding, depending on catchment geology and morphology, tributary characteristics as well as flood seasonality. Hence, even for lakes in the same climatic domain, the comparison of resulting palaeoflood records is not necessarily straightforward since every lake sediment record only reflects certain aspects of regional flood history, strongly influenced by the individual characteristics of the lake system.

Case Studies of the ROZ CO 2 Flood and the Combined ROZ/MPZ CO 2 Flood at the Goldsmith Landreth Unit, Ector County, Texas. Using ''Next Generation'' CO 2 EOR Technologies to Optimize the Residual Oil Zone CO 2 Flood

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trentham, Robert C.; Melzer, L. Stephen; Kuuskraa, Vello

2015-06-30

The technology for CO 2 Enhanced Oil Recovery (CO 2 EOR) has significantly advanced since the earliest floods were implemented in the 1970s. At least for the Permian Basin region of the U.S., the oil recovery has been now been extended into residual oil zones (ROZs) where the mobile fluid phase is water and immobile phase is oil. But the nature of the formation and fluids within the ROZs has brought some challenges that were not present when flooding the MPZs. The Goldsmith-Landreth project in the Permian Basin was intended to first identify the most pressing issues of the ROZsmore » floods and, secondly, begin to address them with new techniques designed to optimize a flood that commingled the MPZ and the ROZ. The early phase of the research conducted considerable reservoir and fluid characterization work and identified both technical and commercial challenges of producing the enormous quantities of water when flooding the ROZs. It also noted the differing water compositions in the ROZ as compared to the overlying MPZs. A new CO 2 gas lift system using a capillary string was successfully applied during the project which conveyed the CO 2 to the deeper and differing ROZ reservoir conditions at Goldsmith and added a second capillary string that facilitated applying scale inhibitors to mitigate the scaling tendencies of the mixing ROZ and MPZ formation waters. The project also undertook a reservoir modeling effort, using the acquired reservoir characterization data, to history match both the primary and water flood phases of the MPZ and to establish the initial conditions for a modeling effort to forecast response of the ROZ to CO 2 EOR. With the advantage of many profile logs acquired from the operator, some concentration on the original pattern area for the ROZ pilot was accomplished to attempt to perfect the history match for that area. Several optional scenarios for producing the ROZ were simulated seeking to find the preferred mode of producing the two intervals. Finally, the project attempted to document for the first time the production performance of commingled MPZ and ROZ CO 2 EOR project at the nearby Seminole San Andres Unit. The analysis shows that over 10,000 bopd can be shown to be coming from the ROZ interval, a zone that would have produced no oil under primary or water flood phases. A similar analysis was done for the GLSAU project illustrating that 2000 bopd of incremental EOR oil is currently being produced. The results of the modeling work would suggest that 800 bopd can be attributed to the ROZ alone at GLSAU.« less

Predicting the impact of tsunami in California under rising sea level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dura, T.; Garner, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Kopp, R. E.; Horton, B.

2017-12-01

The flood hazard for the California coast depends not only on the magnitude, location, and rupture length of Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone earthquakes and their resultant tsunamis, but also on rising sea levels, which combine with tsunamis to produce overall flood levels. The magnitude of future sea-level rise remains uncertain even on the decadal scale, with future sea-level projections becoming even more uncertain at timeframes of a century or more. Earthquake statistics indicate that timeframes of ten thousand to one hundred thousand years are needed to capture rare, very large earthquakes. Because of the different timescales between reliable sea-level projections and earthquake distributions, simply combining the different probabilities in the context of a tsunami hazard assessment may be flawed. Here, we considered 15 earthquakes between Mw 8 to Mw 9.4 bound by -171oW and -140oW of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone. We employed 24 realizations at each magnitude with random epicenter locations and different fault length-to-width ratios, and simulated the tsunami evolution from these 360 earthquakes at each decade from the years 2000 to 2200. These simulations were then carried out for different sea-level-rise projections to analyze the future flood hazard for California. Looking at the flood levels at tide gauges, we found that the flood level simulated at, for example, the year 2100 (including respective sea-level change) is different from the flood level calculated by adding the flood for the year 2000 to the sea-level change prediction for the year 2100. This is consistent for all sea-level rise scenarios, and this difference in flood levels range between 5% and 12% for the larger half of the given magnitude interval. Focusing on flood levels at the tide gauge in the Port of Los Angeles, the most probable flood level (including all earthquake magnitudes) in the year 2000 was 5 cm. Depending on the sea-level predictions, in the year 2050 the most probable flood levels could rise to 20 to 30 cm, but increase significantly from 2100 to 2200 to between 0.5 m and 2.5 m. Aside from the significant increase in flood level, it should be noted that the range over which potential most probable flood levels can vary is significant and defines a tremendous challenge for long-term planning of hazard mitigating measures.

MINERVE flood warning and management project. What is computed, what is required and what is visualized?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia Hernandez, J.; Boillat, J.-L.; Schleiss, A.

2010-09-01

During last decades several flood events caused important inundations in the Upper Rhone River basin in Switzerland. As a response to such disasters, the MINERVE project aims to improve the security by reducing damages in this basin. The main goal of this project is to predict floods in advance in order to obtain a better flow control during flood peaks taking advantage from the multireservoir system of the existing hydropower schemes. The MINERVE system evaluates the hydro-meteorological situation on the watershed and provides hydrological forecasts with a horizon from three to five days. It exploits flow measurements, data from reservoirs and hydropower plants as well as deterministic (COSMO-7 and COSMO-2) and ensemble (COSMO-LEPS) meteorological forecast from MeteoSwiss. The hydrological model is based on a semi-distributed concept, dividing the watershed in 239 sub-catchments, themselves decomposed in elevation bands in order to describe the temperature-driven processes related to snow and glacier melt. The model is completed by rivers and hydraulic works such as water intakes, reservoirs, turbines and pumps. Once the hydrological forecasts are calculated, a report provides the warning level at selected control points according to time, being a support to decision-making for preventive actions. A Notice, Alert or Alarm is then activated depending on the discharge thresholds defined by the Valais Canton. Preventive operation scenarios are then generated based on observed discharge at control points, meteorological forecasts from MeteoSwiss, hydrological forecasts from MINERVE and retention possibilities in the reservoirs. An update of the situation is done every time new data or new forecasts are provided, keeping last observations and last forecasts in the warning report. The forecasts can also be used for the evaluation of priority decisions concerning the management of hydropower plants for security purposes. Considering future inflows and reservoir levels, turbine and bottom outlet preventive operations can be proposed to the hydropower plants operators in order to store water inflows and to stop turbining during the peak flow. Appropriate operations can thus reduce the peak discharges in the Rhone River and its tributaries, limiting or avoiding damages. Results presentation in a clear and understandable way is an important goal of the project and is considered as one of the main focuses. The MINERVE project is developed in partnership by the Swiss Federal Office for Environment (FOEV), Services of Roads and Water courses as well as Water Power and Energy of the Wallis Canton and Service of Water, Land and Sanitation of the Vaud Canton. The Swiss Weather Service (MeteoSwiss) provides the weather forecasts and hydroelectric companies communicate specific information regarding the hydropower plants. Scientific developments are entrusted to two entities of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the Hydraulic Constructions Laboratory (LCH) and the Ecohydrology Laboratory (ECHO), as well as to the Institute of Geomatics and Analysis of Risk (IGAR) of Lausanne University (UNIL).

33 CFR 208.82 - Hetch Hetchy, Cherry Valley, and Don Pedro Dams and Reservoirs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... flood control all as follows: (a) Storage space in Don Pedro Reservoir shall be kept available for flood-control purposes in accordance with the Flood-Control Storage Reservation Diagram currently in force for... section. The Flood-Control Storage Reservation Diagram in force as of the promulgation of this section is...

33 CFR 208.82 - Hetch Hetchy, Cherry Valley, and Don Pedro Dams and Reservoirs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... flood control all as follows: (a) Storage space in Don Pedro Reservoir shall be kept available for flood-control purposes in accordance with the Flood-Control Storage Reservation Diagram currently in force for... section. The Flood-Control Storage Reservation Diagram in force as of the promulgation of this section is...

Experimental modelling of outburst flood - bed interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrivick, J. L.; Xie, Z.; Sleigh, A.; Hubbard, M.

2009-04-01

Outburst floods are a sudden release and advancing wave of water and sediment, with a peak discharge that is often several orders of magnitude greater than perennial flows. Common outburst floods from natural sources include those from glacial and moraine-impounded lakes, freshwater dyke and levee bursts, volcanic debris dams, landslides, avalanches, coastal bay-bars, and those from tree or vegetation dams. Outburst flood hazards are regularly incorporated into risk assessments for urban, coastal and mountainous areas, for example. Outburst flood hazards are primarily due to direct impacts, caused by a frontal surge wave, from debris within a flow body, and from the mass and consistency of the flows. A number of secondary impacts also pose hazards, including widespread deposition of sediment and blocked tributary streams. It is rapid landscape change, which is achieved the mobilization and redistribution of sediment that causes one of the greatest hazards due to outburst floods. The aim of this project is therefore to parameterise hydrodynamic - sedimentary interactions in experimental outburst floods. Specifically, this project applies laboratory flume modelling, which offers a hitherto untapped opportunity for examining complex interactions between water and sediment within outburst floods. The experimental set-up is of a tradition lock-gate design with a straight 4 m long tank. Hydraulics are scaled at 1:20 froude scale and the following controls on frontal wave flow-bed interactions and hence on rapid landscape change are being investigated: 1. Pre-existing mobile sediment effects, fixed bed roughness effects, sediment concentration effects, mobile bed effects. An emphasis is being maintained on examining the downstream temporal and spatial change in physical character of the water / sediment frontal wave. Facilities are state-of-the-art with a fully-automated laser bed-profiler to measure bed elevation after a run, Seatek arrays to measure transient flow depths, 0.5 Hz Ultrasonic Velocimeter Profiling to measure within-flow velocities, and Ultrasonic High-Concentration Meter (UHCM) to measure sediment concentrations, for example, all at increments of space and time. These instruments can only be used without a mobile sediment bed and some could be rendered as a source of error because they are intrusive to the flow. Digital video and automated still photography is therefore also important for recording hydraulic and bedform changes through time in flows with freely-moving sediment. This paper will report initial results.

Flood risk assessment in France: comparison of extreme flood estimation methods (EXTRAFLO project, Task 7)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garavaglia, F.; Paquet, E.; Lang, M.; Renard, B.; Arnaud, P.; Aubert, Y.; Carre, J.

2013-12-01

In flood risk assessment the methods can be divided in two families: deterministic methods and probabilistic methods. In the French hydrologic community the probabilistic methods are historically preferred to the deterministic ones. Presently a French research project named EXTRAFLO (RiskNat Program of the French National Research Agency, https://extraflo.cemagref.fr) deals with the design values for extreme rainfall and floods. The object of this project is to carry out a comparison of the main methods used in France for estimating extreme values of rainfall and floods, to obtain a better grasp of their respective fields of application. In this framework we present the results of Task 7 of EXTRAFLO project. Focusing on French watersheds, we compare the main extreme flood estimation methods used in French background: (i) standard flood frequency analysis (Gumbel and GEV distribution), (ii) regional flood frequency analysis (regional Gumbel and GEV distribution), (iii) local and regional flood frequency analysis improved by historical information (Naulet et al., 2005), (iv) simplify probabilistic method based on rainfall information (i.e. Gradex method (CFGB, 1994), Agregee method (Margoum, 1992) and Speed method (Cayla, 1995)), (v) flood frequency analysis by continuous simulation approach and based on rainfall information (i.e. Schadex method (Paquet et al., 2013, Garavaglia et al., 2010), Shyreg method (Lavabre et al., 2003)) and (vi) multifractal approach. The main result of this comparative study is that probabilistic methods based on additional information (i.e. regional, historical and rainfall information) provide better estimations than the standard flood frequency analysis. Another interesting result is that, the differences between the various extreme flood quantile estimations of compared methods increase with return period, staying relatively moderate up to 100-years return levels. Results and discussions are here illustrated throughout with the example of five watersheds located in the South of France. References : O. CAYLA : Probability calculation of design floods abd inflows - SPEED. Waterpower 1995, San Francisco, California 1995 CFGB : Design flood determination by the gradex method. Bulletin du Comité Français des Grands Barrages News 96, 18th congress CIGB-ICOLD n2, nov:108, 1994. F. GARAVAGLIA et al. : Introducing a rainfall compound distribution model based on weather patterns subsampling. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 14, 951-964, 2010. J. LAVABRE et al. : SHYREG : une méthode pour l'estimation régionale des débits de crue. application aux régions méditerranéennes françaises. Ingénierie EAT, 97-111, 2003. M. MARGOUM : Estimation des crues rares et extrêmes : le modèle AGREGEE. Conceptions et remières validations. PhD, Ecole des Mines de Paris, 1992. R. NAULET et al. : Flood frequency analysis on the Ardèche river using French documentary sources from the two last centuries. Journal of Hydrology, 313:58-78, 2005. E. PAQUET et al. : The SCHADEX method: A semi-continuous rainfall-runoff simulation for extreme flood estimation, Journal of Hydrology, 495, 23-37, 2013.

Evaluation of the Three Gorges Dam project using multi-criteria analysis (MCA) based on a sustainable perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Yue; Zheng, Wei; Guo, Junshan; Ma, Yihe; Ding, Junqi; Zhu, Lingkai; Che, Yongqiang; Zhang, Yanpeng

2018-02-01

Abstract . The Three Gorges dam of China is one of the largest and expensive hydropower projects of the world. The four main purposes of the project are flood control,energy production, improved navigation and fresh water supply. The dam project has been completed and running successfully with the potential benefits. However, this project is still a controversial issue among many environmentalists and socialists due to various impacts. This study focuses on the benefit and the impacts of the project, and also evaluates the performance of the project using multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach from a sustainable perspective. Different sustainability criteria related with the dam project have been identified and used for the ranking and rating process. The final result of MCA comes with this scoring process and pairwise comparison, which evaluates the performance of the project considering different positive and negative aspects.

Pawtuxet River, Warwick, Rhode Island. Local Flood Damage Reduction Study. Detailed Project Report for Water Resources Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

interested citizens. An impact assessment has been performed to determine both short and long range effects of project implementation. A system of accounts...of the flood problem in the Belmont Park area of Warwick is essential to the formulation of an effective water resources project. This section of the...the moderating effect of Narragansett Bay. Basin Description The Pawtuxet River Basin (see Plate 1) lies entirely within the State of Rhode Island and

Namibian Flood Early Warning SensorWeb Pilot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandl, Daniel; Policelli, Fritz; Frye, Stuart; Cappelare, Pat; Langenhove, Guido Van; Szarzynski, Joerg; Sohlberg, Rob

2010-01-01

The major goal of the Namibia SensorWeb Pilot Project is a scientifically sound, operational trans-boundary flood management decision support system for Southern African region to provide useful flood and waterborne disease forecasting tools for local decision makers. The Pilot Project established under the auspices of: Namibian Ministry of Agriculture Water and Forestry (MAWF), Department of Water Affairs; Committee on Earth Observing Satellites (CEOS), Working Group on Information Systems and Services (WGISS); and moderated by the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER). The effort consists of identifying and prototyping technology which enables the rapid gathering and dissemination of both space-based and ground sensor data and data products for the purpose of flood disaster management and water-borne disease management.

Modeled changes in 100 year Flood Risk and Asset Damages within Mapped Floodplains of the Contiguous United States

EPA Science Inventory

A growing body of recent work suggests that the extreme weather events that drive inland flooding are likely to increase in frequency and magnitude with a warming climate. These changes are likely to increase flooding damages in the future. We use hydrologic projections from 2...

UNEXMIN H2020 Project: an underwater explorer for flooded mines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes, Luís; Zajzon, Norbert; Bodo, Balázs; Henley, Stephen; Žibret, Gorazd; Almeida, José; Vörös, Csaba; Horvath, Janos; Dizdarevič, Tatjana; Rossi, Claudio; McLoughlin, Mike

2017-04-01

UNEXMIN (Underwater Explorer for Flooded Mines, Grant Agreement No. 690008, www.unexmin.eu) is a project funded by the European Commission's HORIZON2020 Framework Programme. The project is developing a multi-platform robotic system for the autonomous exploration and mapping of Europe's flooded mines. The robotic system - UX-1 - will use non-invasive methods for the 3D mapping of abandoned flooded mines, bringing new important geological and mineralogical data that cannot be currently obtained by any other means. This technology will allow the development or update of geological models at local and regional levels. The data collected will then be used to consider new exploration scenarios for the possible re-opening of some of Europe's abandoned mines which may still contain valuable resources of strategic minerals. The deployment of a multi-robotic system in such a confined environment poses challenges that must be overcome so that the robots can work autonomously, without damaging the equipment and the mine itself. Key challenges are related to the i) structural design for robustness and resilience, ii) localization, navigation and 3D mapping, iii) guidance, propulsion and control, iv) autonomous operation and supervision, v) data processing, interpretation and evaluation. The scientific instrument array is currently being tested, built and tailored for the submersible: pH, electrical conductivity, pressure and temperature analyzers and a water sampler (water sampling methods), a magnetic field analyzer, a gamma-ray counter and a sub-bottom profiler (geophysical methods) and a multispectral and UV fluorescence imaging units (optical observation methods). The instruments have been selected to generate data of maximum geoscientific interest, considering the limiting factors of the submerged underground environment, the necessary robotic functions, the size for the robot and other constraints. Other crucial components for the robot's functionality (such as movement, control, autonomy, mapping, interpretation and evaluation) include cameras, SONARs, thrusters, DVL, inertial navigation system, laser scanner, computer, batteries and the integrated pressure hull. The UNEXMIN project is currently ongoing with the development of the first mechanical model as well as the scientific instruments. The robot prototype is being developed with a spherical shape with a diameter such that will allow it to fit into the sometimes narrow underground mine openings and to freely move around them, to a depth of 500m. Component/instrument validations and simulations are being worked out to understand the behavior of the technology in the flooded mine environment. At the same time post-processing and data analysis tools are also being developed and prepared. After the groundwork and setup phases, the first robot prototype is going to be tested in four sites under real life conditions corresponding to increasingly difficult mission objectives in terms of mine layout, geometry and topology. The test sites include the Kaatiala pegmatite mine in Finland, the Urgeiriça uranium mine in Portugal and the Idrija mercury mine in Slovenia. The final, most ambitious demonstration will occur in the UK with the resurveying of the entire flooded section of the Ecton underground copper mine that nobody has seen for over 150 years.

Integrating Salmon Recovery, Clean Water Act Compliance ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

"The South Fork Nooksack River (SFNR) is an important tributary to the Nooksack River, Bellingham Bay, and the Salish Sea. The South Fork Nooksack River comprises one of the 22 independent populations of spring Chinook in the Puget Sound Chinook Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU), which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The population is considered essential for recovery of the ESU. The SFNR has suffered from legacy impacts, temperature exceedances and fine sediment, due to forestry, agriculture, flood control, and transportation facilities. The temperature exceedances threaten spring Chinook salmon survival and as such under the Clean Water Act, this pollution must be addressed through a total maximum daily load (TMDL) regulatory program. Further, climate change is projected to cumulatively add to the existing legacy impacts. Millions of dollars are spent on salmon habitat restoration in the SFNR that primarily addresses these legacy impacts, but few if any restoration actions take climate change into direct consideration. The Nooksack Indian Tribe and USEPA-ORD jointly completed a climate change pilot research project that addresses legacy impacts, ESA recovery actions, CWA regulatory compliance, and salmon habitat restoration in one comprehensive project. The project evaluates how land use impacts, including altered hydrology, stream temperature, sediment dynamics, and flooding of adjacent river floodplains, combined with pr

Challenges in Projecting Sea Level Rise impacts on the Coastal Environment of South Florida (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obeysekera, J.; Park, J.; Irizarry-Ortiz, M. M.; Barnes, J. A.; Trimble, P.; Said, W.

2010-12-01

Due to flat topography, a highly transmissive groundwater aquifer, and a growing population with the associated infrastructure, South Florida’s coastal environment is one of the most vulnerable areas to sea level rise. Current projections of sea level rise and the associated storm surges will have direct impacts on coastal beaches and infrastructure, flood protection, freshwater aquifers, and both the isolated and regional wetlands. Uncertainties in current projections have made it difficult for regional and local governments to develop adaptation strategies as such measures will depend heavily on the temporal and spatial patterns of sea level rise in the coming decades. We demonstrate the vulnerability of both the built and natural environments of the coastal region and present the current efforts to understand and predict the sea level rise estimate that management agencies could employ in planning of adaptation strategies. In particular, the potential vulnerabilities of the flood control system as well as the threat to the water supply wellfields in the coastal belt will be presented. In an effort to understand the historical variability of sea level rise, we present linkages to natural phenomena such as Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation, and the analytical methods we have developed to provide probabilistic projections of both mean sea level rise and the extremes.

Two-Dimensional Simulation of Flow and Evaluation of Bridge Scour at Structure A-1700 on Interstate 155 over the Mississippi River near Caruthersville, Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huizinga, Richard J.

2007-01-01

The evaluation of scour at bridges throughout the State of Missouri has been ongoing since 1991, and most of these evaluations have used one-dimensional hydraulic analysis and application of conventional scour depth prediction equations. Occasionally, the complex conditions of a site dictate a more thorough assessment of the stream hydraulics beyond a one-dimensional model. This was the case for structure A-1700, the Interstate 155 bridge crossing the Mississippi River near Caruthersville, Missouri. To assess the complex hydraulics at this site, a two-dimensional hydrodynamic flow model was used to simulate flow conditions on the Mississippi River in the vicinity of the Interstate 155 structure A-1700. The model was used to simulate flow conditions for three discharges: a flood that occurred on April 4, 1975 (the calibration flood), which had a discharge of 1,658,000 cubic feet per second; the 100-year flood, which has a discharge of 1,960,000 cubic feet per second; and the project design flood, which has a discharge of 1,974,000 cubic feet per second. The project design flood was essentially equivalent to the flood that would cause impending overtopping of the mainline levees along the Mississippi River in the vicinity of structure A-1700. Discharge and river-stage readings from the flood of April 4, 1975, were used to calibrate the flow model. The model was then used to simulate the 100-year and project design floods. Hydraulic flow parameters obtained from the three flow simulations were applied to scour depth prediction equations to determine contraction, local pier, and abutment scour depths at structure A-1700. Contraction scour and local pier scour depths computed for the project design discharge generally were the greatest, whereas the depths computed for the calibration flood were the least. The maximum predicted total scour depth (contraction and local pier scour) for the calibration flood was 66.1 feet; for the 100-year flood, the maximum predicted total scour depth was 74.6 feet; for the project design flood, the maximum predicted total scour depth was 93.0 feet. If scour protection did not exist, bent 14 and piers 15 through 21 would be substantially exposed or undermined by the predicted total scour depths in all of the flood simulations. However, piers 18 through 21 have a riprap blanket around the base of each, and the riprap blanket observed on the right bank around bent 14 is thought to extend around the base of pier 15, which would limit the amount of scour that would occur at these piers. Furthermore, the footings and caissons that are not exposed by computed contraction scour may arrest local pier scour, which will limit local pier scour at several bents and piers. Nevertheless, main-channel piers 16 and 17 and all of the bents on the left (as viewed facing downstream) overbank are moderately to substantially exposed by the predicted scour depths from the three flood simulations, and there is no known scour protection at these piers or bents. Abutment scour depths were computed for structure A-1700, but abutment scour is expected to be mitigated by the presence of guidebanks upstream from the bridge abutments, as well as riprap revetment on the abutment and guidebank faces.

The Aqueduct Global Flood Analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iceland, Charles

2015-04-01

As population growth and economic growth take place, and as climate change accelerates, many regions across the globe are finding themselves increasingly vulnerable to flooding. A recent OECD study of the exposure of the world's large port cities to coastal flooding found that 40 million people were exposed to a 1 in 100 year coastal flood event in 2005, and the total value of exposed assets was about US 3,000 billion, or 5% of global GDP. By the 2070s, those numbers were estimated to increase to 150 million people and US 35,000 billion, or roughly 9% of projected global GDP. Impoverished people in developing countries are particularly at risk because they often live in flood-prone areas and lack the resources to respond. WRI and its Dutch partners - Deltares, IVM-VU University Amsterdam, Utrecht University, and PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency - are in the initial stages of developing a robust set of river flood and coastal storm surge risk measures that show the extent of flooding under a variety of scenarios (both current and future), together with the projected human and economic impacts of these flood scenarios. These flood risk data and information will be accessible via an online, easy-to-use Aqueduct Global Flood Analyzer. We will also investigate the viability, benefits, and costs of a wide array of flood risk reduction measures that could be implemented in a variety of geographic and socio-economic settings. Together, the activities we propose have the potential for saving hundreds of thousands of lives and strengthening the resiliency and security of many millions more, especially those who are most vulnerable. Mr. Iceland will present Version 1.0 of the Aqueduct Global Flood Analyzer and provide a preview of additional elements of the Analyzer to be released in the coming years.

The Impact of Climate Change on New York City's Coastal Flood Hazard: Increasing Flood Heights from the Pre-Industrial to 2300 CE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garner, A. J.; Mann, M. E.; Emanuel, K.; Kopp, R. E.; Lin, N.; Alley, R. B.; Horton, B.; Deconto, R. M.; Donnelly, J. P.; Pollard, D.

2017-12-01

The flood hazard in New York City depends on both storm surges and rising sea levels. We combine modeled storm surges with probabilistic sea-level rise projections to assess future coastal inundation in New York City from the pre-industrial through 2300 CE. The storm surges are derived from large sets of synthetic tropical cyclones, downscaled from RCP 8.5 runs of three CMIP5 models. The sea-level rise projections include the collapse of the Antarctic ice sheet to assess future coastal inundation. CMIP5 models indicate that there will be minimal change in storm-surge heights from 2010 to 2100 or 2300, because the predicted strengthening of the strongest storms will be compensated by storm tracks moving offshore at the latitude of New York City. However, projected sea-level rise causes overall flood heights associated with tropical cyclones in New York City in coming centuries to increase greatly compared to pre-industrial or modern flood heights. We find that the 1-in-500-year flood event increases from 3.4 m above mean tidal level during 1970-2005 to 3.9 - 4.8 m above mean tidal level by 2080-2100, and ranges from 2.8 - 13.0 m above mean tidal level by 2280-2300. Further, we find that the return period of a 2.25 m flood has decreased from 500 years prior to 1800 to 25 years during 1970-2005, and further decreases to 5 years by 2030 - 2045 in 95% of our simulations.

Scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Kennebec County, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dudley, Robert W.; Schalk, Charles W.

2006-01-01

This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maine Water Science Center as the deliverable for scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Kennebec County, Maine, under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Inter-Agency Agreement Number HSFE01-05-X-0018. This section of the report explains the objective of the task and the purpose of the report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a plan in 1997 to modernize the FEMA flood mapping program. FEMA flood maps delineate flood hazard areas in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's plan outlined the steps necessary to update FEMA's flood maps for the nation to a seamless digital format and streamline FEMA's operations in raising public awareness of the importance of the maps and responding to requests to revise them. The modernization of flood maps involves conversion of existing information to digital format and integration of improved flood hazard data as needed. To determine flood mapping modernization needs, FEMA has established specific scoping activities to be done on a county-by-county basis for identifying and prioritizing requisite flood-mapping activities for map modernization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with FEMA and the Maine State Planning Office Floodplain Management Program, began scoping work in 2005 for Kennebec County. Scoping activities included assembling existing data and map needs information for communities in Kennebec County (efforts were made to not duplicate those of pre-scoping completed in March 2005), documentation of data, contacts, community meetings, and prioritized mapping needs in a final scoping report (this document), and updating the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) Database or its successor with information gathered during the scoping process. The average age of the FEMA floodplain maps in Kennebec County, Maine is 16 years. Most of these studies were in the late 1970's to the mid 1980s. However, in the ensuing 20-30 years, development has occurred in many of the watersheds, and the characteristics of the watersheds have changed with time. Therefore, many of the older studies may not depict current conditions nor accurately estimate risk in terms of flood heights. The following is the scope of work as defined in the FEMA/USGS Statement of Work: Task 1: Collect data from a variety of sources including community surveys, other Federal and State Agencies, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) State Coordinators, Community Assistance Visits (CAVs) and FEMA archives. Lists of mapping needs will be obtained from the MNUSS database, community surveys, and CAVs, if available. FEMA archives will be inventoried for effective FIRM panels, FIS reports, and other flood-hazard data or existing study data. Best available base map information, topographic data, flood-hazard data, and hydrologic and hydraulic data will be identified. Data from the Maine Floodplain Management Program database also will be utilized. Task 2: Contact communities in Kennebec County to notify them that FEMA and the State have selected them for a map update, and that a project scope will be developed with their input. Topics to be reviewed with the communities include (1) Purpose of the Flood Map Project (for example, the update needs that have prompted the map update); (2) The community's mapping needs; (3) The community's available mapping, hydrologic, hydraulic, and flooding information; (4) target schedule for completing the project; and (5) The community's engineering, planning, and geographic information system (GIS) capabilities. On the basis of the collected information from Task 1 and community contacts/meetings in Task 2, the USGS will develop a Draft Project Scope for the identified mapping needs of the communities in Kennebec County. The following items will be addressed in the Draft Project Scope: review of available information, determine if and how e

Scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Somerset County, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dudley, Robert W.; Schalk, Charles W.

2006-01-01

This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maine Water Science Center as the deliverable for scoping of flood hazard mapping needs for Somerset County, Maine, under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Inter-Agency Agreement Number HSFE01-05-X-0018. This section of the report explains the objective of the task and the purpose of the report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a plan in 1997 to modernize the FEMA flood mapping program. FEMA flood maps delineate flood hazard areas in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's plan outlined the steps necessary to update FEMA's flood maps for the nation to a seamless digital format and streamline FEMA's operations in raising public awareness of the importance of the maps and responding to requests to revise them. The modernization of flood maps involves conversion of existing information to digital format and integration of improved flood hazard data as needed. To determine flood mapping modernization needs, FEMA has established specific scoping activities to be done on a county-by-county basis for identifying and prioritizing requisite flood-mapping activities for map modernization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with FEMA and the Maine State Planning Office Floodplain Management Program, began scoping work in 2005 for Somerset County. Scoping activities included assembling existing data and map needs information for communities in Somerset County (efforts were made to not duplicate those of pre-scoping completed in March 2005), documentation of data, contacts, community meetings, and prioritized mapping needs in a final scoping report (this document), and updating the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) Database or its successor with information gathered during the scoping process. The average age of the FEMA floodplain maps in Somerset County, Maine is 18.1 years. Most of these studies were in the late 1970's to the mid 1980s. However, in the ensuing 20-30 years, development has occurred in many of the watersheds, and the characteristics of the watersheds have changed with time. Therefore, many of the older studies may not depict current conditions nor accurately estimate risk in terms of flood heights. The following is the scope of work as defined in the FEMA/USGS Statement of Work: Task 1: Collect data from a variety of sources including community surveys, other Federal and State Agencies, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) State Coordinators, Community Assistance Visits (CAVs) and FEMA archives. Lists of mapping needs will be obtained from the MNUSS database, community surveys, and CAVs, if available. FEMA archives will be inventoried for effective FIRM panels, FIS reports, and other flood-hazard data or existing study data. Best available base map information, topographic data, flood-hazard data, and hydrologic and hydraulic data will be identified. Data from the Maine Floodplain Management Program database also will be utilized. Task 2: Contact communities in Somerset County to notify them that FEMA and the State have selected them for a map update, and that a project scope will be developed with their input. Topics to be reviewed with the communities include (1) Purpose of the Flood Map Project (for example, the update needs that have prompted the map update); (2) The community's mapping needs; (3) The community's available mapping, hydrologic, hydraulic, and flooding information; (4) target schedule for completing the project; and (5) The community's engineering, planning, and geographic information system (GIS) capabilities. On the basis of the collected information from Task 1 and community contacts/meetings in Task 2, the USGS will develop a Draft Project Scope for the identified mapping needs of the communities in Somerset County. The following items will be addressed in the Draft Project Scope: review of available information, determine if and ho

33 CFR 209.300 - Flood control regulations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Flood control regulations. 209..., DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE § 209.300 Flood control regulations. (a) Regulations for the operation and maintenance of local flood protection works approved by the Secretary of the Army under the...

A uniform technique for flood frequency analysis.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thomas, W.O.

1985-01-01

This uniform technique consisted of fitting the logarithms of annual peak discharges to a Pearson Type III distribution using the method of moments. The objective was to adopt a consistent approach for the estimation of floodflow frequencies that could be used in computing average annual flood losses for project evaluation. In addition, a consistent approach was needed for defining equitable flood-hazard zones as part of the National Flood Insurance Program. -from ASCE Publications Information

Flash floods in Europe: state of the art and research perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaume, Eric

2014-05-01

Flash floods, i.e. floods induced by severe rainfall events generally affecting watersheds of limited area, are the most frequent, destructive and deadly kind of natural hazard known in Europe and throughout the world. Flash floods are especially intense across the Mediterranean zone, where rainfall accumulations exceeding 500 mm within a few hours may be observed. Despite this state of facts, the study of extremes in hydrology has essentially gone unexplored until the recent past, with the exception of some rare factual reports on individual flood events, with the sporadic inclusion of isolated estimated peak discharges. Floods of extraordinary magnitude are in fact hardly ever captured by existing standard measurement networks, either because they are too heavily concentrated in space and time or because their discharges greatly exceed the design and calibration ranges of the measurement devices employed (stream gauges). This situation has gradually evolved over the last decade for two main reasons. First, the expansion and densification of weather radar networks, combined with improved radar quantitative precipitation estimates, now provide ready access to rainfall measurements at spatial and temporal scales that, while not perfectly accurate, are compatible with the study of extreme events. Heavy rainfall events no longer fail to be recorded by existing rain gauge and radar networks. Second, pioneering research efforts on extreme floods, based on precise post-flood surveys, have helped overcome the limitations imposed by a small base of available direct measured data. This activity has already yielded significant progress in expanding the knowledge and understanding of extreme flash floods. This presentation will provide a review of the recent research progresses in the area of flash flood studies, mainly based on the outcomes of the European research projects FLOODsite, HYDRATE and Hymex. It will show how intensive collation of field data helped better define the possible magnitudes of flood volumes and discharges during flash floods, their spatial distribution and rates of occurrence, as well as the factors that control the hydrological response of watersheds to heavy rainfalls explaining the large spatial variability in flood hazard. Developments in the fields of flood frequency analyses and flood forecasting based on the recently acquired data or adapted for the valuation of this specific data will also be presented. The presentation will end suggesting some perspectives for future research activities on flash floods.

Safety in the Chemical Laboratory: Flood Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollard, Bruce D.

1983-01-01

Describes events leading to a flood in the Wehr Chemistry Laboratory at Marquette University, discussing steps taken to minimize damage upon discovery. Analyzes the problem of flooding in the chemical laboratory and outlines seven steps of flood control: prevention; minimization; early detection; stopping the flood; evaluation; clean-up; and…

Projecting Age-Stratified Risk of Exposure to Inland Flooding and Wildfire Smoke in the United States under Two Climate Scenarios.

PubMed

Mills, David; Jones, Russell; Wobus, Cameron; Ekstrom, Julia; Jantarasami, Lesley; St Juliana, Alexis; Crimmins, Allison

2018-04-17

The public health community readily recognizes flooding and wildfires as climate-related health hazards, but few studies quantify changes in risk of exposure, particularly for vulnerable children and older adults. This study quantifies future populations potentially exposed to inland flooding and wildfire smoke under two climate scenarios, highlighting the populations in particularly vulnerable age groups (≤4 y old and ≥65 y old). Spatially explicit projections of inland flooding and wildfire under two representative concentration pathways (RCP8.5 and RCP4.5) are integrated with static (2010) and dynamic (2050 and 2090) age-stratified projections of future contiguous U.S. populations at the county level. In both 2050 and 2090, an additional one-third of the population will live in areas affected by larger and more frequent inland flooding under RCP8.5 than under RCP4.5. Approximately 15 million children and 25 million older adults could avoid this increased risk of flood exposure each year by 2090 under a moderate mitigation scenario (RCP4.5 compared with RCP8.5). We also find reduced exposure to wildfire smoke under the moderate mitigation scenario. Nearly 1 million young children and 1.7 million older adults would avoid exposure to wildfire smoke each year under RCP4.5 than under RCP8.5 by the end of the century. By integrating climate-driven hazard and population projections, newly created county-level exposure maps identify locations of potential significant future public health risk. These potential exposure results can help inform actions to prevent and prepare for associated future adverse health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable children and older adults. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2594.

Nested 1D-2D approach for urban surface flood modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murla, Damian; Willems, Patrick

2015-04-01

Floods in urban areas as a consequence of sewer capacity exceedance receive increased attention because of trends in urbanization (increased population density and impermeability of the surface) and climate change. Despite the strong recent developments in numerical modeling of water systems, urban surface flood modeling is still a major challenge. Whereas very advanced and accurate flood modeling systems are in place and operation by many river authorities in support of flood management along rivers, this is not yet the case in urban water management. Reasons include the small scale of the urban inundation processes, the need to have very high resolution topographical information available, and the huge computational demands. Urban drainage related inundation modeling requires a 1D full hydrodynamic model of the sewer network to be coupled with a 2D surface flood model. To reduce the computational times, 0D (flood cones), 1D/quasi-2D surface flood modeling approaches have been developed and applied in some case studies. In this research, a nested 1D/2D hydraulic model has been developed for an urban catchment at the city of Gent (Belgium), linking the underground sewer (minor system) with the overland surface (major system). For the overland surface flood modelling, comparison was made of 0D, 1D/quasi-2D and full 2D approaches. The approaches are advanced by considering nested 1D-2D approaches, including infiltration in the green city areas, and allowing the effects of surface storm water storage to be simulated. An optimal nested combination of three different mesh resolutions was identified; based on a compromise between precision and simulation time for further real-time flood forecasting, warning and control applications. Main streets as mesh zones together with buildings as void regions constitute one of these mesh resolution (3.75m2 - 15m2); they have been included since they channel most of the flood water from the manholes and they improve the accuracy of interactions within the 1D sewer network. Other areas that recorded flooding outside the main streets have been also included with the second mesh resolution for an accurate determination of flood maps (12.5m2 - 50m2). Permeable areas have been identified and used as infiltration zones using the Horton infiltration model. A mesh sensitivity analysis has been performed for the low flood risk areas for a proper model optimization. As outcome of that analysis, the third mesh resolution has been chosen (75m2 - 300m2). Performance tests have been applied for several synthetic design storms as well as historical storm events displaying satisfactory results upon comparing the flood mapping outcomes produced by the different approaches. Accounting for the infiltration in the green city spaces reduces the flood extents in the range 39% - 68%, while the average reduction in flood volume equals 86%. Acknowledgement: Funding for this research was provided by the Interreg IVB NWE programme (project RainGain) and the Belgian Science Policy Office (project PLURISK). The high resolution topographical information data were obtained from the geographical information service AGIV; the original full hydrodynamic sewer network model from the service company Farys, and the InfoWorks licence from Innovyze.

Bivariate analysis of floods in climate impact assessments.

PubMed

Brunner, Manuela Irene; Sikorska, Anna E; Seibert, Jan

2018-03-01

Climate impact studies regarding floods usually focus on peak discharges and a bivariate assessment of peak discharges and hydrograph volumes is not commonly included. A joint consideration of peak discharges and hydrograph volumes, however, is crucial when assessing flood risks for current and future climate conditions. Here, we present a methodology to develop synthetic design hydrographs for future climate conditions that jointly consider peak discharges and hydrograph volumes. First, change factors are derived based on a regional climate model and are applied to observed precipitation and temperature time series. Second, the modified time series are fed into a calibrated hydrological model to simulate runoff time series for future conditions. Third, these time series are used to construct synthetic design hydrographs. The bivariate flood frequency analysis used in the construction of synthetic design hydrographs takes into account the dependence between peak discharges and hydrograph volumes, and represents the shape of the hydrograph. The latter is modeled using a probability density function while the dependence between the design variables peak discharge and hydrograph volume is modeled using a copula. We applied this approach to a set of eight mountainous catchments in Switzerland to construct catchment-specific and season-specific design hydrographs for a control and three scenario climates. Our work demonstrates that projected climate changes have an impact not only on peak discharges but also on hydrograph volumes and on hydrograph shapes both at an annual and at a seasonal scale. These changes are not necessarily proportional which implies that climate impact assessments on future floods should consider more flood characteristics than just flood peaks. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

33 CFR 203.42 - Inspection of non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm: The Corps... standards and is capable of providing the intended degree of flood protection. An Acceptable or Minimally...

Hurricane Impacts on Small Island Communities: Case study of Hurricane Matthew on Great Exuma, The Bahamas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan Sealey, Kathleen; Bowleg, John

2017-04-01

Great Exuma has been a UNESCO Eco-hydrology Project Site with a focus on coastal restoration and flood management. Great Exuma and its largest settlement, George Town, support a population of just over 8.000 people on an island dominated by extensive coastal wetlands. The Victoria Pond Eco-Hydrology project restored flow and drainage to highly-altered coastal wetlands to reduce flooding of the built environment as well as regain ecological function. The project was designed to show the value of a protected wetland and coastal environment within a populated settlement; demonstrating that people can live alongside mangroves and value "green" infrastructure for flood protection. The restoration project was initiated after severe storm flooding in 2007 with Tropical Storm Noel. In 2016, the passing of Hurricane Matthew had unprecedented impacts on the coastal communities of Great Exuma, challenging past practices in restoration and flood prevention. This talk reviews the loss of natural capital (for example, fish populations, mangroves, salt water inundation) from Hurricane Matthew based on a rapid response survey of Great Exuma. The surprisingly find was the impact of storm surge on low-lying areas used primarily for personal farms and small-scale agriculture. Although women made up the overwhelming majority of people who attended Coastal Restoration workshops, women were most adversely impacted by the recent hurricane flooding with the loss of their small low-lying farms and gardens. Although increasing culverts in mangrove creeks in two areas did reduce building flood damage, the low-lying areas adjacent to mangroves, mostly ephemeral freshwater wetlands, were inundated with saltwater, and seasonal crops in these areas were destroyed. These ephemeral wetlands were designed as part of the wetland flooding system, it was not known how important these small areas were to artisanal farming on Great Exuma. The size and scope of Hurricane Matthew passing through the entire country presents a unique opportunity use a rapid response method to document coastal impacts to better understand how to plan coastal restoration. Small farms managed primarily by women accounted for about 35% of the fresh produce eaten by local Bahamians (not tourists), and the loss of local production may be permanent.

Trend analyses of sediment data for the DEC project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rebich, Richard Allen

1995-01-01

Daily stream discharge, suspended-sediment concentration, and suspended-sediment discharge data were collected at eight sites in six watersheds of the Demonstration Erosion Control project in the Yazoo River Basin in north-central Mississippi during the period July 1985 through September 1991. The project is part of an ongoing interagency program of planning, design, construction, monitoring, and evaluation to alleviate flooding, erosion, sedimentation, and water-quality problems for watersheds located in the bluff hills upstream of the Mississippi River alluvial plain. This paper presents preliminary results of trend analyses for stream discharge and sediment data for the eight project sites. More than 550 stream discharge measurements and 20,000 suspended-sediment samples have been collected at the eight sites since 1985.

Numerical Model of the Hoosic River Flood-Control Channel, Adams, MA

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

The model was then used to evaluate the flow conditions associated with the as-built channel configuration. The existing channel conditions were then...end as part of a channel restoration project. The model was to determine if restoration alterations would change water- surface elevations associated ...water-surface elevations associated with the initial design and construction. After as-built flow conditions were established, flow conditions

Archeological and Historic Cultural Resources Inventory for a Proposed Flood Control Project at Devils Lake, Ramsey County, North Dakota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-10-01

Chautauqua Association signed a contract with J.H. McCulloch to secure a right-of- way for the Chautauqua Railway. McCulloch received a 30 year franchise in...excavation at Bakery of U.S. military fort Palo Duro St. Park, TX; Test excavation at historic dugout Sea Rim State Park, TX; Archaeological survey San

A Cultural Resource Assessment of the Pembilier Lake and Dam Flood Control Project (A Literature and Records Search), Pembina River, Pembina and Cavalier Counties, North Dakota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-11-03

away seasonally (Delorme 1955). Plants cultivated included Indian corn, potatoes, tobacco, barley , and a bearded variety of wheat (Robinson 1966). The...informed the authors that V some indications of the plant structures and rusted machinery were still visible on the site when she last visited the area

Projected Flood Risks in China based on CMIP5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Ying

2016-04-01

Based on the simulations from 22 CMIP5 models and in combination with data on population, GDP, arable land, and terrain elevation, the spatial distributions of the flood risk levels are calculated and analyzed under RCP8.5 for the baseline period (1986-2005), the near term future period (2016-2035), the middle term future period (2046-2065), and the long term future period (2080-2099). (1) Areas with higher flood hazard risk levels in the future are concentrated in southeastern China, and the areas with the risk level III continue to expand. The major changes in flood hazard risks will occur in the middle and long term future. (2) In future, the areas of high vulnerability to flood hazards will be located in China's eastern region. In the middle and late 21st century, the extent of the high vulnerability area will expand eastward and its intensity will gradually increase. The highest vulnerability values are found in the provinces of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and in parts of the Pearl River Delta. Furthermore, the major cities in northeast China, as well as Wuhan, Changsha and Nanchang are highly vulnerable. (3) The regions with high flood risk levels will be located in eastern China, in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River and stretching northward to Beijing and Tianjin. High-risk flood areas are also occurring in major cities in Northeast China, in some parts of Shaanxi and Shanxi, and in some coastal areas in Southeast China. (4) Compared to the baseline period, the high flood risks will increase on a regional level towards the end of the 21st century, although the areas of flood hazards show little variation. In this paper, the projected future flood risks for different periods were analyzed under the RCP8.5 emission scenarios. By comparing the results with the simulations under the RCP 2.6 and RCP 4.5 scenarios, both scenarios show no differences in the spatial distribution, but in the intensity of flood hazard risks, which are weaker than for the RCP8.5 scenarios. By using the simulations from climate model ensembles to project future flood risks, uncertainty exists for various factors, such as the coarse resolution of global climate models, different approaches to flood assessments, the selection of the weighting coefficients, as well as the used greenhouse gas emission scheme, and the estimations of future population, GDP, and arable land. Therefore, further analysis is needed to reduce the uncertainties of future flood risks.

Flood risk analysis for flood control and sediment transportation: a case study in the catchments of the Loess Plateau, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Chang, J.; Guo, A.

2017-12-01

Traditional flood risk analysis focuses on the probability of flood events exceeding the design flood of downstream hydraulic structures while neglecting the influence of sedimentation in river channels on flood control systems. Given this focus, a univariate and copula-based bivariate hydrological risk framework focusing on flood control and sediment transport is proposed in the current work. Additionally, the conditional probabilities of occurrence of different flood events under various extreme precipitation scenarios are estimated by exploiting the copula model. Moreover, a Monte Carlo-based algorithm is used to evaluate the uncertainties of univariate and bivariate hydrological risk. Two catchments located on the Loess plateau are selected as study regions: the upper catchments of the Xianyang and Huaxian stations (denoted as UCX and UCH, respectively). The results indicate that (1) 2-day and 3-day consecutive rainfall are highly correlated with the annual maximum flood discharge (AMF) in UCX and UCH, respectively; and (2) univariate and bivariate return periods, risk and reliability for the purposes of flood control and sediment transport are successfully estimated. Sedimentation triggers higher risks of damaging the safety of local flood control systems compared with the AMF, exceeding the design flood of downstream hydraulic structures in the UCX and UCH. Most importantly, there was considerable sampling uncertainty in the univariate and bivariate hydrologic risk analysis, which would greatly challenge measures of future flood mitigation. The proposed hydrological risk framework offers a promising technical reference for flood risk analysis in sandy regions worldwide.

Assessment Approach for Identifying Compatibility of Restoration Projects with Geomorphic and Flooding Processes in Gravel Bed Rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVries, Paul; Aldrich, Robert

2015-08-01

A critical requirement for a successful river restoration project in a dynamic gravel bed river is that it be compatible with natural hydraulic and sediment transport processes operating at the reach scale. The potential for failure is greater at locations where the influence of natural processes is inconsistent with intended project function and performance. We present an approach using practical GIS, hydrologic, hydraulic, and sediment transport analyses to identify locations where specific restoration project types have the greatest likelihood of working as intended because their function and design are matched with flooding and morphologic processes. The key premise is to identify whether a specific river analysis segment (length ~1-10 bankfull widths) within a longer reach is geomorphically active or inactive in the context of vertical and lateral stabilities, and hydrologically active for floodplain connectivity. Analyses involve empirical channel geometry relations, aerial photographic time series, LiDAR data, HEC-RAS hydraulic modeling, and a time-integrated sediment transport budget to evaluate trapping efficiency within each segment. The analysis segments are defined by HEC-RAS model cross sections. The results have been used effectively to identify feasible projects in a variety of alluvial gravel bed river reaches with lengths between 11 and 80 km and 2-year flood magnitudes between ~350 and 1330 m3/s. Projects constructed based on the results have all performed as planned. In addition, the results provide key criteria for formulating erosion and flood management plans.

Assessment Approach for Identifying Compatibility of Restoration Projects with Geomorphic and Flooding Processes in Gravel Bed Rivers.

PubMed

DeVries, Paul; Aldrich, Robert

2015-08-01

A critical requirement for a successful river restoration project in a dynamic gravel bed river is that it be compatible with natural hydraulic and sediment transport processes operating at the reach scale. The potential for failure is greater at locations where the influence of natural processes is inconsistent with intended project function and performance. We present an approach using practical GIS, hydrologic, hydraulic, and sediment transport analyses to identify locations where specific restoration project types have the greatest likelihood of working as intended because their function and design are matched with flooding and morphologic processes. The key premise is to identify whether a specific river analysis segment (length ~1-10 bankfull widths) within a longer reach is geomorphically active or inactive in the context of vertical and lateral stabilities, and hydrologically active for floodplain connectivity. Analyses involve empirical channel geometry relations, aerial photographic time series, LiDAR data, HEC-RAS hydraulic modeling, and a time-integrated sediment transport budget to evaluate trapping efficiency within each segment. The analysis segments are defined by HEC-RAS model cross sections. The results have been used effectively to identify feasible projects in a variety of alluvial gravel bed river reaches with lengths between 11 and 80 km and 2-year flood magnitudes between ~350 and 1330 m(3)/s. Projects constructed based on the results have all performed as planned. In addition, the results provide key criteria for formulating erosion and flood management plans.

Increases in flood magnitudes in California under warming climates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Das, Tapash; Maurer, Edwin P.; Pierce, David W.; Dettinger, Michael D.; Cayah, Daniel R.

2013-01-01

Downscaled and hydrologically modeled projections from an ensemble of 16 Global Climate Models suggest that flooding may become more intense on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the primary source for California’s managed water system. By the end of the 21st century, all 16 climate projections for the high greenhouse-gas emission SRES A2 scenario yield larger floods with return periods ranging 2–50 years for both the Northern Sierra Nevada and Southern Sierra Nevada, regardless of the direction of change in mean precipitation. By end of century, discharges from the Northern Sierra Nevada with 50-year return periods increase by 30–90% depending on climate model, compared to historical values. Corresponding flood flows from the Southern Sierra increase by 50–100%. The increases in simulated 50 year flood flows are larger (at 95% confidence level) than would be expected due to natural variability by as early as 2035 for the SRES A2 scenario.

Economic impact of climate on water management in Oklahoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eddy, A.

1981-08-01

Topics and authors are listed below: The Oklahoma Water Plan, Jim Schuelin; The Garber-Wellington Research Project, Odell Morgan; The Tulsa Urban Study, Howard Chalker; Some Civil Defense/Flood Warning Problems, Ron Hill; The Impact of Climate on Rural Water Management, Ellen Cooter; Economic Models for Water Resource and Climate Impact Applications, William S. Cooter; Flood Forecasting, Jack Bowman; Small Basin Rainfall Characteristics via Factor Analysis, John M. Harlin; Radar Clouds Over Oklahoma, Bernard N. Meisner; The Oklahoma Climatological Survey Data Bank, Amos Eddy; Derived Variables: Climatic and Hydrologic Data from Weather Station Records, Jayne M. Salisbury; Precipitation Estimates Using Radar, Kenmore » Wilk and David Zittel; and A Water Control Data System, Joe Z. Durham.« less

Flood Protection Ecosystem Services in the Coast of Puerto Rico: Associations Between Watershed Processes and Local Human Health and Well Being Indicators

EPA Science Inventory

Flood events are becoming increasingly important in coastal cities due to a projected increase in the frequency of extreme weather events. A potential strategy to promote coastal protection from these hazards is the use of green infrastructure to provide flood protection ecosyste...

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for El Progreso, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of El Progreso that would be inundated by a 50-year flood of Rio Pelo. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of El Progreso as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for a 50-year-flood on Rio Pelo at El Progreso were estimated using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area. There are no nearby long-term stream-gaging stations on Rio Pelo; therefore, the 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Pelo, 235 cubic meters per second, was estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The drainage area and mean annual precipitation estimated for Rio Pelo at El Progreso are 47.4 square kilometers and 1,920 millimeters, respectively.

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Choloma, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Choloma that would be inundated by a 50-year flood of Rio Choloma. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Choloma as part of the in the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for a 50-year-flood on Rio Choloma at Choloma were determined using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area. There are no nearby long-term stream-gaging stations on Rio Choloma; therefore, the 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Choloma, 370 cubic meters per second, was estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The drainage area and mean annual precipitation estimated for Rio Choloma at Choloma are 89.5 square kilometers and 2,164 millimeters, respectively.

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Catacamas, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Catacamas that would be inundated by a 50-year-flood of Rio Catacamas. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Catacamas as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/ floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for a 50-year-flood on Rio Catacamas at Catacamas were estimated using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area. The 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Catacamas at Catacamas, 216 cubic meters per second, was estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation because there are no long-term stream-gaging stations on the river from which to estimate the discharge. The drainage area and mean annual precipitation estimated for Rio Catacamas at Catacamas are 45.4 square kilometers and 1,773 millimeters, respectively.

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Olanchito, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, M.C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Olanchito that would be inundated by a 50-year-flood of Rio Uchapa. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Olanchito as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for a 50-year-flood discharge of 243 cubic meters per second on Rio Uchapa at Olanchito were estimated using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area. There are no nearby long-term stream-gaging stations on Rio Uchapa; therefore, the 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Uchapa was estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The drainage area and mean annual precipitation estimated for Rio Uchapa at Olanchito are 97.1 square kilometers and 1,178 millimeters, respectively.

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for La Ceiba, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, M.C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of La Ceiba that would be inundated by a 50-year-flood of Rio Cangrejal. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of La Ceiba as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for a 50-year-flood discharge of 1,030 cubic meters per second on Rio Cangrejal at La Ceiba were computed using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area. There are no nearby long-term stream-gaging stations on Rio Cangrejal; therefore, the 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Cangrejal at La Ceiba was estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The drainage area and mean annual precipitation estimated for Rio Cangrejal at La Ceiba are 498 square kilometers and 2,306 millimeters, respectively.

Aligning Natural Resource Conservation and Flood Hazard Mitigation in California

PubMed Central

Calil, Juliano; Beck, Michael W.; Gleason, Mary; Merrifield, Matthew; Klausmeyer, Kirk; Newkirk, Sarah

2015-01-01

Flooding is the most common and damaging of all natural disasters in the United States, and was a factor in almost all declared disasters in U.S. history. Direct flood losses in the U.S. in 2011 totaled $8.41 billion and flood damage has also been on the rise globally over the past century. The National Flood Insurance Program paid out more than $38 billion in claims since its inception in 1968, more than a third of which has gone to the one percent of policies that experienced multiple losses and are classified as “repetitive loss.” During the same period, the loss of coastal wetlands and other natural habitat has continued, and funds for conservation and restoration of these habitats are very limited. This study demonstrates that flood losses could be mitigated through action that meets both flood risk reduction and conservation objectives. We found that there are at least 11,243km2 of land in coastal California, which is both flood-prone and has natural resource conservation value, and where a property/structure buyout and habitat restoration project could meet multiple objectives. For example, our results show that in Sonoma County, the extent of land that meets these criteria is 564km2. Further, we explore flood mitigation grant programs that can be a significant source of funds to such projects. We demonstrate that government funded buyouts followed by restoration of targeted lands can support social, environmental, and economic objectives: reduction of flood exposure, restoration of natural resources, and efficient use of limited governmental funds. PMID:26200353

Aligning Natural Resource Conservation and Flood Hazard Mitigation in California.

PubMed

Calil, Juliano; Beck, Michael W; Gleason, Mary; Merrifield, Matthew; Klausmeyer, Kirk; Newkirk, Sarah

2015-01-01

Flooding is the most common and damaging of all natural disasters in the United States, and was a factor in almost all declared disasters in U.S. Direct flood losses in the U.S. in 2011 totaled $8.41 billion and flood damage has also been on the rise globally over the past century. The National Flood Insurance Program paid out more than $38 billion in claims since its inception in 1968, more than a third of which has gone to the one percent of policies that experienced multiple losses and are classified as "repetitive loss." During the same period, the loss of coastal wetlands and other natural habitat has continued, and funds for conservation and restoration of these habitats are very limited. This study demonstrates that flood losses could be mitigated through action that meets both flood risk reduction and conservation objectives. We found that there are at least 11,243km2 of land in coastal California, which is both flood-prone and has natural resource conservation value, and where a property/structure buyout and habitat restoration project could meet multiple objectives. For example, our results show that in Sonoma County, the extent of land that meets these criteria is 564km2. Further, we explore flood mitigation grant programs that can be a significant source of funds to such projects. We demonstrate that government funded buyouts followed by restoration of targeted lands can support social, environmental, and economic objectives: reduction of flood exposure, restoration of natural resources, and efficient use of limited governmental funds.

The influence of major dams on hydrology through the drainage network of the Sacramento River basin, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Singer, M.B.

2007-01-01

This paper reports basinwide patterns of hydrograph alteration via statistical and graphical analysis from a network of long-term streamflow gauges located various distances downstream of major dams and confluences in the Sacramento River basin in California, USA. Streamflow data from 10 gauging stations downstream of major dams were divided into hydrologic series corresponding to the periods before and after dam construction. Pre- and post-dam flows were compared with respect to hydrograph characteristics representing frequency, magnitude and shape: annual flood peak, annual flow trough, annual flood volume, time to flood peak, flood drawdown time and interarrival time. The use of such a suite of characteristics within a statistical and graphical framework allows for generalising distinct strategies of flood control operation that can be identified without any a priori knowledge of operations rules. Dam operation is highly dependent on the ratio of reservoir capacity to annual flood volume (impounded runoff index). Dams with high values of this index generally completely cut off flood peaks thus reducing time to peak, drawdown time and annual flood volume. Those with low values conduct early and late flow releases to extend the hydrograph, increasing time to peak, drawdown time and annual flood volume. The analyses reveal minimal flood control benefits from foothill dams in the lower Sacramento River (i.e. dissipation of the down-valley flood control signal). The lower part of the basin is instead reliant on a weir and bypass system to control lowland flooding. Data from a control gauge (i.e. with no upstream dams) suggest a background signature of global climate change expressed as shortened flood hydrograph falling limbs and lengthened flood interarrival times at low exceedence probabilities. This research has implications for flood control, water resource management, aquatic and riparian ecosystems and for rehabilitation strategies involving flow alteration and/or manipulation of sediment supplies. Copyright ?? 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of Climate Change on Flood Frequency in the Pacific Northwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gergel, D. R.; Stumbaugh, M. R.; Lee, S. Y.; Nijssen, B.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2014-12-01

A key concern about climate change as related to water resources is the potential for changes in hydrologic extremes, including flooding. We explore changes in flood frequency in the Pacific Northwest using downscaled output from ten Global Climate Models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Inter-Comparison Project 5 (CMIP5) for historical forcings (1950-2005) and future Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 (2006-2100). We use archived output from the Integrated Scenarios Project (ISP) (http://maca.northwestknowledge.net/), which uses the Multivariate Adaptive Constructed Analogs (MACA) method for statistical downscaling. The MACA-downscaled GCM output was then used to force the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrology model with a 1/16th degree spatial resolution and a daily time step. For each of the 238 HUC-08 areas within the Pacific Northwest (USGS Hydrologic Region 15), we computed, from the ISP archive, the series of maximum daily runoff values (surrogate for the annual maximum flood), and then the mean annual flood. Finally, we computed the ratios of the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 mean annual floods to their corresponding values for the historical period. We evaluate spatial patterns in the results. For snow-dominated watersheds, the changes are dominated by reductions in flood frequency in basins that currently have spring-dominant floods, and increases in snow affected basins with fall-dominant floods. In low elevation basins west of the Cascades, changes in flooding are more directly related to changes in precipitation extremes. We further explore the nature of these effects by evaluating the mean Julian day of the annual maximum flood for each HUC-08 and how this changes between the historical and RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios.

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Siguatepeque, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Siguatepeque that would be inundated by 50-year floods on Rio Selguapa, Rio Guique, Rio Celan, Rio Calan, and Quebrada Chalantuma. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Siguatepeque as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for 50-year-floods on each of the streams studied were computed using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area and ground surveys at six bridges. There are no nearby long-term stream-gaging stations on any of the streams studied; therefore, the 50-year-flood discharges were estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The 50-year-flood discharges estimated for Rio Selguapa, Rio Guique, Rio Celan, Rio Calan, and Quebrada Chalantuma are 323, 168, 161, 146, and 90 cubic meters per second, respectively.

Extreme Mississippi River Floods in the Late Holocene: Reconstructions and Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munoz, S. E.; Giosan, L.; Donnelly, J. P.; Dee, S.

2016-12-01

Extreme flooding of the Mississippi River is costly in both economic and social terms. Despite ambitious engineering projects conceived in the early 20th century to mitigate damage from extreme floods, economic losses due to flooding have increased over recent years. Forecasting extreme flood occurrence over seasonal or longer time-scales remains a major challenge - especially in light of shifts in hydroclimatic conditions expected in response to continued greenhouse forcing. Here, we present findings from a series of paleoflood records that span the late Holocene derived from laminated sediments deposited in abandoned channels of the Mississippi River. These sedimentary archives record individual overbank floods as unique events beds with upward fining that we identify using grain-size analysis, bulk geochemistry, and radiography. We use sedimentological characteristics to reconstruct flood magnitude by calibrating our records against instrumental streamflow data from nearby gauging stations. We also use the Last Millennium Experiments of the Community Earth System Model (CESM-LME) and historical reanalysis data to examine the state of climate system around river discharge extremes. Our paleo-flood records exhibit strong non-stationarities in flood frequency and magnitude that are associated with fluctuations in the frequency of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), because the warm ENSO phase is associated with increased surface water storage of the lower Mississippi basin that leads to enhanced runoff delivery to the main channel. We also show that the early 20th century was a period of anomalously high flood frequency and magnitude due to the combined effects of river engineering and natural climate variability. Our findings imply that flood risk along the lower Mississippi River is tightly coupled to the frequency of ENSO, highlighting the need for robust projections of ENSO variability under greenhouse warming.

Global coastal flood hazard mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eilander, Dirk; Winsemius, Hessel; Ward, Philip; Diaz Loaiza, Andres; Haag, Arjen; Verlaan, Martin; Luo, Tianyi

2017-04-01

Over 10% of the world's population lives in low-lying coastal areas (up to 10m elevation). Many of these areas are prone to flooding from tropical storm surges or extra-tropical high sea levels in combination with high tides. A 1 in 100 year extreme sea level is estimated to expose 270 million people and 13 trillion USD worth of assets to flooding. Coastal flood risk is expected to increase due to drivers such as ground subsidence, intensification of tropical and extra-tropical storms, sea level rise and socio-economic development. For better understanding of the hazard and drivers to global coastal flood risk, a globally consistent analysis of coastal flooding is required. In this contribution we present a comprehensive global coastal flood hazard mapping study. Coastal flooding is estimated using a modular inundation routine, based on a vegetation corrected SRTM elevation model and forced by extreme sea levels. Per tile, either a simple GIS inundation routine or a hydrodynamic model can be selected. The GIS inundation method projects extreme sea levels to land, taking into account physical obstructions and dampening of the surge level land inwards. For coastlines with steep slopes or where local dynamics play a minor role in flood behavior, this fast GIS method can be applied. Extreme sea levels are derived from the Global Tide and Surge Reanalysis (GTSR) dataset. Future sea level projections are based on probabilistic sea level rise for RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. The approach is validated against observed flood extents from ground and satellite observations. The results will be made available through the online Aqueduct Global Flood Risk Analyzer of the World Resources Institute.

Joint projections of sea level and storm surge using a flood index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, C. M.; Lin, N.; Horton, R. M.; Kopp, R. E.; Oppenheimer, M.

2016-02-01

Capturing the joint influence of sea level rise (SLR) and tropical cyclones (TCs) on future coastal flood risk poses significant challenges. To address these difficulties, Little et al. (2015) use a proxy of tropical cyclone activity and a probabilistic flood index that aggregates flood height and duration over a wide area (the US East and Gulf coasts). This technique illuminates the individual impacts of TCs and SLR and their correlation across different coupled climate models. By 2080-2099, changes in the flood index relative to 1986-2005 are substantial and positively skewed: a 10th-90th percentile range of 35-350x higher for a high-end business-as-usual emissions scenario (see figure). This aggregated flood index: 1) is a means to consistently combine TC-driven storm surges and SLR; 2) provides a more robust description of historical surge-climate relationships than is available at any one location; and 3) allows the incorporation of a larger climate model ensemble - which is critical to uncertainty characterization. It does not provide a local view of the complete spectrum of flood severity (i.e. return curves). However, alternate techniques that provide localized return curves (e.g. Lin et al., 2012) are computationally intensive, limiting the set of large-scale climate models that can be incorporated, and require several linked statistical and dynamical models, each with structural uncertainties that are difficult to quantify. Here, we present the results of Little et al. (2015) along with: 1) alternate formulations of the flood index; 2) strategies to localize the flood index; and 3) a comparison of flood index projections to those provided by model-based return curves. We look to this interdisciplinary audience for feedback on the advantages and disadvantages of each tool for coastal planning and decision-making. Lin, N., K. Emanuel, M. Oppenheimer, and E. Vanmarcke, 2012: Physically based assessment of hurricane surge threat under climate change. Nature Clim. Change, 2(6), 462-467. Little, C. M., R. M. Horton, R. E. Kopp, M. Oppenheimer, G. A. Vecchi, and G. Villarini, 2015: Joint projections of us east coast sea level and storm surge. Nature Clim. Change, advance online publication.

Stakeholders and public involvement for flood protection: traditional river management organisations for a better consideration of local knowledge?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utz, Stephan; Lane, Stuart; Reynard, Emmanuel

2016-04-01

This research explores participatory processes in the domain of river management in Switzerland. The main objective is to understand how traditional, highly participatory, local organisations for flood protection have been institutionalised into current river management policy, and to what extent this has impacted on wider participatory processes of producing knowledge. Traditionally, flood protection strategies have been based upon scientific knowledge but have often ignored the capacities of local actors to contribute to the development of the policy. Thus, there may be a gap between scientists, stakeholders and the public that favours controversies and leads to opposition to flood protection projects. In order to reduce this gap and to increase incorporation of local knowledge, participatory processes are set up. They are considered as allowing the integration of all the actors concerned by flood risks to discuss their positions and to develop alternative solutions. This is a particularly important goal in the Swiss political system where direct democracy (the possibility of calling the decision of any level of government into question through a popular vote) means that a reasonable level of project acceptance is a necessary element of project. In order to support implementation of participatory processes, federal funding includes a special grant to cover the additional costs due to these actions. It is considered that, since its introduction in 2008, this grant certainly furthered participatory processes for flood protection projects and fostered water management policy implementation. However, the implication of stakeholders and public in decision-making processes is much well-established than modern river management often assumes. In some regions, flood protection tasks have been traditionally assumed by local organisations such as dyke corporations (DCs). These comprise land and property owners who are DC members and have to participate in flood protection tasks. All members have to pay an annual contribution and can vote about decisions taken by the corporation. In that sense, DCs may be considered as common-pool resource institutions according to Ostrom's (1990) definition (see also Thomi, 2010). Initially, they were local and non-governmental institutions, fully responsible for flood protection in their catchment. But, progressively DCs have been institutionalised and replaced or weakened, bound to apply governmental requirements for flood protection to secure funding of their projects. The increasing complexity of water management through proliferation of norms like river restoration, but also socio-political changes make DCs struggle in delivering flood protection tasks nowadays. Finally, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of DCs for participative decision-making and integration of local flood risk knowledge, reinforcing the conclusions by Gerber et al. (2008) that noticed the usefulness of such self-governing institutions for the implementation of environmental policies in Switzerland. The aim is to show in which way those assets have been modified by the progressive institutionalisation of DCs, and how this has led to the hybridisation of these organisations. Through this case study the factors affecting water management knowledge inclusion and co-production will be discussed, and more generally the importance of such processes for effective flood protection. References Gerber J.D., Nahrath S., Reynard E., Thomi L. (2008). The role of common pool resource institutions in the implementation of Swiss natural resource management policy, Int. Journal of the Commons, 2/2, 222-247. Ostrom E. (1990). Governing the Commons. The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Thomi L. (2010) Rôle des paramètres sociopolitiques et des connaissances dans la gestion des risques hydrologiques. PhD Thesis, University of Lausanne.

August, 2002 - floods events, affected areas revitalisation and prevention for the future in the central Bohemian region, Czech Republic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bina, L.; Vacha, F.; Vodova, J.

2003-04-01

Central Bohemian Region is located in a shape of a ring surrounding the capitol of Prague. Its total territorial area is 11.014 sq.km and population of 1 130.000 inhabitants. According to EU nomenclature of regional statistical units, the Central Bohemian Region is classified as an independent NUTS II. Bohemia's biggest rivers, Vltava and Labe form the region's backbone dividing it along a north-south line, besides that there are Sazava and Berounka, the two big headwaters of Vltava, which flow through the region and there also are some cascade man made lakes and 2 important big dams - Orlik and Slapy on the Vltava River in the area of the region. Overflowing of these rivers and their feeders including cracking of high-water dams during the floods in August 2002 caused total or partial destruction or damage of more than 200 towns and villages and total losses to the extend of 450 mil. EUR. The worst impact was on damaged or destroyed human dwellings, social infrastructure (schools, kindergartens, humanitarian facilities) and technical infrastructure (roads, waterworks, power distribution). Also businesses were considerably damaged including transport terminals in the area of river ports. Flowage of Spolana Neratovice chemical works caused critical environmental havoc. Regional crisis staff with regional Governor in the lead worked continuously during the floods and a regional integrated rescue system was subordinated to it. Due to the huge extent of the floods the crisis staff coordinated its work with central bodies of state including the Government and single "power" resorts (army, interior, transport). Immediately after floods a regional - controlled management was set up including an executive body for regional revitalisation which is connected to state coordinating resort - Ministry for Local Development, EU sources and humanitarian aid. In addition to a program of regional revitalisation additional preventive flood control programs are being developed including fields of: urban planning revision, river flow measures, revision of operation mode of dams, modification of waterworks' conception in areas liable to flooding and finally a program of power sources prevention during emergency situation (this program had been started before the floods). Regional establishment puts emphasis on preparation of preventive projects and management mentioned. An international co-operation of regions affected by floods and possibly building of joint teams for prevention measures proposal would be very effective and useful.

Estimating flood discharge using witness movies in post-flood hydrological surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Coz, Jérôme; Hauet, Alexandre; Le Boursicaud, Raphaël; Pénard, Lionel; Bonnifait, Laurent; Dramais, Guillaume; Thollet, Fabien; Braud, Isabelle

2015-04-01

The estimation of streamflow rates based on post-flood surveys is of paramount importance for the investigation of extreme hydrological events. Major uncertainties usually arise from the absence of information on the flow velocities and from the limited spatio-temporal resolution of such surveys. Nowadays, after each flood occuring in populated areas home movies taken from bridges, river banks or even drones are shared by witnesses through Internet platforms like YouTube. Provided that some topography data and additional information are collected, image-based velocimetry techniques can be applied to some of these movie materials, in order to estimate flood discharges. As a contribution to recent post-flood surveys conducted in France, we developed and applied a method for estimating velocities and discharges based on the Large Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) technique. Since the seminal work of Fujita et al. (1998), LSPIV applications to river flows were reported by a number of authors and LSPIV can now be considered a mature technique. However, its application to non-professional movies taken by flood witnesses remains challenging and required some practical developments. The different steps to apply LSPIV analysis to a flood home movie are as follows: (i) select a video of interest; (ii) contact the author for agreement and extra information; (iii) conduct a field topography campaign to georeference Ground Control Points (GCPs), water level and cross-sectional profiles; (iv) preprocess the video before LSPIV analysis: correct lens distortion, align the images, etc.; (v) orthorectify the images to correct perspective effects and know the physical size of pixels; (vi) proceed with the LSPIV analysis to compute the surface velocity field; and (vii) compute discharge according to a user-defined velocity coefficient. Two case studies in French mountainous rivers during extreme floods are presented. The movies were collected on YouTube and field topography surveys were achieved. Identifying fixed GCPs is more difficult in rural environments than in urban areas. Image processing was performed using free software only, especially Fudaa-LSPIV (Le Coz et al., 2014) was used for steps (v), (vi), and (vii). The results illustrate the typical issues and advantages of flood home movies taken by witnesses for improving post-flood discharge estimation. In spite of the non-ideal conditions related to such movies, the LSPIV technique was successfully applied. Corrections for lens distortion and limited camera movements (shake) are not difficult to achieve. Locating precisely the video viewpoint is often easy whereas precise timing may be not, especially when the author cannot be contacted or when the camera clock is false. Based on sensitivity analysis, the determination of the water level appears to be the main source of uncertainty in the results. Nevertheless, the information content of the results remains highly valuable for post-flood studies, in particular for improving the high-flow extrapolation of hydrometric rating curves. This kind of application opens interesting avenues for participative research in flood hydrology, as well as the study of other extreme geophysical events. Typically, as part of the FloodScale ANR research project (2012-2015), specific communication actions have been focused on the determination of flood discharges within the Ardèche river catchement (France) using home movies shared by observers and volunteers. Safety instructions and a simplified field procedure were shared through local media and were made available in French and English on the project website. This way, simple flood observers or even some enthusiastic flood chasers can contribute to participative hydrological science in the same way the so-called storm chasers have significantly contributed to meteorological science since the Tornado Intercept Project (1972). Website : http://floodscale.irstea.fr/donnees-en/videos-amateurs-de-rivieres-en-crue/ Fujita, I., Muste, M., and Kruger, A. (1998). Large-scale particle image velocimetry for flow analysis in hydraulic engineering applications. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 36(3):397-414. Le Coz, J., Jodeau, M., Hauet, A., Marchand, B., Le Boursicaud, R. (2014). Image-based velocity and discharge measurements in field and laboratory river engineering studies using the free FUDAA-LSPIV software, Proceedings of the International Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics, RIVER FLOW 2014, 1961-1967.

Disastrous torrential floods in mountain areas in Serbia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavrilovic, Z.

2009-04-01

In Serbia, the relief is predominantly hilly and mountainous, intersected with numerous rivers. The greatest number of watercourses are small torrents; however the proportionally large rivers also have a distinctive torrential character. The highest parts of the catchments are at the altitudes above 1500 m, while their confluences are at the altitudes of 200 - 300 m. The catchment and channel slopes are extremely steep. So, as the initial natural preconditions are satisfied, torrential floods are the consequence. Although the Južna Morava catchments were regulated by erosion control works, during the last decades there were numerous torrential floods. Some of the floods had disastrous proportions, not recorded in Serbia or in Europe. The flood of river Vlasina in 1988 was presented to the professional public several times. This flood was not an isolated case. Many large-scale torrential floods occurred in Serbia from 1994 to 2007. As there were floods also in 2007, the causes of the recorded floods had to be analysed. The analysis pointed out a series of scenarios which were the causes of disastrous torrential floods, and also the disadvantages of the actual system of torrent and erosion control. Special attention was focused on the floods which resulted from sudden snow melting. This paper will present the results of the analyses of the extreme torrential floods of the rivers Nišava and Vlasina. Key words: Flood, torrents, torrent control, erosion control

Process-based model with flood control measures towards more realistic global flood modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Q.; Zhang, X.; Wang, Y.; Mu, M.; Lv, A.; Li, Z.

2017-12-01

In the profoundly human-influenced era, the Anthropocene, increased amount of land was developed in flood plains and many flood control measures were implemented to protect people and infrastructures placed in the flood-prone areas. These human influences (for example, dams and dykes) have altered peak streamflow and flood risk, and are already an integral part of flood. However, most of the process-based flood models have yet to taken into account the human influences. In this study, we used a hydrological model together with an advanced hydrodynamic model to assess flood risk at the Baiyangdian catchment. The Baiyangdian Lake is the largest shallow freshwater lake in North China, and it was used as a flood storage area in the past. A new development hub for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei economic triangle, namely the Xiongan new area, was recently established in the flood-prone area around the lake. The shuttle radar topography mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEMs) was used to parameterize the hydrodynamic model simulation, and the inundation estimates were compared with published flood maps and observed inundation area during the extreme historical flood events. A simple scheme was carried out to consider the impacts of flood control measures, including the reservoirs in the headwaters and the dykes to be built. By comparing model simulations with and without the influences of flood control measures, we demonstrated the importance of human influences in altering the inundated area and depth under design flood conditions. Based on the SRTM DEM and dam and reservoir data in the Global Reservoir and Dam (GRanD) database, we further discuss the potential to develop a global flood model with human influences.

Flood and Weather Monitoring Using Real-time Twitter Data Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demir, I.; Sit, M. A.; Sermet, M. Y.

2016-12-01

Social media data is a widely used source to making inference within public crisis periods and events in disaster times. Specifically, since Twitter provides large-scale data publicly in real-time, it is one of the most extensive resources with location information. This abstract provides an overview of a real-time Twitter analysis system to support flood preparedness and response using a comprehensive information-centric flood ontology and natural language processing. Within the scope of this project, we deal with acquisition and processing of real-time Twitter data streams. System fetches the tweets with specified keywords and classifies them as related to flooding or heavy weather conditions. The system uses machine learning algorithms to discover patterns using the correlation between tweets and Iowa Flood Information System's (IFIS) extensive resources. The system uses these patterns to forecast the formation and progress of a potential future flood event. While fetching tweets, predefined hashtags are used for filtering and enhancing the relevancy for selected tweets. With this project, tweets can also be used as an alternative data source where other data sources are not sufficient for specific tasks. During the disasters, the photos that people upload alongside their tweets can be collected and placed to appropriate locations on a mapping system. This allows decision making authorities and communities to see the most recent outlook of the disaster interactively. In case of an emergency, concentration of tweets can help the authorities to determine a strategy on how to reach people most efficiently while providing them the supplies they need. Thanks to the extendable nature of the flood ontology and framework, results from this project will be a guide for other natural disasters, and will be shared with the community.

Modelling the effectiveness of grass buffer strips in managing muddy floods under a changing climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mullan, Donal; Vandaele, Karel; Boardman, John; Meneely, John; Crossley, Laura H.

2016-10-01

Muddy floods occur when rainfall generates runoff on agricultural land, detaching and transporting sediment into the surrounding natural and built environment. In the Belgian Loess Belt, muddy floods occur regularly and lead to considerable economic costs associated with damage to property and infrastructure. Mitigation measures designed to manage the problem have been tested in a pilot area within Flanders and were found to be cost-effective within three years. This study assesses whether these mitigation measures will remain effective under a changing climate. To test this, the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model was used to examine muddy flooding diagnostics (precipitation, runoff, soil loss and sediment yield) for a case study hillslope in Flanders where grass buffer strips are currently used as a mitigation measure. The model was run for present day conditions and then under 33 future site-specific climate scenarios. These future scenarios were generated from three earth system models driven by four representative concentration pathways and downscaled using quantile mapping and the weather generator CLIGEN. Results reveal that under the majority of future scenarios, muddy flooding diagnostics are projected to increase, mostly as a consequence of large scale precipitation events rather than mean changes. The magnitude of muddy flood events for a given return period is also generally projected to increase. These findings indicate that present day mitigation measures may have a reduced capacity to manage muddy flooding given the changes imposed by a warming climate with an enhanced hydrological cycle. Revisions to the design of existing mitigation measures within existing policy frameworks are considered the most effective way to account for the impacts of climate change in future mitigation planning.

The influence of controlled floods on fine sediment storage in debris fan-affected canyons of the Colorado River basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mueller, Erich R.; Grams, Paul E.; Schmidt, John C.; Hazel, Joseph E.; Alexander, Jason S.; Kaplinski, Matt

2014-01-01

Prior to the construction of large dams on the Green and Colorado Rivers, annual floods aggraded sandbars in lateral flow-recirculation eddies with fine sediment scoured from the bed and delivered from upstream. Flows greater than normal dam operations may be used to mimic this process in an attempt to increase time-averaged sandbar size. These controlled floods may rebuild sandbars, but sediment deficit conditions downstream from the dams restrict the frequency that controlled floods produce beneficial results. Here, we integrate complimentary, long-term monitoring data sets from the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons downstream from Glen Canyon dam and the Green River in the Canyon of Lodore downstream from Flaming Gorge dam. Since the mid-1990s, several controlled floods have occurred in these canyon rivers. These controlled floods scour fine sediment from the bed and build sandbars in eddies, thus increasing channel relief. These changes are short-lived, however, as interflood dam operations erode sandbars within several months to years. Controlled flood response and interflood changes in bed elevation are more variable in Marble Canyon and Grand Canyon, likely reflecting more variable fine sediment supply and stronger transience in channel bed sediment storage. Despite these differences, neither system shows a trend in fine-sediment storage during the period in which controlled floods were monitored. These results demonstrate that controlled floods build eddy sandbars and increase channel relief for short interflood periods, and this response may be typical in other dam-influenced canyon rivers. The degree to which these features persist depends on the frequency of controlled floods, but careful consideration of sediment supply is necessary to avoid increasing the long-term sediment deficit.

Flood resilience and uncertainty in flood risk assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beven, K.; Leedal, D.; Neal, J.; Bates, P.; Hunter, N.; Lamb, R.; Keef, C.

2012-04-01

Flood risk assessments do not normally take account of the uncertainty in assessing flood risk. There is no requirement in the EU Floods Directive to do so. But given the generally short series (and potential non-stationarity) of flood discharges, the extrapolation to smaller exceedance potentials may be highly uncertain. This means that flood risk mapping may also be highly uncertainty, with additional uncertainties introduced by the representation of flood plain and channel geometry, conveyance and infrastructure. This suggests that decisions about flood plain management should be based on exceedance probability of risk rather than the deterministic hazard maps that are common in most EU countries. Some examples are given from 2 case studies in the UK where a framework for good practice in assessing uncertainty in flood risk mapping has been produced as part of the Flood Risk Management Research Consortium and Catchment Change Network Projects. This framework provides a structure for the communication and audit of assumptions about uncertainties.

A humanitarian preparedness toolbox: estimating flood affected figures and exposure of livelihoods to future floods events, using freely available datasets.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paron, Paolo; von Hagen, Craig; Peppino Disperati, Stefano; Hermansyah, Budi; Shaheen, Imra; Jan, Qasim; Berloffa, Andrea; Khan, Ruby; Fakhre, Alam

2013-04-01

Pakistan is highly disaster-prone, with three major flood disasters occurred in the past three years, yet major losses are not inevitable. Farming-based families still struggling to recover from 2010 and 2011 floods have again faced another bad monsoon season in 2012. Meanwhile, the likelihood of yet more natural disasters in the future is high as the phenomenon of climate change is increasing the prevalence of extreme weather conditions. Even with less rainfall, the risk of flooding this year remains high, while many villages have not fully recovered from the 2011-2012 floods. It is of utmost importance to support the most vulnerable rural communities to recover their flood-affected livelihoods. In the meantime, prioritizing disaster preparedness through flood hazard and population mapping is crucial to ensure that realistic contingency plans are in place to deliver an effective and timely response and reduce the impact of floods before they strike. To increase preparedness in future floods, an integrated approach that builds the resilience of flood affected community and enhances emergency preparedness based on reliable data is critical. We present here the innovative methodology developed for estimating population and livelihood that could potentially be affected by a future flood scenario, as well as a methodology for knowing where these people are located, along with an overview of their livelihood pattern. This project has used only freely available dataset, due to the urgency of providing a toolbox to the humanitarian community and the absence of readily available detailed information on natural hazards and exposure in Pakistan. The estimated figures resulting from this project, would provide the Food Security stakeholders with adequate information and data for programming a tailored response in case of floods during future monsoon season. For the purpose of preparedness, understanding the risks, and its potential magnitude, is crucial to provide decision makers with timely information that can serve as a baseline to inform assessments, data analysis and programming of response. Having an estimate of the potentially affected people and agricultural areas before a disaster occurs, can contribute to an organized, appropriate, more timely and targeted response. We also developed a web-based mapping tool to allow remote access to relevant real-time data and scenarios. By combining maps of land cover, crop zones, flood hazard and population, this project has provided essential geographic orientation for food security preparedness analysis, and is essential for the following reasons: i. It provides the basis for quantifying population at risk of food insecurity before a disaster occurs; ii. It provides a stratification for any post-disaster assessment; iii. Combined with a FS&L (Food Security and Livelihood Assessment), it helps to inform the Food Security response analyses and assistance targeting; iv. It complements and inform the district-based HLV (Hazard Livelihood and Vulnerability baseline and contingency plans) with data and analyses at country and provincial level linked with agriculture seasonal calendars, main key production cycles, and seasonal hazards; v. It provides inputs to any future activities under the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) project.

Unit 6, downstream from Ferndale Bridge Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 6, downstream from Ferndale Bridge - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 5, upstream toward incline bridge Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 5, upstream toward incline bridge - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 2, downstream from Coppersdale Bridge Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 2, downstream from Coppersdale Bridge - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Elevated view of city from incline Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Elevated view of city from incline - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 3, downstream from Point Park Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 3, downstream from Point Park - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 1, downstream from Laurel Run Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 1, downstream from Laurel Run - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 3, upstream from footbridge Johnstown Local Flood Protection ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 3, upstream from footbridge - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Pittsfield Local Flood Protection, West Branch and Southwest Branch, Housatonic River, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Detailed Project Report for Water Resources Development.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

a bakery , a gas station, and the Linden Street bridge were flooded during the March 1977 storm. Flooding also occurred on the Southwest Branch...and service station, one bakery , and five other commercial establishments. Most of these structures are not suited to being elevated above the design...of a shopping plaza and a fast-food franchise in the flood plain on West Housatonic Street (Route 20). The following three alternate plans of

Real Time Monitoring of Flooding from Microwave Satellite Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galantowicz, John F.; Frey, H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In this report, we review the progress to date including results from data analyses and present a schedule of milestones for the remainder of the project. We discuss the processing of flood extent data and SSM/I brightness temperature data for the 1993 Midwest Flood. We present preliminary results from the derivation of open water fraction from brightness temperatures.

A Methodology to Define Flood Resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tourbier, J.

2012-04-01

Flood resilience has become an internationally used term with an ever-increasing number of entries on the Internet. The SMARTeST Project is looking at approaches to flood resilience through case studies at cities in various countries, including Washington D.C. in the United States. In light of U.S. experiences a methodology is being proposed by the author that is intended to meet ecologic, spatial, structural, social, disaster relief and flood risk aspects. It concludes that: "Flood resilience combines (1) spatial, (2) structural, (3) social, and (4) risk management levels of flood preparedness." Flood resilience should incorporate all four levels, but not necessarily with equal emphasis. Stakeholders can assign priorities within different flood resilience levels and the considerations they contain, dividing 100% emphasis into four levels. This evaluation would be applied to planned and completed projects, considering existing conditions, goals and concepts. We have long known that the "road to market" for the implementation of flood resilience is linked to capacity building of stakeholders. It is a multidisciplinary enterprise, involving the integration of all the above aspects into the decision-making process. Traditional flood management has largely been influenced by what in the UK has been called "Silo Thinking", involving constituent organizations that are responsible for different elements, and are interested only in their defined part of the system. This barrier to innovation also has been called the "entrapment effect". Flood resilience is being defined as (1) SPATIAL FLOOD RESILIENCE implying the management of land by floodplain zoning, urban greening and management to reduce storm runoff through depression storage and by practicing Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUD's), Best Management Practices (BMP's, or Low Impact Development (LID). Ecologic processes and cultural elements are included. (2) STRUCTURAL FLOOD RESILIENCE referring to permanent flood defense structures such as levies, demountable structures that are partially installed, temporary structures that are removable, as well as dry- and` wet floodproofing of structures to meet construction standards to deflect or resist pressure without breaking. (3)SOCIAL FLOOD RESILIENCE referring to the building of robust institutions (including NGO's) and governance systems that underpin our capacity to prepare for and cope with uncertainty, change, and disasters when they occur. (4) FLOOD RISK RESILIENCE implies the ability to withstand and recover from crises through financial insurance assistance and through assistance by governmental institutions, including the communication of information on floodproofing steps that individuals can take on their own. Within these four levels considerations are outlined to form categories within a matrix as a way to set planning priorities by considering existing conditions, to formulate goals and to develop concepts. The matrix can function as indicators of success for a pre-and post-project assessment. A clear formulation of goals is an essential first step in the planning process, and a pre-requisite for the monitoring of performance. Policy makers would be involved in an active policy process, which has been called "a learning and action alliance to build capacity for flood resilience.

Development of Hydrometeorological Monitoring and Forecasting as AN Essential Component of the Early Flood Warning System:

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manukalo, V.

2012-12-01

Defining issue The river inundations are the most common and destructive natural hazards in Ukraine. Among non-structural flood management and protection measures a creation of the Early Flood Warning System is extremely important to be able to timely recognize dangerous situations in the flood-prone areas. Hydrometeorological information and forecasts are a core importance in this system. The primary factors affecting reliability and a lead - time of forecasts include: accuracy, speed and reliability with which real - time data are collected. The existing individual conception of monitoring and forecasting resulted in a need in reconsideration of the concept of integrated monitoring and forecasting approach - from "sensors to database and forecasters". Result presentation The Project: "Development of Flood Monitoring and Forecasting in the Ukrainian part of the Dniester River Basin" is presented. The project is developed by the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Service in a conjunction with the Water Management Agency and the Energy Company "Ukrhydroenergo". The implementation of the Project is funded by the Ukrainian Government and the World Bank. The author is nominated as the responsible person for coordination of activity of organizations involved in the Project. The term of the Project implementation: 2012 - 2014. The principal objectives of the Project are: a) designing integrated automatic hydrometeorological measurement network (including using remote sensing technologies); b) hydrometeorological GIS database construction and coupling with electronic maps for flood risk assessment; c) interface-construction classic numerical database -GIS and with satellite images, and radar data collection; d) providing the real-time data dissemination from observation points to forecasting centers; e) developing hydrometeoroogical forecasting methods; f) providing a flood hazards risk assessment for different temporal and spatial scales; g) providing a dissemination of current information, forecasts and warnings to consumers automatically. Besides scientific and technical issues the implementation of these objectives requires solution of a number of organizational issues. Thus, as a result of the increased complexity of types of hydrometeorological data and in order to develop forecasting methods, a reconsideration of meteorological and hydrological measurement networks should be carried out. The "optimal density of measuring networks" is proposed taking into account principal terms: a) minimizing an uncertainty in characterizing the spacial distribution of hydrometeorological parameters; b) minimizing the Total Life Cycle Cost of creation and maintenance of measurement networks. Much attention will be given to training Ukrainian disaster management authorities from the Ministry of Emergencies and the Water Management Agency to identify the flood hazard risk level and to indicate the best protection measures on the basis of continuous monitoring and forecasts of evolution of meteorological and hydrological conditions in the river basin.

Simulation of Columbia River Floods in the Hanford Reach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waichler, Scott R.; Serkowski, John A.; Perkins, William A.

Columbia River water elevations and flows in the Hanford Reach affect the environment and facilities along the shoreline, including movement of contaminants in groundwater, fish habitat, and infrastructure subject to flooding. This report describes the hydraulic simulation of hypothetical flood flows using the best available topographic and bathymetric data for the Hanford Reach and the Modular Aquatic Simulation System in 1 Dimension (MASS1) hydrodynamic model. The MASS1 model of the Hanford Reach was previously calibrated to field measurements of water surface elevations. The current model setup can be used for other studies of flow, water levels, and temperature in themore » Reach. The existing MASS1 channel geometry and roughness and other model configuration inputs for the Hanford Reach were used for this study, and previous calibration and validation results for the model are reprinted here for reference. The flood flows for this study were simulated by setting constant flow rates obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the Columbia, Snake, and Yakima Rivers, and a constant water level at McNary Dam, and then running the model to steady state. The discharge levels simulated were all low-probability events; for example, a 100-year flood is one that would occur on average every 100 years, or put another way, in any given year there is a 1% chance that a discharge of that level or higher will occur. The simulated floods and their corresponding Columbia River discharges were 100-year (445,000 cfs), 500-year (520,000 cfs), and the USACE-defined Standard Project Flood (960,000 cfs). The resulting water levels from the steady-state floods can be viewed as “worst case” outcomes for the respective discharge levels. The MASS1 output for water surface elevations was converted to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 and projected across the channel and land surface to enable mapping of the floodplain for each scenario. Floodplain maps show that for the 100-year and 500-year discharge levels, flooding is mainly confined to the topographic trench that is the river channel. The flooded area for the Standard Project Flood extends out of the channel area in some places, particularly in the 100-F Area. All of the output from the simulations have been archived and are available for future investigations in the Hanford Reach.« less

Recent sea-level changes and related engineering problems in the Lagoon of Venice (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirazzoli, Paolo Antonio

In the city of Venice, where the average altitude is only a few tens of centimetres, there has been a dangerous increase in the frequency of flooding during the past few decades. Since 1872, the average increase in flooding levels (“acqua alta”) has been about 40cm: 27cm of this is due to the local rise in mean sea-level (of which some 14cm are related to man-induced subsidence of land, and 3-7cm to geological factors), and at least 14cm are caused by hydrodynamical factors, of which about 10cm can be ascribed to man-induced tidal changes. These latter are due above all to the dredging of deep artificial channels, the reclamation of wide areas of tidal flats, and the diking of fish ponds (“valli”), which have changed the ratio between the surface of the lagoon and that of the inlets. Since the latest modification (1963-1969), the lagoon has been open to large oil tankers, thereby allowing an easier entry of storm surges arising out at sea. Indeed an incompatibility exists between the accessibility of very large boats to the lagoon and the safeguard of Venice. Several engineering projects have been proposed with a view to improving the present critical situation. These projects include underground injections to raise the islands, the construction of new embankments, a reduction in the size of the passes, new access to wide areas for the tide, and the construction of flood gates at the passes. The reliability and effects of these projects are analysed and discussed. In conclusion, the removal of the oil terminal from the lagoon and a stricter control of water pollution are considered the most urgent preliminary actions for a long term solution of the flooding problem. This would enable a decrease in the exchanges between the lagoon and the sea, without, however, reducing the depth of the navigation channels to levels inconsistent with most of the present non-oil traffic. A final measure would be the construction of mobile gates at the passes which would permanently protect the lagoon against flooding. The solution put forward here differs however from the project proposed by a group of experts appointed by the Italian government, which aims at keeping the oil terminal inside the lagoon, thus maintaining the navigation channels at depths which increase hydrodynamic effects and make any sedimetological equilibrium in the lagoon impossible.

Natural flood risk management in flashy headwater catchments: managing runoff peaks, timing, water quality and sediment regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, Mark; Addy, Steve; Ghimire, Sohan; Kenyon, Wendy; Nicholson, Alex; Quinn, Paul; Stutter, Marc; Watson, Helen

2013-04-01

Over the past decade many European catchments have experienced an unusually high number of flood events. A large number of these events are the result of intense rainfall in small headwater catchments which are dominated by surface runoff generation, resulting in flash flooding of local communities. Soil erosion and related water quality issues, among others, are typically associated with such rapid runoff generation. The hazard of flooding is increasing owing to impacts of changing climatic patterns (including more intense summer storms), intensification of agriculture within rural catchments and continued pressure to build on floodplains. Concurrently, the cost of constructing and maintaining traditional flood defences in small communities outweigh the potential benefits. Hence, there is a growing interest in more cost effective natural approaches that also have multipurpose benefits in terms of sediment, water quality, and habitat creation. Many catchments in Europe are intensively farmed and there is great potential for agriculture to be part of the solution to flood risk management. Natural flood management (NFM) is the alteration, restoration or use of landscape features with the aim of reducing flood risk by slowing down, storing (and filtering) rapid surface runoff. NFM includes measures such as temporarily storing water in ponds/wetlands, increasing soil infiltration, planting trees on floodplains and within catchments, re-meandering and wood placements in streams/ditches. In this presentation we highlight case studies from densely instrumented research sites across the UK (which could be typical of many European catchments) where NFM measures have been installed in small scale flashy catchments. The presentation will give an overview of the function of these measures in these catchments and how other multiple benefits are being accrued. Study catchments include the headwater catchments of the Bowmont (3 to 8 km2) and Belford Burn (6 km2) catchments. These catchments are known for their rapid runoff generation and have downstream local communities at risk of flash flooding. In Bowmont, NFM measures are currently being put in place to restore river bars and to store water more effectively on the flood plains during these flashy events. For example, Apex engineered wood structure in the river channel and riparian zones are designed to trap sediment and log bank protection structures are being installed to stop bank erosion. Tree planting in the catchment is also taking place. In the Belford catchment storage ponds and woody debris have been installed over the past five years to help to reduce the flood risk to the village of Belford. A dense instrumentation network has provided data for analysis and modelling which shows evidence of local scale flood peak reductions along with the collection of large amounts of sediment. A modelling study carried out (using a pond network model) during an intense summer storm showed that 30 small scale pond features used in sequence could reduce the flood peak by ~35% at the local scale. Findings show that managing surface runoff and local ditch flow at local scale headwater catchments is a cost effective way of managing flashy catchment for flood risk and sediment control. Working with catchment stakeholders is vital. Information given by the local community post flooding has been useful in placing NFM measures throughout the catchments. Involving the local communities in these projects and giving them access to the data and model outputs has helped to develop these projects further.

Flood Control Wild Rice River - South Branch and Felton Ditch, Minnesota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-09-01

good water quality in the proposed project area except that measure- ments for certain parameters, notably heavy metals , exceed the standards for...Topography 5 Soils 6 Climate 8 Groundwater 10 Vegetation 10 Stream Resources 13 Animal Resources 15 Water Quality 16 Regional Economics 17 Watershed... sources . The advisability of low-growing shrubs and trees along the channel would also be considered. Plate 2 illustrates several possible

Photographic copy of original drawing, by Corps of Engineers, U.S. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photographic copy of original drawing, by Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, June 1939 (original in possession of Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Pittsburgh District, Engineering Division files) Unit 3, control weir at STA. 7+00-Little Conemaugh - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Big Creek Flood Control Project, Cleveland, Ohio. Phase II. General Design Memorandum. Appendix A. Soils, Geology, and Construction Materials.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-02-01

maximum thickness of about 4 feet of shale excavation will be required. The upper 1 foot of shale is weathered and easily rippable . A44. From Station...weathered and easily rippable . AS0. From Station 75+60M to 83+50M, maximum excavation in shale is about 3 feet. Most of the excavation in this section will be

ELSA flood stack for MIS 2-3 from dry maar lakestructure Auel (Eifel/Germany)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunck, Heiko; Sirocko, Frank

2015-04-01

Lacustrine sediments are very sensitive to natural and anthropogenically enviromental changes. Thus, lake sediments are excellent climate archives and can be used for reconstructions of past precipitation and flood events. However, until now, there is no continous flood record for the entire last 60 000 years for Central Europe. The present study reconstructs paleo floods from event layers in the sediment, of dry maar lakestructure Auel (Eifel). This silted up basin has an inflow by a local stream. Accordingly the sedimentation rate is directly linked to runoff activity. The bioturbation was low so that event layers become visible, but varves are not preserved. The maar site is near to the town of Gerolstein in the Eifel; the core AU2 was drilled in the ELSA (Eifel Laminated Sediment archive) project and is 123m long. AU2 has the highest sedimentation rate of all ELSA cores, due to abundant fluvial input. The Eifel area is well suited to approximate Central European weather, because modern water level gauge data from Eifel rivers correlate with respective data from the Rhine (Wernli and Pfahl, 2009). Due to the high inflow into the maar, Auel has the highest number of botanical macro remains of all ELSA cores. These specific conditions explain why only in AU2 all 21 Greenland interstadials can be observed in the abundance of wood remains and the organic carbon concentration. In a final stratigraphic step the time series of Corg was tuned to the Greenland ice core chronology to link the central European landscape evolution directly to the Greenland climate curve (Svensson et al., 2008). Combined sedimentological, paleobotanical and geochemical data received from AU2 builds the foundation of the 14C based chronology. The synchronisation of the record with other cores is controlled by tephra time markers and pollen. Both are used to align the main cores of the ELSA project and construct an integrated age model for the last 220 000 years [b2k] (Förster and Sirocko, 2014). To study the past flood events in detail, 10 cm long thin sections were analyzed to distinguish flood layers from distal turbidites. Turbidites have a continuous grain size gradation; the grains size profile of flood events is in contrast characterized by several grain size maxima over the entire layer thickness. A flood event over several days shows numerous peaks of intense discharge, which lead to a discontinuous grain size gradient. The thickness of each flood layer was measured for the classification of the event intensity. As a consequence, 88 flood layers over 7.5 mm thickness were detected. Our time-series represents the first highly-resolved chronology for flood events from 60 000 years until present times and indicates variable periodicities of flood activity linked to predominant climatic development. The fore main sections of all flood layers are: 44 000 - 45 500, 30 000 - 37 000, 20 000 - 22 500 and 11 000 - 17 000 years [b2k].

1. VIEW LOOKING SOUTHWEST AT TURNOUT ON SAN TAN FLOODWATER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. VIEW LOOKING SOUTHWEST AT TURNOUT ON SAN TAN FLOOD-WATER CANAL TO SAN TAN INDIAN CANAL - San Carlos Irrigation Project, San Tan Flood Water Canal, North Side of Gila River, Coolidge, Pinal County, AZ

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Newton, D.W.; Hotchkiss, R.H.; Buck, L.E.

The community of St. Charles is located in southwest Virginia on Straight Creek, a tributary to the North Fork Powell River. Over 10 percent of the 12.5-square-mile watershed above St. Charles has been strip mined during the past 30 years. Large floods in March 1963 and April, October, and November 1977 were accompanied by sedimentation in the stream channels. Channel dredging was performed in the vicinity of St. Charles in 1979-1980 to restore stream capacity. Local citizens believe sedimentation produced by strip mining is responsible for increased flooding in their community. In 1978 the Tennessee Valley Authority, under contract withmore » the Virginia Division of Mined Land Reclamation, initiated a project to determine the impacts of sedimentation on flooding in St. Charles and, if found significant, to evaluate methods to reduce future sediment-related flood damages. This paper is a summary of that project, which was completed in September 1984.« less

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Sonaguera, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Sonaguera that would be inundated by a 50-year flood of Rio Sonaguera and its tributary, Rio Juan Lazaro. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Sonaguera as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for an estimated 50-year-flood on Rio Sonaguera and Rio Juan Lazaro at Sonaguera were determined using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area and a ground survey at the bridge. There are no nearby long-term stream-gaging stations on Rio Sonaguera or Rio Juan Lazaro; therefore, the 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Sonaguera above the confluence with Rio Juan Lazaro, 194 cubic meters per second; for Rio Juan Lazaro at its mouth, 168 cubic meters per second, and for Rio Sonaguera at the downstream end of the study area, 282 cubic meters per second; were estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation.

Designing Flood Management Systems for Joint Economic and Ecological Robustness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spence, C. M.; Grantham, T.; Brown, C. M.; Poff, N. L.

2015-12-01

Freshwater ecosystems across the United States are threatened by hydrologic change caused by water management operations and non-stationary climate trends. Nonstationary hydrology also threatens flood management systems' performance. Ecosystem managers and flood risk managers need tools to design systems that achieve flood risk reduction objectives while sustaining ecosystem functions and services in an uncertain hydrologic future. Robust optimization is used in water resources engineering to guide system design under climate change uncertainty. Using principles introduced by Eco-Engineering Decision Scaling (EEDS), we extend robust optimization techniques to design flood management systems that meet both economic and ecological goals simultaneously across a broad range of future climate conditions. We use three alternative robustness indices to identify flood risk management solutions that preserve critical ecosystem functions in a case study from the Iowa River, where recent severe flooding has tested the limits of the existing flood management system. We seek design modifications to the system that both reduce expected cost of flood damage while increasing ecologically beneficial inundation of riparian floodplains across a wide range of plausible climate futures. The first robustness index measures robustness as the fraction of potential climate scenarios in which both engineering and ecological performance goals are met, implicitly weighting each climate scenario equally. The second index builds on the first by using climate projections to weight each climate scenario, prioritizing acceptable performance in climate scenarios most consistent with climate projections. The last index measures robustness as mean performance across all climate scenarios, but penalizes scenarios with worse performance than average, rewarding consistency. Results stemming from alternate robustness indices reflect implicit assumptions about attitudes toward risk and reveal the tradeoffs between using structural and non-structural flood management strategies to ensure economic and ecological robustness.

Flood effects on an Alaskan stream restoration project: the value of long-term monitoring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Densmore, Roseann V.; Karle, Kenneth F.

2009-01-01

On a nationwide basis, few stream restoration projects have long-term programs in place to monitor the effects of floods on channel and floodplain configuration and floodplain vegetation, but long-term and event-based monitoring is required to measure the effects of these stochastic events and to use the knowledge for adaptive management and the design of future projects. This paper describes a long-term monitoring effort (15 years) on a stream restoration project in Glen Creek in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The stream channel and floodplain of Glen Creek had been severely degraded over a period of 80 years by placer mining for gold, which left many reaches with unstable and incised streambeds without functioning vegetated floodplains. The objectives of the original project, initiated in 1991, were to develop and test methods for the hydraulic design of channel and floodplain morphology and for floodplain stabilization and riparian habitat recovery, and to conduct research and monitoring to provide information for future projects in similar degraded watersheds. Monitoring methods included surveyed stream cross-sections, vegetation plots, and aerial, ground, and satellite photos. In this paper we address the immediate and outlying effects of a 25-year flood on the stream and floodplain geometry and riparian vegetation. The long-term monitoring revealed that significant channel widening occurred following the flood, likely caused by excessive upstream sediment loading and the fairly slow development of floodplain vegetation in this climate. Our results illustrated design flaws, particularly in regard to identification and analysis of sediment sources and the dominant processes of channel adjustment.

The uncertainty cascade in flood risk assessment under changing climatic conditions - the Biala Tarnowska case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doroszkiewicz, Joanna; Romanowicz, Renata

2016-04-01

Uncertainty in the results of the hydraulic model is not only associated with the limitations of that model and the shortcomings of data. An important factor that has a major impact on the uncertainty of the flood risk assessment in a changing climate conditions is associated with the uncertainty of future climate scenarios (IPCC WG I, 2013). Future climate projections provided by global climate models are used to generate future runoff required as an input to hydraulic models applied in the derivation of flood risk maps. Biala Tarnowska catchment, situated in southern Poland is used as a case study. Future discharges at the input to a hydraulic model are obtained using the HBV model and climate projections obtained from the EUROCORDEX project. The study describes a cascade of uncertainty related to different stages of the process of derivation of flood risk maps under changing climate conditions. In this context it takes into account the uncertainty of future climate projections, an uncertainty of flow routing model, the propagation of that uncertainty through the hydraulic model, and finally, the uncertainty related to the derivation of flood risk maps. One of the aims of this study is an assessment of a relative impact of different sources of uncertainty on the uncertainty of flood risk maps. Due to the complexity of the process, an assessment of total uncertainty of maps of inundation probability might be very computer time consuming. As a way forward we present an application of a hydraulic model simulator based on a nonlinear transfer function model for the chosen locations along the river reach. The transfer function model parameters are estimated based on the simulations of the hydraulic model at each of the model cross-section. The study shows that the application of the simulator substantially reduces the computer requirements related to the derivation of flood risk maps under future climatic conditions. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the project CHIHE (Climate Change Impact on Hydrological Extremes), carried out in the Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, funded by Norway Grants (contract No. Pol-Nor/196243/80/2013). The hydro-meteorological observations were provided by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW), Poland.

33 CFR 209.220 - Flood control regulations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the purpose of coordinating the operation of the flood control features of reservoirs constructed... responsible for the maintenance and operation of the reservoir involved after a detailed study of the flood.... Regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army for the maintenance and operation of local flood...

33 CFR 209.220 - Flood control regulations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the purpose of coordinating the operation of the flood control features of reservoirs constructed... responsible for the maintenance and operation of the reservoir involved after a detailed study of the flood.... Regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army for the maintenance and operation of local flood...

Flood Risk Management Policy in Scotland: Research Questions Past, Present and Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, Mark; Hastings, Emily; MacDonald, Jannette

2016-04-01

Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) delivers accessible research and expert opinion to support the Scottish Government and its delivery partners in the development and implementation of water policy. It was established in 2011 by the Scottish Government (Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services) in recognition of a gap in the provision of short term advice and research to policy (development and implementation). Key policy areas include the Water Framework Directive, Floods Directive, Drinking Water Directive, Habitats Directive and Scotland's Hydro Nation Strategy. CREW is unique in its demand-driven and free service for policy makers and practitioners, managing the engagement between scientists, policy makers and practitioners to work effectively across this interface. The users of CREW are the Scottish Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and Scottish Water. CREW has funded around 100 projects relating to water policy since its inception in 2011. Of these, a significant number relate to flood risk management policy. Based on a review of work to date, this poster will give an overview of these projects and a forward look at the challenges that remain. From learning from community led flood risk management to surface water flood forecasting for urban communities, links will be made between sustainable and traditional flood risk management while considering the perceptions of stakeholders to flood risk management. How can we deliver fully integrated flood risk management options? How policy makers, scientists and land managers can better work together will also be explored.

Real-time flood forecasting

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lai, C.; Tsay, T.-K.; Chien, C.-H.; Wu, I.-L.

2009-01-01

Researchers at the Hydroinformatic Research and Development Team (HIRDT) of the National Taiwan University undertook a project to create a real time flood forecasting model, with an aim to predict the current in the Tamsui River Basin. The model was designed based on deterministic approach with mathematic modeling of complex phenomenon, and specific parameter values operated to produce a discrete result. The project also devised a rainfall-stage model that relates the rate of rainfall upland directly to the change of the state of river, and is further related to another typhoon-rainfall model. The geographic information system (GIS) data, based on precise contour model of the terrain, estimate the regions that were perilous to flooding. The HIRDT, in response to the project's progress, also devoted their application of a deterministic model to unsteady flow of thermodynamics to help predict river authorities issue timely warnings and take other emergency measures.

Urban flooding and Resilience: concepts and needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gourbesville, Ph.

2012-04-01

During the recent years, a growing interest for resilience has been expressed in the natural disaster mitigation area and especially in the flood related events. The European Union, under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), has initiated several research initiatives in order to explore this concept especially for the urban environments. Under urban resilience is underlined the ability of system potentially exposed to hazard to resist, respond, recover and reflect up to stage which is enough to preserve level of functioning and structure. Urban system can be resilient to lot of different hazards. Urban resilience is defined as the degree to which cities are able to tolerate some disturbance before reorganizing around a new set of structures and processes (Holling 1973, De Bruijn 2005). The United Nation's International strategy for Disaster Reductions has defined resilience as "the capacity of a system, community or society potentially exposed to hazards to adapt, by resisting or changing in order to reach and maintain an acceptable level of functioning and structure. This is determined by the degree to which the social system is capable of organizing itself to increase this capacity for learning from past disasters for better future protection and to improve risk reduction measures."(UN/ISDR 2004). According to that, system should be able to accept the hazard and be able to recover up to condition that provides acceptable operational level of city structure and population during and after hazard event. Main elements of urban system are built environment and population. Physical characteristic of built environment and social characteristic of population have to be examined in order to evaluate resilience. Therefore presenting methodology for assessing flood resilience in urban areas has to be one of the focal points for the exposed cities. Strategies under flood management planning related to resilience of urban systems are usually regarding controlling runoff volume, increasing capacity of drainage systems, spatial planning, building regulations, etc. Resilience also considers resilience of population to floods and it's measured with time. Assessment of resilience that is focused on population is following bottom-up approach starting from individual and then assessing community level. Building resilience involves also contribution of social networks, increasing response capacity of communities, self-organization, learning and education and cheering adaptation culture. Measures for improving social side of resilience covers: raising public awareness, implementation of flood forecasting and warning, emergency response planning and training, sharing information, education and communication. Most of these aspects are analyzed with the CORFU FP7 project. Collaborative Research on Flood Resilience in Urban areas (CORFU) is a major project involving 17 European and Asian institutions, funded by a grant from the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme. The overall aim of CORFU is to enable European and Asian partners to learn from each other through joint investigation, development, implementation and dissemination of short to medium term strategies that will enable more scientifically sound management of the consequences of urban flooding in the future and to develop resilience strategies according to each situation. The CORFU project looks at advanced and novel strategies and provide adequate measures for improved flood management in cities. The differences in urban flooding problems in Asia and in Europe range from levels of economic development, infrastructure age, social systems and decision making processes, to prevailing drainage methods, seasonality of rainfall patterns and climate change trends. The study cases are, in Europe, the cities of Hamburg, Barcelona and Nice, and in Asia, Beijing, Dhaka, Mumbai, Taipei, Seoul and Incheon.

Stage III Detailed Project Report and Environmental Impact Statement, Conesus Lake, New York.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

would have on the fish population. Based on Corps studies, it was concluded that there may be some impact and that the plan may lead to improved ...are based on Lhe 30-60 plan of improvement to the outlet control works. A1.7.6 Lake Target Rule Curves - Flood Control Evaluation To evaluate the...effect of rversinq many of the effects noted in the no-action alternative r(sult inq in high tax revenues ( based on high values), improvement i i (It

Use of Natural and Nature-Based Features for Coastal Resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piercy, C.; Bridges, T. S.

2017-12-01

Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) have been used for decades to support a variety of objectives in coastal systems. Beach and dune projects have been a longstanding part of flood risk reduction strategies in Europe, the United States and elsewhere. Coastal restoration projects supporting wetlands, seagrass, oysters and other habitats and communities have been undertaken around the world to restore ecosystem functions. In more recent years there has been a growing interest in developing a technically sound engineering approach for integrating NNBF, in combination with conventional flood defense systems (e.g., levees, seawalls, etc.), for more comprehensive and sustainable flood defense systems. This interest was further stimulated by the outcomes of recent storm events, including Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy in the United States, which have given rise to a range of studies and projects focused on the role of coastal landscape features in flood risk management. The global dialogue that has been underway for several years—including within the Engineering with Nature program in the United States—has revealed the demand for an authoritative guidance on the use of NNBF in shoreline management. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has initiated a collaborative project involving participants from several countries and organizations representing government, academia, and the private sector to develop international guidelines to inform the planning, design, construction, and operation or NNBF projects to support coastal resilience. This paper will describe the key issues and objectives informing the work of the international team that is developing the guidelines.

Identifying Populace Susceptible to Flooding Using ArcGIS and Remote Sensing Datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez, Sim Joseph; Milano, Alan

2016-07-01

Remote sensing technologies are growing vastly as with its various applications. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Republic of the Philippines, has made projects exploiting LiDAR datasets from remote sensing technologies. The Phil-LiDAR 1 project of DOST is a flood hazard mapping project. Among the project's objectives is the identification of building features which can be associated to the flood-exposed population. The extraction of building features from the LiDAR dataset is arduous as it requires manual identification of building features on an elevation map. The mapping of building footprints is made meticulous in order to compensate the accuracy between building floor area and building height both of which are crucial in flood decision making. A building identification method was developed to generate a LiDAR derivative which will serve as a guide in mapping building footprints. The method utilizes several tools of a Geographic Information System (GIS) software called ArcGIS which can operate on physical attributes of buildings such as roofing curvature, slope and blueprint area in order to obtain the LiDAR derivative from LiDAR dataset. The method also uses an intermediary process called building removal process wherein buildings and other features lying below the defined minimum building height - 2 meters in the case of Phil-LiDAR 1 project - are removed. The building identification method was developed in the hope to hasten the identification of building features especially when orthophotographs and/or satellite imageries are not made available.

Distillation Column Flooding Predictor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

George E. Dzyacky

2010-11-23

The Flooding Predictor™ is a patented advanced control technology proven in research at the Separations Research Program, University of Texas at Austin, to increase distillation column throughput by over 6%, while also increasing energy efficiency by 10%. The research was conducted under a U. S. Department of Energy Cooperative Agreement awarded to George Dzyacky of 2ndpoint, LLC. The Flooding Predictor™ works by detecting the incipient flood point and controlling the column closer to its actual hydraulic limit than historical practices have allowed. Further, the technology uses existing column instrumentation, meaning no additional refining infrastructure is required. Refiners often push distillationmore » columns to maximize throughput, improve separation, or simply to achieve day-to-day optimization. Attempting to achieve such operating objectives is a tricky undertaking that can result in flooding. Operators and advanced control strategies alike rely on the conventional use of delta-pressure instrumentation to approximate the column’s approach to flood. But column delta-pressure is more an inference of the column’s approach to flood than it is an actual measurement of it. As a consequence, delta pressure limits are established conservatively in order to operate in a regime where the column is never expected to flood. As a result, there is much “left on the table” when operating in such a regime, i.e. the capacity difference between controlling the column to an upper delta-pressure limit and controlling it to the actual hydraulic limit. The Flooding Predictor™, an innovative pattern recognition technology, controls columns at their actual hydraulic limit, which research shows leads to a throughput increase of over 6%. Controlling closer to the hydraulic limit also permits operation in a sweet spot of increased energy-efficiency. In this region of increased column loading, the Flooding Predictor is able to exploit the benefits of higher liquid/vapor traffic that produce increased contact area and lead to substantial increases in separation efficiency – which translates to a 10% increase in energy efficiency on a BTU/bbl basis. The Flooding Predictor™ operates on the principle that between five to sixty minutes in advance of a flooding event, certain column variables experience an oscillation, a pre-flood pattern. The pattern recognition system of the Flooding Predictor™ utilizes the mathematical first derivative of certain column variables to identify the column’s pre-flood pattern(s). This pattern is a very brief, highly repeatable, simultaneous movement among the derivative values of certain column variables. While all column variables experience negligible random noise generated from the natural frequency of the process, subtle pre-flood patterns are revealed among sub-sets of the derivative values of column variables as the column approaches its hydraulic limit. The sub-set of column variables that comprise the pre-flood pattern is identified empirically through in a two-step process. First, 2ndpoint’s proprietary off-line analysis tool is used to mine historical data for pre-flood patterns. Second, the column is flood-tested to fine-tune the pattern recognition for commissioning. Then the Flooding Predictor™ is implemented as closed-loop advanced control strategy on the plant’s distributed control system (DCS), thus automating control of the column at its hydraulic limit.« less

What are the hydro-meteorological controls on flood characteristics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nied, Manuela; Schröter, Kai; Lüdtke, Stefan; Nguyen, Viet Dung; Merz, Bruno

2017-02-01

Flood events can be expressed by a variety of characteristics such as flood magnitude and extent, event duration or incurred loss. Flood estimation and management may benefit from understanding how the different flood characteristics relate to the hydrological catchment conditions preceding the event and to the meteorological conditions throughout the event. In this study, we therefore propose a methodology to investigate the hydro-meteorological controls on different flood characteristics, based on the simulation of the complete flood risk chain from the flood triggering precipitation event, through runoff generation in the catchment, flood routing and possible inundation in the river system and floodplains to flood loss. Conditional cumulative distribution functions and regression tree analysis delineate the seasonal varying flood processes and indicate that the effect of the hydrological pre-conditions, i.e. soil moisture patterns, and of the meteorological conditions, i.e. weather patterns, depends on the considered flood characteristic. The methodology is exemplified for the Elbe catchment. In this catchment, the length of the build-up period, the event duration and the number of gauges undergoing at least a 10-year flood are governed by weather patterns. The affected length and the number of gauges undergoing at least a 2-year flood are however governed by soil moisture patterns. In case of flood severity and loss, the controlling factor is less pronounced. Severity is slightly governed by soil moisture patterns whereas loss is slightly governed by weather patterns. The study highlights that flood magnitude and extent arise from different flood generation processes and concludes that soil moisture patterns as well as weather patterns are not only beneficial to inform on possible flood occurrence but also on the involved flood processes and resulting flood characteristics.

Storm Duration and Antecedent Moisture Conditions for Flood Discharge Estimation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-11-01

Design flows estimated by flood hydrograph simulation can be reasonably accurate or greatly in error, depending upon the modeling procedures and inputs selected. The objectives of this research project were (1) to determine which combinations of mode...

Risk-based flood-planning strategy for Vermont's roadway network.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-06-01

In this project, the authors extend the use of a previously established measure of link-specific criticality, the Network Robustness Index (NRI), to address disruptions in Vermonts federal-aid road network caused by summertime flooding. The goal o...

Comparing CMIP-3 and CMIP-5 climate projections on flooding estimation of Devils Lake of North Dakota, USA

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Background Water level fluctuations in endorheic lakes are highly susceptible to even slight changes in climate and land use. Devils Lake (DL) in North Dakota, USA is an endorheic system that has undergone multi-decade flooding driven by changes in regional climate. Flooding mitigation strategies have centered on the release of lake water to a nearby river system through artificial outlets, resulting in legal challenges and environmental concerns related to water quality, downstream flooding, species migration, stakeholder opposition, and transboundary water conflicts between the US and Canada. Despite these drawbacks, running outlets would result in low overspill risks in the next 30 years. Methods In this study we evaluated the efficacy of this outlet-based mitigation strategy under scenarios based on the latest IPCC future climate projections. We used the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project CMIP-5 weather patterns from 17 general circulation models (GCMs) obtained under four representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios and downscaled to the DL region. Then, we simulated the changes in lake water levels using the soil and water assessment tool based hydrological model of the watershed. We estimated the probability of future flood risks under those scenarios and compared those with previously estimated overspill risks under the CMIP-3 climate. Results The CMIP-5 ensemble projected a mean annual temperature of 5.78 °C and mean daily precipitation of 1.42 mm/day; both are higher than the existing CMIP-3 future estimates of 4.98 °C and 1.40 mm/day, respectively. The increased precipitation and higher temperature resulted in a significant increase of DL’s overspill risks: 24.4–47.1% without release from outlets and 3.5–14.4% even if the outlets are operated at their combined full 17 m3/s capacity. Discussion The modeled increases in overspill risks indicate a greater frequency of water releases through the artificial outlets. Future risk mitigation management should include providing a flood warning signal to local resource managers, and tasking policy makers to identify additional solution measures such as land use management in the upper watershed to mitigate DL’s flooding. PMID:29736343

Comparing CMIP-3 and CMIP-5 climate projections on flooding estimation of Devils Lake of North Dakota, USA.

PubMed

Kharel, Gehendra; Kirilenko, Andrei

2018-01-01

Water level fluctuations in endorheic lakes are highly susceptible to even slight changes in climate and land use. Devils Lake (DL) in North Dakota, USA is an endorheic system that has undergone multi-decade flooding driven by changes in regional climate. Flooding mitigation strategies have centered on the release of lake water to a nearby river system through artificial outlets, resulting in legal challenges and environmental concerns related to water quality, downstream flooding, species migration, stakeholder opposition, and transboundary water conflicts between the US and Canada. Despite these drawbacks, running outlets would result in low overspill risks in the next 30 years. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of this outlet-based mitigation strategy under scenarios based on the latest IPCC future climate projections. We used the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project CMIP-5 weather patterns from 17 general circulation models (GCMs) obtained under four representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios and downscaled to the DL region. Then, we simulated the changes in lake water levels using the soil and water assessment tool based hydrological model of the watershed. We estimated the probability of future flood risks under those scenarios and compared those with previously estimated overspill risks under the CMIP-3 climate. The CMIP-5 ensemble projected a mean annual temperature of 5.78 °C and mean daily precipitation of 1.42 mm/day; both are higher than the existing CMIP-3 future estimates of 4.98 °C and 1.40 mm/day, respectively. The increased precipitation and higher temperature resulted in a significant increase of DL's overspill risks: 24.4-47.1% without release from outlets and 3.5-14.4% even if the outlets are operated at their combined full 17 m 3 /s capacity. The modeled increases in overspill risks indicate a greater frequency of water releases through the artificial outlets. Future risk mitigation management should include providing a flood warning signal to local resource managers, and tasking policy makers to identify additional solution measures such as land use management in the upper watershed to mitigate DL's flooding.

Allowances for evolving coastal flood risk under uncertain local sea-level rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchanan, M. K.; Kopp, R. E.; Oppenheimer, M.; Tebaldi, C.

2015-12-01

Sea-level rise (SLR) causes estimates of flood risk made under the assumption of stationary mean sea level to be biased low. However, adjustments to flood return levels made assuming fixed increases of sea level are also inaccurate when applied to sea level that is rising over time at an uncertain rate. To accommodate both the temporal dynamics of SLR and their uncertainty, we develop an Average Annual Design Life Level (AADLL) metric and associated SLR allowances [1,2]. The AADLL is the flood level corresponding to a time-integrated annual expected probability of occurrence (AEP) under uncertainty over the lifetime of an asset; AADLL allowances are the adjustment from 2000 levels that maintain current risk. Given non-stationary and uncertain SLR, AADLL flood levels and allowances provide estimates of flood protection heights and offsets for different planning horizons and different levels of confidence in SLR projections in coastal areas. Allowances are a function primarily of local SLR and are nearly independent of AEP. Here we employ probabilistic SLR projections [3] to illustrate the calculation of AADLL flood levels and allowances with a representative set of long-duration tide gauges along U.S. coastlines. [1] Rootzen et al., 2014, Water Resources Research 49: 5964-5972. [2] Hunter, 2013, Ocean Engineering 71: 17-27. [3] Kopp et al., 2014, Earth's Future 2: 383-406.

Validating high-resolution California coastal flood modeling with Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, A.

2015-12-01

The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) is a numerical modeling scheme used to predict coastal flooding due to sea level rise and storms influenced by climate change, currently in use in central California and in development for Southern California (Pt. Conception to the Mexican border). Using a framework of circulation, wave, analytical, and Bayesian models at different geographic scales, high-resolution results are translated as relevant hazards projections at the local scale that include flooding, wave heights, coastal erosion, shoreline change, and cliff failures. Ready access to accurate, high-resolution coastal flooding data is critical for further validation and refinement of CoSMoS and improved coastal hazard projections. High-resolution Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) provides an exceptional data source as appropriately-timed flights during extreme tides or storms provide a geographically-extensive method for determining areas of inundation and flooding extent along expanses of complex and varying coastline. Landward flood extents are numerically identified via edge-detection in imagery from single flights, and can also be ascertained via change detection using additional flights and imagery collected during average wave/tide conditions. The extracted flooding positions are compared against CoSMoS results for similar tide, water level, and storm-intensity conditions, allowing for robust testing and validation of CoSMoS and providing essential feedback for supporting regional and local model improvement.

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Comayagua, Hondura

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Comayagua that would be inundated by 50-year floods on Rio Humuya and Rio Majada. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Comayagua as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for 50-year-floods on Rio Humuya and Rio Majada at Comayagua were estimated using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area. The 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Humuya at Comayagua, 1,400 cubic meters per second, was estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The reasonableness of the regression discharge was evaluated by comparing it with drainage-area-adjusted 50-year-flood discharges estimated for three long-term Rio Humuya stream-gaging stations. The drainage-area-adjusted 50-year-flood discharges estimated from the gage records ranged from 946 to 1,365 cubic meters per second. Because the regression equation discharge agrees closely with the high end of the range of discharges estimated from the gaging-station records, it was used for the hydraulic modeling to ensure that the resulting 50-year-flood water-surface elevations would not be underestimated. The 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Majada at Comayagua (230 cubic meters per second) was estimated using the regression equation because there are no long-term gaging-stations on this river from which to estimate the discharge.

Performance of a system of reservoirs on futuristic front

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Satabdi; Roy, Debasri; Mazumdar, Asis

2017-10-01

Application of simulation model HEC-5 to analyze the performance of the DVC Reservoir System (a multipurpose system with a network of five reservoirs and one barrage) on the river Damodar in Eastern India in meeting projected future demand as well as controlling flood for synthetically generated future scenario is addressed here with a view to develop an appropriate strategy for its operation. Thomas-Fiering model (based on Markov autoregressive model) has been adopted for generation of synthetic scenario (monthly streamflow series) and subsequently downscaling of modeled monthly streamflow to daily values was carried out. The performance of the system (analysed on seasonal basis) in terms of `Performance Indices' (viz., both quantity based reliability and time based reliability, mean daily deficit, average failure period, resilience and maximum vulnerability indices) for the projected scenario with enhanced demand turned out to be poor compared to that for historical scenario. However, judicious adoption of resource enhancement (marginal reallocation of reservoir storage capacity) and demand management strategy (curtailment of projected high water requirements and trading off between demands) was found to be a viable option for improvement of the performance of the reservoir system appreciably [improvement being (1-51 %), (2-35 %), (16-96 %), (25-50 %), (8-36 %) and (12-30 %) for the indices viz., quantity based reliability, time based reliability, mean daily deficit, average failure period, resilience and maximum vulnerability, respectively] compared to that with normal storage and projected demand. Again, 100 % reliability for flood control for current as well as future synthetically generated scenarios was noted. The results from the study would assist concerned authority in successful operation of reservoirs in the context of growing demand and dwindling resource.

A restatement of the natural science evidence concerning catchment-based `natural' flood management in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadson, Simon J.; Hall, Jim W.; Murgatroyd, Anna; Acreman, Mike; Bates, Paul; Beven, Keith; Heathwaite, Louise; Holden, Joseph; Holman, Ian P.; Lane, Stuart N.; O'Connell, Enda; Penning-Rowsell, Edmund; Reynard, Nick; Sear, David; Thorne, Colin; Wilby, Rob

2017-03-01

Flooding is a very costly natural hazard in the UK and is expected to increase further under future climate change scenarios. Flood defences are commonly deployed to protect communities and property from flooding, but in recent years flood management policy has looked towards solutions that seek to mitigate flood risk at flood-prone sites through targeted interventions throughout the catchment, sometimes using techniques which involve working with natural processes. This paper describes a project to provide a succinct summary of the natural science evidence base concerning the effectiveness of catchment-based `natural' flood management in the UK. The evidence summary is designed to be read by an informed but not technically specialist audience. Each evidence statement is placed into one of four categories describing the nature of the underlying information. The evidence summary forms the appendix to this paper and an annotated bibliography is provided in the electronic supplementary material.

A restatement of the natural science evidence concerning catchment-based 'natural' flood management in the UK.

PubMed

Dadson, Simon J; Hall, Jim W; Murgatroyd, Anna; Acreman, Mike; Bates, Paul; Beven, Keith; Heathwaite, Louise; Holden, Joseph; Holman, Ian P; Lane, Stuart N; O'Connell, Enda; Penning-Rowsell, Edmund; Reynard, Nick; Sear, David; Thorne, Colin; Wilby, Rob

2017-03-01

Flooding is a very costly natural hazard in the UK and is expected to increase further under future climate change scenarios. Flood defences are commonly deployed to protect communities and property from flooding, but in recent years flood management policy has looked towards solutions that seek to mitigate flood risk at flood-prone sites through targeted interventions throughout the catchment, sometimes using techniques which involve working with natural processes. This paper describes a project to provide a succinct summary of the natural science evidence base concerning the effectiveness of catchment-based 'natural' flood management in the UK. The evidence summary is designed to be read by an informed but not technically specialist audience. Each evidence statement is placed into one of four categories describing the nature of the underlying information. The evidence summary forms the appendix to this paper and an annotated bibliography is provided in the electronic supplementary material.

The Significance of Shifts in Precipitation Patterns: Modelling the Impacts of Climate Change and Glacier Retreat on Extreme Flood Events in Denali National Park, Alaska

PubMed Central

Crossman, Jill; Futter, Martyn N.; Whitehead, Paul G.

2013-01-01

In glacier-fed systems climate change may have various effects over a range of time scales, including increasing river discharge, flood frequency and magnitude. This study uses a combination of empirical monitoring and modelling to project the impacts of climate change on the glacial-fed Middle Fork Toklat River, Denali National Park, Alaska. We use a regional calibration of the model HBV to account for a paucity of long term observed flow data, validating a local application using glacial mass balance data and summer flow records. Two Global Climate Models (HADCM3 and CGCM2) and two IPCC scenarios (A2 and B2) are used to ascertain potential changes in meteorological conditions, river discharge, flood frequency and flood magnitude. Using remote sensing methods this study refines existing estimates of glacial recession rates, finding that since 2000, rates have increased from 24m per year to 68.5m per year, with associated increases in ablation zone ice loss. GCM projections indicate that over the 21st century these rates will increase still further, most extensively under the CGCM2 model, and A2 scenarios. Due to greater winter precipitation and ice and snow accumulation, glaciers release increasing meltwater quantities throughout the 21st century. Despite increases in glacial melt, results indicate that it is predominantly precipitation that affects river discharge. Three of the four IPCC scenarios project increases in flood frequency and magnitude, events which were primarily associated with changing precipitation patterns, rather than extreme temperature increases or meltwater release. Results suggest that although increasing temperatures will significantly increase glacial melt and winter baseflow, meltwater alone does not pose a significant flood hazard to the Toklat River catchment. Projected changes in precipitation are the primary concern, both through changing snow volumes available for melt, and more directly through increasing catchment runoff. PMID:24023925

The significance of shifts in precipitation patterns: modelling the impacts of climate change and glacier retreat on extreme flood events in Denali National Park, Alaska.

PubMed

Crossman, Jill; Futter, Martyn N; Whitehead, Paul G

2013-01-01

In glacier-fed systems climate change may have various effects over a range of time scales, including increasing river discharge, flood frequency and magnitude. This study uses a combination of empirical monitoring and modelling to project the impacts of climate change on the glacial-fed Middle Fork Toklat River, Denali National Park, Alaska. We use a regional calibration of the model HBV to account for a paucity of long term observed flow data, validating a local application using glacial mass balance data and summer flow records. Two Global Climate Models (HADCM3 and CGCM2) and two IPCC scenarios (A2 and B2) are used to ascertain potential changes in meteorological conditions, river discharge, flood frequency and flood magnitude. Using remote sensing methods this study refines existing estimates of glacial recession rates, finding that since 2000, rates have increased from 24 m per year to 68.5m per year, with associated increases in ablation zone ice loss. GCM projections indicate that over the 21(st) century these rates will increase still further, most extensively under the CGCM2 model, and A2 scenarios. Due to greater winter precipitation and ice and snow accumulation, glaciers release increasing meltwater quantities throughout the 21(st) century. Despite increases in glacial melt, results indicate that it is predominantly precipitation that affects river discharge. Three of the four IPCC scenarios project increases in flood frequency and magnitude, events which were primarily associated with changing precipitation patterns, rather than extreme temperature increases or meltwater release. Results suggest that although increasing temperatures will significantly increase glacial melt and winter baseflow, meltwater alone does not pose a significant flood hazard to the Toklat River catchment. Projected changes in precipitation are the primary concern, both through changing snow volumes available for melt, and more directly through increasing catchment runoff.

BIOAVAILABILITY OF MERCURY IN SEDIMENTS FROM A FLOOD CONTROL RESERVOIR TO HYALELLA AZTECA

EPA Science Inventory

In the last three years, mercury contamination in North Mississippi flood control reservoirs has become a growing concern. Previous data indicate that three flood control reservoirs have similar total mercury sediment concentrations and that fish collected from one reservoir cont...

Wheat production in Bangladesh: its future in the light of global warming

PubMed Central

Hossain, Akbar; Teixeira da Silva, Jaime A.

2012-01-01

Background and aims The most fundamental activity of the people of Bangladesh is agriculture. Modelling projections for Bangladesh indicate that warmer temperatures linked to climate change will severely reduce the growth of various winter crops (wheat, boro rice, potato and winter vegetables) in the north and central parts. In summer, crops in south-eastern parts of the country are at risk from increased flooding as sea levels increase. Key facts Wheat is one of the most important winter crops and is temperature sensitive and the second most important grain crop after rice. In this review, we provide an up-to-date and detailed account of wheat research of Bangladesh and the impact that global warming may have on agriculture, especially wheat production. Although flooding is not of major importance or consequence to the wheat crop at present, some perspectives are provided on this stress since wheat is flood sensitive and the incidence of flooding is likely to increase. Projections This information and projections will allow wheat breeders to devise new breeding programmes to attempt to mitigate future global warming. We discuss what this implies for food security in the broader context of South Asia. PMID:23304431

[Effect of water storage and aquaculture on Oncomelania hupensis control in tidal flats wetlands of islet-beach type area of Dantu section of lower reaches of Yangtze River].

PubMed

Li, Ye-fang; Huang, Yi-xin; Wang, He-sheng; Hang, De-rong; Chen, Xiang-ping; Xie, Yi-feng; Zhang, Lian-heng

2015-12-01

To evaluate the effect and the benefits of the projects of water storage and aquaculture on Oncomelania hupensis snail control in the tidal flats wetlands of islet-beach type area of lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The projects of water storage and aquaculture on 0. hupensis snail control were implemented in the tidal flats wetlands of islet-beach type of lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The breed situation of the snails was investigated by the conventional method before and after the project implementation and the effect of control and elimination of the snails by the projects were evaluated. At the same time, the cost-benefit analysis of two projects among them was performed by the static benefit-cost ratio method. All of 0. hupensis snails were eliminated in the first year after the implementation of seven water storage and aquaculture projects. The costs of detection and control of snails saved by each project was 69.20 thousand yuan a year on average. The annual net benefits of the "Nanhao Group 10 beach" project and "Wutao Group 6-14 beach" project were 2 039.40 thousand yuan and 955.00 thousand yuan respectively, and the annual net benefit-cost ratios were 1.09: 1 and 1.07: 1 respectively. The O. hupensis snails could be rapidly eliminated by the water storage and aquaculture, and the economic benefit is obvious, but the wetland ecological protection and flood control safety should be considered in the tidal flats wetlands of islet-beach type area of lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Local community perception and awareness of flash floods vulnerability at a small catchment scale in the Bend Subcarpathians, Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micu, Dana; Balteanu, Dan; Sima, Mihaela; Dumitrascu, Monica; Chendes, Viorel; Grigorescu, Ines; Dragota, Carmen; Dogaru, Diana; Costache, Andra

2015-04-01

The study aims to identify local communities perception and awareness in terms of hydro-meteorological extreme events in order to better understand the local context of vulnerability and communities resilience to flash floods as well as the mitigation measures undertaken by local authorities to cope with these phenomena. The study-area is located in the Bend Subcarpathians, Romania, a region well known for high tectonic mobility and dynamics of hydro-geomorphic processes (e.g. floods and flash floods, landslides). The study was conducted in the framework of VULMIN project (PN-II-PT-PCCA-2011-3.1-1587), funded by the Ministry of National Education for the period 2012-2016 (http://www.igar-vulmin.ro). The previous analyses conducted in the project showed a high exposure to flash floods of small river catchments (generally below 200 km2 ) located in the study-area (Teleajen-Buzau hydrographic area). Some of the most recent events (2005, 2008, 2010 and 2014) had a high impact on local communities in terms of important losses to their assets and psychological effects. Thus, in the summer 2014, a questionnaire-based survey was addressed to over 50 households (from 5 villages), significantly affected by flash floods and structured interviews were held with local authorities (local municipalities, county Civil Protection Inspectorates). The questionnaire was focused on the perception of human vulnerability to environmental change and extreme events, mainly floods, aiming to outline the personal experience, post-disaster rehabilitation, awareness, worrying and opinion on the measures aimed to prevent and mitigate the effects of flooding. The flash flood events are of major concern for local community, due to their high return period (1-5 years) and magnitude in the recent years. This influences also the population response and adaptive capacity to these events, which is limited to individual measures (e.g. buildings consolidations and relocations). The survey showed a discrepancy between the people's perception on the local authorities reaction during and post-event and the local authorities' perception on their response and preparedness measures. It was noticed a high interest of local authorities to access scientific data (flash flood hazard and risk maps, climate change projections) to support the development of adequate mitigation measures. However, the lack of funds is still limiting their implementation as well as the development of a long-term strategy.

Application of High-resolution Aerial LiDAR Data in Calibration of a Two-dimensional Urban Flood Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piotrowski, J.; Goska, R.; Chen, B.; Krajewski, W. F.; Young, N.; Weber, L.

2009-12-01

In June 2008, the state of Iowa experienced an unprecedented flood event which resulted in an economic loss of approximately $2.88 billion. Flooding in the Iowa River corridor, which exceeded the previous flood of record by 3 feet, devastated several communities, including Coralville and Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa. Recognizing an opportunity to capture a unique dataset detailing the impacts of the historic flood, the investigators contacted the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM), which performed an aerial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey along the Iowa River. The survey, conducted immediately following the flood peak, provided coverage of a 60-mile reach. The goal of the present research is to develop a process by which flood extents and water surface elevations can be accurately extracted from the LiDAR data set and to evaluate the benefit of such data in calibrating one- and two-dimensional hydraulic models. Whereas data typically available for model calibration include sparsely distributed point observations and high water marks, the LiDAR data used in the present study provide broad-scale, detailed, and continuous information describing the spatial extent and depth of flooding. Initial efforts were focused on a 10-mile, primarily urban reach of the Iowa River extending from Coralville Reservoir, a United States Army Corps of Engineers flood control project, downstream through the Coralville and Iowa City. Spatial extent and depth of flooding were estimated from the LiDAR data. At a given cross-sectional location, river channel and floodplain measurements were compared. When differences between floodplain and river channel measurements were less than a standard deviation of the vertical uncertainty in the LiDAR survey, floodplain measurements were classified as flooded. A flood water surface DEM was created using measurements classified as flooded. A two-dimensional, depth-averaged numerical model of a 10-mile reach of the Iowa River corridor was developed using the United States Bureau of Reclamation SRH-2D hydraulic modeling software. The numerical model uses an unstructured numerical mesh and variable surface roughness, assigned according to observed land use and cover. The numerical model was calibrated using inundation extents and water surface elevations derived from the LiDAR data. It was also calibrated using high water marks and land survey data collected daily during the 2008 flood. The investigators compared the two calibrations to evaluate the benefit of high-resolution LiDAR data in improving the accuracy of a two-dimensional urban flood simulation.

Unit 5, STA. 13+00+RB, point stadiumcontext Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 5, STA. 13+00+RB, point stadium-context - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 5, STA, 13+00+RB, point stadiumdetail Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 5, STA, 13+00+RB, point stadium-detail - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 5, STA. 19+00+RB, access rampcontext Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 5, STA. 19+00+RB, access ramp-context - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 5, STA. 53+25+RB, Conrad buildingcontext Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 5, STA. 53+25+RB, Conrad building-context - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 5, STA. 53+25+RB, Conrad buildingdetail Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 5, STA. 53+25+RB, Conrad building-detail - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Unit 5, STA. 19+00+RB, access rampdetail Johnstown Local Flood ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Unit 5, STA. 19+00+RB, access ramp-detail - Johnstown Local Flood Protection Project, Beginning on Conemaugh River approx 3.8 miles downstream from confluence of Little Conemaugh & Stony Creek Rivers at Johnstown, Johnstown, Cambria County, PA

Big muddy: can a chemical flood breathe new life into a tired old giant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1978-06-01

A 9-year, $35.5-million tertiary recovery project has been begun in the Big Muddy Field in Wyoming. It will evaluate a chemical flooding process employing an aqueous surfactant slug followed by polymer. (DLC)

Damage-reducing measures to manage flood risks in a changing climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreibich, Heidi; Bubeck, Philip; Van Vliet, Mathijs; De Moel, Hans

2014-05-01

Damage due to floods has increased during the last few decades, and further increases are expected in several regions due to climate change and a growing vulnerability. To address the projected increase in flood risk, a combination of structural and non-structural flood risk mitigation measures is considered as a promising adaptation strategy. Such a combination takes into account that flood defence systems may fail, and prepare for unexpected crisis situations via land-use planning, building construction, evacuation and disaster response. Non-structural flood risk mitigation measures like shielding with water shutters or sand bags, building fortification or safeguarding of hazardous substances are often voluntary: they demand self-dependent action by the population at risk (Bubeck et al. 2012; 2013). It is believed that these measures are especially effective in areas with frequent flood events and low flood water levels, but some types of measures showed a significant damage-reducing effect also during extreme flood events, such as the Elbe River flood in August 2002 in Germany (Kreibich et al. 2005; 2011). Despite the growing importance of damage-reducing measures, information is still scarce about factors that motivate people to undertake such measures, the state of implementation of various non-structural measures in different countries and their damage reducing effects. Thus, we collected information and undertook an international review about this topic in the framework of the Dutch KfC project "Climate proof flood risk management". The contribution will present an overview about the available information on damage-reducing measures and draw conclusions for practical flood risk management in a changing climate. References: Bubeck, P., Botzen, W. J. W., Suu, L. T. T., Aerts, J. C. J. H. (2012): Do flood risk perceptions provide useful insights for flood risk management? Findings from central Vietnam. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 5, 4, 295-302 Bubeck, P., Botzen, W. J. W., Kreibich, H., Aerts, J. C. J. H. (2013) Detailed insights into the influence of flood-coping appraisals on mitigation behaviour. Global Environmental Change. DOI:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.05.009. Kreibich, H., Thieken, A. H., Petrow, T., Müller, M., Merz, B. (2005): Flood loss reduction of private households due to building precautionary measures - Lessons Learned from the Elbe flood in August 2002. NHESS, 5, 1, 117-126. Kreibich, H., Christenberger, S., Schwarze, R. (2011) Economic motivation of households to undertake private precautionary measures against floods. NHESS, 11, 2, 309-321.

Joint projections of US East Coast sea level and storm surge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, Christopher M.; Horton, Radley M.; Kopp, Robert E.; Oppenheimer, Michael; Vecchi, Gabriel A.; Villarini, Gabriele

2015-12-01

Future coastal flood risk will be strongly influenced by sea-level rise (SLR) and changes in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones. These two factors are generally considered independently. Here, we assess twenty-first century changes in the coastal hazard for the US East Coast using a flood index (FI) that accounts for changes in flood duration and magnitude driven by SLR and changes in power dissipation index (PDI, an integrated measure of tropical cyclone intensity, frequency and duration). Sea-level rise and PDI are derived from representative concentration pathway (RCP) simulations of 15 atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs). By 2080-2099, projected changes in the FI relative to 1986-2005 are substantial and positively skewed: a 10th-90th percentile range 4-75 times higher for RCP 2.6 and 35-350 times higher for RCP 8.5. High-end FI projections are driven by three AOGCMs that project the largest increases in SLR, PDI and upper ocean temperatures. Changes in PDI are particularly influential if their intra-model correlation with SLR is included, increasing the RCP 8.5 90th percentile FI by a further 25%. Sea-level rise from other, possibly correlated, climate processes (for example, ice sheet and glacier mass changes) will further increase coastal flood risk and should be accounted for in comprehensive assessments.

Joint Projections of US East Coast Sea Level and Storm Surge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Little, Christopher M.; Horton, Radley M.; Kopp, Robert E.; Oppenheimer, Michael; Vecchi, Gabriel A.; Villarini, Gabriele

2015-01-01

Future coastal flood risk will be strongly influenced by sea-level rise (SLR) and changes in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones. These two factors are generally considered independently. Here, we assess twenty-first century changes in the coastal hazard for the US East Coast using a flood index (FI) that accounts for changes in flood duration and magnitude driven by SLR and changes in power dissipation index (PDI, an integrated measure of tropical cyclone intensity, frequency and duration). Sea-level rise and PDI are derived from representative concentration pathway (RCP) simulations of 15 atmosphere- ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs). By 2080-2099, projected changes in the FI relative to 1986-2005 are substantial and positively skewed: a 10th-90th percentile range 4-75 times higher for RCP 2.6 and 35-350 times higher for RCP 8.5. High-end Fl projections are driven by three AOGCMs that project the largest increases in SLR, PDI and upper ocean temperatures. Changes in PDI are particularly influential if their intra-model correlation with SLR is included, increasing the RCP 8.5 90th percentile FI by a further 25%. Sea-level rise from other, possibly correlated, climate processes (for example, ice sheet and glacier mass changes) will further increase coastal flood risk and should be accounted for in comprehensive assessments.

33 CFR 203.48 - Inspection guidelines for non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

33 CFR 203.48 - Inspection guidelines for non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

33 CFR 203.44 - Rehabilitation of non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

33 CFR 203.44 - Rehabilitation of non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

33 CFR 203.44 - Rehabilitation of non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

33 CFR 203.44 - Rehabilitation of non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

33 CFR 203.44 - Rehabilitation of non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

33 CFR 203.48 - Inspection guidelines for non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

33 CFR 203.48 - Inspection guidelines for non-Federal flood control works.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT OF ARMY AND OTHER RESOURCES, NATURAL DISASTER PROCEDURES Rehabilitation Assistance for Flood Control Works Damaged by Flood or Coastal Storm...

Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Modeling and Analysis of the Proposed Channel Modifications and Grade Control Structure on the Blue River near Byram's Ford Industrial Park, Kansas City, Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huizinga, Richard J.

2007-01-01

The Blue River Channel Modification project being implemented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is intended to provide flood protection within the Blue River valley in the Kansas City, Mo., metropolitan area. In the latest phase of the project, concerns have arisen about preserving the Civil War historic area of Byram's Ford and the associated Big Blue Battlefield while providing flood protection for the Byram's Ford Industrial Park. In 1996, the USACE used a physical model built at the Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, Miss., to examine the feasibility of a proposed grade control structure (GCS) that would be placed downstream from the historic river crossing of Byram's Ford to provide a subtle transition of flow from the natural channel to the modified channel. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the USACE, modified an existing two-dimensional finite element surface-water model of the river between 63d Street and Blue Parkway (the 'original model'), used the modified model to simulate the existing (as of 2006) unimproved channel and the proposed channel modifications and GCS, and analyzed the results from the simulations and those from the WES physical model. Modifications were made to the original model to create a model that represents existing (2006) conditions between the north end of Swope Park immediately upstream from 63d Street and the upstream limit of channel improvement on the Blue River (the 'model of existing conditions'). The model of existing conditions was calibrated to two measured floods. The model of existing conditions also was modified to create a model that represents conditions along the same reach of the Blue River with proposed channel modifications and the proposed GCS (the 'model of proposed conditions'). The models of existing conditions and proposed conditions were used to simulate the 30-, 50-, and 100-year recurrence floods. The discharge from the calibration flood of May 15, 1990, also was simulated in the models of existing and proposed conditions to provide results for that flood with the current downstream channel modifications and with the proposed channel modifications and GCS. Results from the model of existing conditions show that the downstream channel modifications as they exist (2006) may already be affecting flows in the unmodified upstream channel. The 30-year flood does not inundate most of the Byram's Ford Industrial Park near the upstream end of the study area. Analysis of the 1990 flood (with the historical 1990 channel conditions) and the 1990 flood simulated with the existing (2006) conditions indicates a substantial increase in velocity throughout the study area and a substantial decrease in inundated area from 1990 to 2006. Results from the model of proposed conditions show that the proposed channel modifications will contain the 30-year flood and that the spoil berm designed to provide additional flood protection for the Byram's Ford Industrial Park for the 30-year flood prevents inundation of the industrial park. In the vicinity of Byram's Ford for the 30-year flood, the maximum depth increased from 39.7 feet (ft) in the model of existing conditions to 43.5 ft in the model of proposed conditions, with a resulting decrease in velocity from 6.61 to 4.55 feet per second (ft/s). For the 50-year flood, the maximum depth increased from 42.3 to 45.8 ft, with a decrease in velocity from 6.12 to 4.16 ft/s from existing to proposed conditions. For the 100-year flood, the maximum depth increased from 44.0 to 46.6 ft, with a decrease in velocity from 5.64 to 4.12 ft/s from existing to proposed conditions. When the May 15, 1990, discharge is simulated in the model of existing conditions (with the existing (2006) modified channel downstream of the study area), the maximum depth increases from 38.4 to 42.0 ft, with a decrease in velocity from 6.54 to 4.84 ft/s from existing (2006) to proposed conditions. Analysis of the results fro

Early physiological flood tolerance is followed by slow post-flooding root recovery in the dryland riparian tree Eucalyptus camaldulensis subsp. refulgens.

PubMed

Argus, R E; Colmer, T D; Grierson, P F

2015-06-01

We investigated physiological and morphological responses to flooding and recovery in Eucalyptus camaldulensis subsp. refulgens, a riparian tree species from a dryland region prone to intense episodic floods. Seedlings in soil flooded for 88 d produced extensive adventitious roots, displayed stem hypertrophy (stem diameter increased by 93%) and increased root porosity owing to aerenchyma formation. Net photosynthesis (Pn) and stomatal conductance (gs) were maintained for at least 2 weeks of soil flooding, contrasting with previous studies of other subspecies of E. camaldulensis. Gradual declines followed in both gs (30% less than controls) and Pn (19% less). Total leaf soluble sugars did not differ between flooded and control plants. Root mass did not recover 32 d after flooding ceased, but gs was not lower than controls, suggesting the root system was able to functionally compensate. However, the limited root growth during recovery after flooding was surprising given the importance of extensive root systems in dryland environments. We conclude that early flood tolerance could be an adaptation to capitalize on scarce water resources in a water-limited environment. Overall, our findings highlight the need to assess flooding responses in relation to a species' fitness for particular flood regimes or ecological niches. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Mediterranean case study of flood evolution: the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Llasat, Maria Carmen; Gilabert, Joan; Llasat-Botija, Montserrat; Cortès, Maria; Marcos, Raül; Martín-Vide, Juan Pedro; Turco, Marco; Falcón, Lluis

2016-04-01

Flood risk changes in Mediterranean Region integrate multiple factors, some of them related with the hazard (i.e. rainfall intensity), the vulnerability and exposure (i.e. population or assets), feedback processes that affect both hazard and vulnerability (i.e. urbanization of flood prone areas), mitigation and adaptation measures (i.e. rainwater tanks or early warning systems), and the available information used to estimate flood events (i.e. newspapers or gauged data). Flood events in the West Mediterranean region are usually produced as a consequence of very intense and local precipitation, mainly recorded on late summer and autumn that can give place to flash-floods in little torrential rivers (usually non-permanent flows) or urban floods. The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB), Spain, constitutes a good paradigm of a Mediterranean coast region, with strong urbanization of flood prone areas and high population density in an area crossed by numerous streams. The AMB is constituted by 36 municipalities with a total population above 3.200.000 inhabitants in an extension of 636 km². The major part of the population is concentrated between the Besós River and the Llobregat River, the Littoral Range and the Mediterranean Sea. Although both rivers have experienced catastrophic flood events (i.e. 25 September 1962, 815 deaths; 19-23 September 1971, 19 deaths; October 1987, 8 deaths), the most frequent situation is related with floods in non-permanent streams. Their main impacts are consequence of drainage and runoff problems and can affect both urban and rural areas. This contribution explores the evolution of land uses, population and precipitation from the middle of the 20th century until now, and how these changes have affected (or not), the flood risk. To do it, daily and sub-daily rainfall series, discharge series for the Llobregat and Besós Rivers, population data and land use changes have been analyzed. Future precipitation projections provided by an ensemble of regional models (ENSEMBLES project) have been also considered. Flood events have been obtained from newspapers, reports and insurance data. The role played by prevention measures, particularly in the specific case of Barcelona, which has been recognized by UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) as resilient city in front of floods, is also presented. Results confirm the strong role played by the increase of urban surface (from less than 15% in 1956 to near 40% in 2009) and explore future adaptation measures in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This work has been supported by the Spanish project HOPE and the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, and developed by an interdisciplinary team that include experts from hydrology, meteorology, geography, environmental sciences and architecture.

Alvarado Flood Risk Management Modifications to Existing Project Section 408 Review. Review Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-26

Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps) through the Nationa l Flood Insurance Program ( NFIP ). In order to obtain FEMA accreditation, the levee owner...compliance documentation for meeting NFIP requirements. Barr conducted a thorough review of relevant documents to gain a better understanding of...compliance documentation for meeting NFIP requirements. Barr Engineering has prepared a Phase I Engineer’s Report and is developing plans and

Fluvial geomorphology and suspended-sediment transport during construction of the Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project in Roanoke, Virginia, 2005–2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jastram, John D.; Krstolic, Jennifer L.; Moyer, Douglas; Hyer, Kenneth

2015-09-30

Results of the geomorphological and suspended-sediment monitoring components were largely in agreement and consistent with those of a related effort that monitored the logperch population before and during construction. These findings suggest that construction and sediment-control practices sufficiently protected in-stream habitat and the organisms that inhabit those locations, namely the Roanoke logperch, during the period monitored.

Reconnaissance Report for Section 205 Flood Control: Illinois and Michigan Canal, La Salle and Grundy Counties, Illinois

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

cattail, rice cutgrass, jewelweed , poison ivy and many other species. This corridor provides habitat for deer, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, rabbit, wood...typical bottomland species like sycamore, hackberry, cottonwood, silver maple, boxelder and green ash. Understory vegetation includes poison ivy , nettles... jewelweed , greenbrier, Solomon’s seal, and many other woody and herbaceous plants. The remnant of canal included in this project has little or no

Archaeological and Historic Cultural Resources Inventory for a Flood Control Project at Halstad, Norman County, Minnesota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-21

2476 Prepared for: St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers St. Paul, Minnesota Prepared by: HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEYS, INC. 1702 Dyke Avenue...HISTORICAL STUDIES . . 9 3. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING . . . . . . . . . 15 3.1 Geology . . . . . . . . . . . 15 3.2 Soils . . . . . . . . . . . 16 3.3 Climate...Historical and archaeological data from HASI’s company library in Grand Forks, North Dakota, also were used in preparing overviews and in analysis

Composite Environmental Statement for Operations and Maintenance of Four Projects in the Mermentau Basin, Louisiana.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

heavy metals, or petroleum hydrocarbons in the tissues of marine organisms was evaluated by laboratory methodologies for the winter (120C) and...for trans- port of petroleum , marine shells, supply boats for these industries, and commercial fishing boats. Flood control protection will continue to...emergent salt domes, are entirely Quaternary (Pleistocene and Holocene) in age. d. Economic geology. Sand and petroleum are the principal pro- ducts

Boussinesq Modeling for Inlets, Harbors & Structures (Bouss-2D)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-27

subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 27...work applications. It may be used from deep to shallow water to simulate the nonlinear wave processes of interest in the open coast, nearshore zone...design, and operation of coastal navigation and flooding projects. It provides key engineering estimates for coastal and hydraulic engineering practice

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Tocoa, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Tocoa that would be inundated by a 50-year flood of Rio Tocoa. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Tocoa as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for an estimated 50-year-flood on Rio Tocoa at Tocoa were estimated using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area and a ground survey at one bridge. There are no nearby long-term stream-gaging stations on Rio Tocoa; therefore, the 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Tocoa, 552 cubic meters per second, was estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The drainage area and mean annual precipitation estimated for Rio Tocoa at Tocoa are 204 square kilometers and 1,987 millimeters, respectively. It was assumed that a portion of the 50-year flood, 200 cubic meters per second, would escape the main channel and flow down a side channel before re-entering the main channel again near the lower end of the study area.

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Tegucigalpa, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Tegucigalpa that would be inundated by a 50-year flood of Rio Choluteca, Rio Grande, Rio Guacerique, and Rio Chiquito. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Tegucigalpa as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for an estimated 50-year-flood on Rio Choluteca, Rio Grande, Rio Guacerique, and Rio Chiquito at Tegucigalpa were determined using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area and ground surveys at bridges. There are no nearby long-term stream-gaging stations; therefore, the 50-year-flood discharges were estimated using a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The estimated 50-year-flood discharge is 922 cubic meters per second at Rio Choluteca at downstream end of the study area boundary, 663 cubic meters per second at the mouth of the Rio Grande, 475 cubic meters per second at the mouth of the Rio Guacerique, and 254 cubic meters per second at the mouth of the Rio Chiquito.

Characterization of flood and precipitation events in Southwestern Germany and stochastic simulation of extreme precipitation (Project FLORIS-SV)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florian, Ehmele; Michael, Kunz

2016-04-01

Several major flood events occurred in Germany in the past 15-20 years especially in the eastern parts along the rivers Elbe and Danube. Examples include the major floods of 2002 and 2013 with an estimated loss of about 2 billion Euros each. The last major flood events in the State of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany occurred in the years 1978 and 1993/1994 along the rivers Rhine and Neckar with an estimated total loss of about 150 million Euros (converted) each. Flood hazard originates from a combination of different meteorological, hydrological and hydraulic processes. Currently there is no defined methodology available for evaluating and quantifying the flood hazard and related risk for larger areas or whole river catchments instead of single gauges. In order to estimate the probable maximum loss for higher return periods (e.g. 200 years, PML200), a stochastic model approach is designed since observational data are limited in time and space. In our approach, precipitation is linearly composed of three elements: background precipitation, orographically-induces precipitation, and a convectively-driven part. We use linear theory of orographic precipitation formation for the stochastic precipitation model (SPM), which is based on fundamental statistics of relevant atmospheric variables. For an adequate number of historic flood events, the corresponding atmospheric conditions and parameters are determined in order to calculate a probability density function (pdf) for each variable. This method involves all theoretically possible scenarios which may not have happened, yet. This work is part of the FLORIS-SV (FLOod RISk Sparkassen Versicherung) project and establishes the first step of a complete modelling chain of the flood risk. On the basis of the generated stochastic precipitation event set, hydrological and hydraulic simulations will be performed to estimate discharge and water level. The resulting stochastic flood event set will be used to quantify the flood risk and to estimate probable maximum loss (e.g. PML200) for a given property (buildings, industry) portfolio.

Magnitude and extent of flooding at selected river reaches in western Washington, January 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mastin, M.C.; Gendaszek, A.S.; Barnas, C.R.

2010-01-01

A narrow plume of warm, moist tropical air produced prolonged precipitation and melted snow in low-to-mid elevations throughout western Washington in January 2009. As a result, peak-of-record discharges occurred at many long-term streamflow-gaging stations in the region. A disaster was declared by the President for eight counties in Washington State and by May 2009, aid payments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had exceeded $17 million. In an effort to document the flood and to obtain flood information that could be compared with simulated flood extents that are commonly prepared in conjunction with flood insurance studies by FEMA, eight stream reaches totaling 32.6 miles were selected by FEMA for inundation mapping. The U.S. Geological Survey?s Washington Water Science Center used a survey-grade global positioning system (GPS) the following summer to survey high-water marks (HWMs) left by the January 2009 flood at these reaches. A Google Maps (copyright) application was developed to display all HWM data on an interactive mapping tool on the project?s web site soon after the data were collected. Water-surface profiles and maps that display the area and depth of inundation were produced through a geographic information system (GIS) analysis that combined surveyed HWM elevations with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)-derived digital elevation models of the study reaches and surrounding terrain. In several of the reaches, floods were well confined in their flood plains and were relatively straightforward to map. More common, however, were reaches with more complicated hydraulic geometries where widespread flooding resulted in flows that separated from the main channel. These proved to be more difficult to map, required subjective hydrologic judgment, and relied on supplementary information, such as aerial photographs and descriptions of the flooding from local landowners and government officials to obtain the best estimates of the extent of flooding.

Increased nuisance flooding along the coasts of the United States due to sea level rise: Past and future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moftakhari, Hamed R.; AghaKouchak, Amir; Sanders, Brett F.; Feldman, David L.; Sweet, William; Matthew, Richard A.; Luke, Adam

2015-11-01

Mean sea level has risen tenfold in recent decades compared to the most recent millennia, posing a serious threat for population and assets in flood-prone coastal zones over the next century. An increase in the frequency of nuisance (minor) flooding has also been reported due to the reduced gap between high tidal datums and flood stage, and the rate of sea level rise (SLR) is expected to increase based on current trajectories of anthropogenic activities and greenhouse gases emissions. Nuisance flooding (NF), however nondestructive, causes public inconvenience, business interruption, and substantial economic losses due to impacts such as road closures and degradation of infrastructure. It also portends an increased risk in severe floods. Here we report substantial increases in NF along the coasts of United States due to SLR over the past decades. We then take projected near-term (2030) and midterm (2050) SLR under two representative concentration pathways (RCPs), 2.6 and 8.5, to estimate the increase in NF. The results suggest that on average, - 80 ± 10% local SLR causes the median of the NF distribution to increase by 55 ± 35% in 2050 under RCP8.5. The projected increase in NF will have significant socio-economic impacts and pose public health risks in coastal regions.

Fifty-year flood-inundation maps for Choluteca, Honduras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kresch, David L.; Mastin, Mark C.; Olsen, T.D.

2002-01-01

After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the municipality of Choluteca that would be inundated by 50-year floods on Rio Choluteca and Rio Iztoca. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the flood inundation are available on a computer in the municipality of Choluteca as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the flood inundation in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report. Water-surface elevations for 50-year-floods on Rio Choluteca and Rio Iztoca at Choluteca were estimated using HEC-RAS, a one-dimensional, steady-flow, step-backwater computer program. The channel and floodplain cross sections used in HEC-RAS were developed from an airborne light-detection-and-ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the area. The estimated 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Choluteca at Choluteca is 4,620 cubic meters per second, which is the drainage-area-adjusted weighted-average of two independently estimated 50-year-flood discharges for the gaging station Rio Choluteca en Puente Choluteca. One discharge, 4,913 cubic meters per second, was estimated from a frequency analysis of the 17 years of peak discharge record for the gage, and the other, 2,650 cubic meters per second, was estimated from a regression equation that relates the 50-year-flood discharge to drainage area and mean annual precipitation. The weighted-average of the two discharges at the gage is 4,530 cubic meters per second. The 50-year-flood discharge for the study area reach of Rio Choluteca was estimated by multiplying the weighted discharge at the gage by the ratio of the drainage areas upstream from the two locations. The 50-year-flood discharge for Rio Iztoca, which was estimated from the regression equation, is 430 cubic meters per second.

Hydrology of the Bayou Bartholomew alluvial aquifer-stream system, Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Broom, M.E.; Reed, J.E.

1973-01-01

The study area comprises about 3,200 square miles of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain in southeast Arkansas. About 90 percent of the area drains south to the Ouachita River in Louisiana. The alluvial aquifer and the streams are hydraulically connected and are studied as an aquifer-stream system. Bayou Bartholomew is a principal stream of the system. The aquifer is underlain by confining strata of the Jackson Group and Cockfield Formation. The mean annual surface-water yield of the area that drains to the Ouachita River basin is nearly 2 million acre-feet. Flood-control projects have significantly reduced flooding in the area. Basin boundaries and low-flow characteristics of streams have been altered as a result of the flood-control projects and streamflow diversion for irrigation. The direction of ground-water flow generally is southward. Bayou Bartholomew functions mostly as a drain for ground-water flow from the west and as a recharge source to the aquifer east of the bayou. As a result of navigation pools, the Arkansas River is mostly a steady-recharge source to the aquifer. Pumpage from the aquifer and streams increased from about 20,000 acre-feet in 1941 to 237,000 acre-feet in 1970. Estimates of flow, derived from analog analysis but lacking field verification, indicate that recharge to the aquifer in 1970 was about 161,000 acre-feet. About 70 percent of the recharge was by capture from streams as a result of ground-water pumpage. Discharge from the aquifer was about 233,000 acre-feet. About 80 percent of the discharge was through wells. Stream diversion in 1970 from capture and open channel, excluding capture from the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers, was about 110,000 acre-feet. Return flow to streams from rice irrigation and fishponds was about 60,000 acre-feet. The chemical quality of streamflows is excellent for irrigation. Water from the aquifer generally ranges from permissible to excellent for irrigation. The use of water from the aquifer in the flood-plain area, exclusive of irrigation, is severely limited unless it is treated to remove the iron and reduce the hardness.

risk factor Inn (INNrisk) - transdisciplinary analysis of the 2005 flood in the province of Tyrol, Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleewein, Klaus; Pfurtscheller, Clemens; Borsdorf, Axel

2010-05-01

The transdisciplinary project INNrisk, in collaboration with public risk and disaster management, investigates the severe floods of 22nd and 23rd of August, 2005, and their effects within the federal province of Tyrol. The inundation and accompanying processes (e.g. debris flows, log jams, underwashing of infrastructure) caused by the river Inn and its tributaries created a dangerous situation for Tyrol. The overall economic loss of direct assets is said to amount to ca. 500 million Euros. Climate change has basically been causing a statistical increase of damaging floods within the Alpine Space in recent decades while increasing vulnerability at the same time. The expansion of settlements is one factor in the threat to large numbers of people and growing economic losses. However, the disasters of the last decade provide an opportunity for analysing the flood process in terms of natural-science and geographical aspects as well as in terms of economic and statistical ones. This should lead to a better understanding of triggers and effects in those areas where humans are active and form the basis for mitigation and adaptation strategies. The results of such analyses represent valuable information for public risk and disaster management, particularly in presenting the effects on public and private households. The INNrisk project primarily aims to assess the framework conditions in systemic-legal terms and to analyse human actions during the floods in relation to various plans and the damage potentials resulting from them. The assessed losses depend to a great extent on the actions taken during the emergency and on flood operations by the public emergency management and local fire departments, which are in charge of floods and related processes in the case of Austria. Assessment will be carried out by analysing a database of series of human actions for the duration of the emergeny and increased risk. The project also strives to arrive at a macro- and mesoeconomic assessment of the damages by category (infrastructure, buildings, vehicles, etc.) and sector, as well as gauging potential positive effects on the regional economy. It can be assumed that the main beneficiaries of natural hazard processes in Alpine regions are the building and construction industry, transportation businesses and their suppliers. For this part of the project, a georeferenced database will be designed to get an idea of spatial distribution, loss patterns and local specifics compared with natural scientific parameters of the 2005 flood. An overall analysis serves to identify potential improvements within public disaster management and to sketch damage limitation strategies. The project results are of great value, not just for damage prevention measures against future Inn floods, which are likely to occur more frequently and in greater intensity as a result of global warming, but also for other rivers in the Alps. The results of this research may form the basis for developing effective adaptation strategies to climate change and the resulting potential threats to river valleys.

First look at changes in flood hazard in the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project ensemble

PubMed Central

Dankers, Rutger; Arnell, Nigel W.; Clark, Douglas B.; Falloon, Pete D.; Fekete, Balázs M.; Gosling, Simon N.; Heinke, Jens; Kim, Hyungjun; Masaki, Yoshimitsu; Satoh, Yusuke; Stacke, Tobias; Wada, Yoshihide; Wisser, Dominik

2014-01-01

Climate change due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of precipitation events, which is likely to affect the probability of flooding into the future. In this paper we use river flow simulations from nine global hydrology and land surface models to explore uncertainties in the potential impacts of climate change on flood hazard at global scale. As an indicator of flood hazard we looked at changes in the 30-y return level of 5-d average peak flows under representative concentration pathway RCP8.5 at the end of this century. Not everywhere does climate change result in an increase in flood hazard: decreases in the magnitude and frequency of the 30-y return level of river flow occur at roughly one-third (20–45%) of the global land grid points, particularly in areas where the hydrograph is dominated by the snowmelt flood peak in spring. In most model experiments, however, an increase in flooding frequency was found in more than half of the grid points. The current 30-y flood peak is projected to occur in more than 1 in 5 y across 5–30% of land grid points. The large-scale patterns of change are remarkably consistent among impact models and even the driving climate models, but at local scale and in individual river basins there can be disagreement even on the sign of change, indicating large modeling uncertainty which needs to be taken into account in local adaptation studies. PMID:24344290

Global-scale river flood vulnerability in the last 50 years.

PubMed

Tanoue, Masahiro; Hirabayashi, Yukiko; Ikeuchi, Hiroaki

2016-10-26

The impacts of flooding are expected to rise due to population increases, economic growth and climate change. Hence, understanding the physical and spatiotemporal characteristics of risk drivers (hazard, exposure and vulnerability) is required to develop effective flood mitigation measures. Here, the long-term trend in flood vulnerability was analysed globally, calculated from the ratio of the reported flood loss or damage to the modelled flood exposure using a global river and inundation model. A previous study showed decreasing global flood vulnerability over a shorter period using different disaster data. The long-term analysis demonstrated for the first time that flood vulnerability to economic losses in upper-middle, lower-middle and low-income countries shows an inverted U-shape, as a result of the balance between economic growth and various historical socioeconomic efforts to reduce damage, leading to non-significant upward or downward trends. We also show that the flood-exposed population is affected by historical changes in population distribution, with changes in flood vulnerability of up to 48.9%. Both increasing and decreasing trends in flood vulnerability were observed in different countries, implying that population growth scenarios considering spatial distribution changes could affect flood risk projections.

Global-scale river flood vulnerability in the last 50 years

PubMed Central

Tanoue, Masahiro; Hirabayashi, Yukiko; Ikeuchi, Hiroaki

2016-01-01

The impacts of flooding are expected to rise due to population increases, economic growth and climate change. Hence, understanding the physical and spatiotemporal characteristics of risk drivers (hazard, exposure and vulnerability) is required to develop effective flood mitigation measures. Here, the long-term trend in flood vulnerability was analysed globally, calculated from the ratio of the reported flood loss or damage to the modelled flood exposure using a global river and inundation model. A previous study showed decreasing global flood vulnerability over a shorter period using different disaster data. The long-term analysis demonstrated for the first time that flood vulnerability to economic losses in upper-middle, lower-middle and low-income countries shows an inverted U-shape, as a result of the balance between economic growth and various historical socioeconomic efforts to reduce damage, leading to non-significant upward or downward trends. We also show that the flood-exposed population is affected by historical changes in population distribution, with changes in flood vulnerability of up to 48.9%. Both increasing and decreasing trends in flood vulnerability were observed in different countries, implying that population growth scenarios considering spatial distribution changes could affect flood risk projections. PMID:27782160

44 CFR 80.17 - Project implementation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... HOMELAND SECURITY INSURANCE AND HAZARD MITIGATION National Flood Insurance Program PROPERTY ACQUISITION AND... encumbrances to the property must be extinguished before acquisition. (c) Purchase offer and supplemental... resulting in a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claim of at least $5000. (2) For acquisition of...

Flooded bus barns and buckled rails: public transportation and climate change adaptation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

The objective of this project is to provide transit professionals with information and analysis relevant to adapting U.S. public transportation assets and services to climate change impacts. Climate impacts such as heat waves and flooding will hinder...

75 FR 28778 - Magma Flood Retarding Structure (FRS) Supplemental Watershed Plan, Pinal County, AZ

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-24

... INFORMATION: The environmental assessment of this federally assisted action indicates that the project will... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Natural Resources Conservation Service Magma Flood Retarding Structure (FRS) Supplemental Watershed Plan, Pinal County, AZ AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service...

Variability in eddy sandbar dynamics during two decades of controlled flooding of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mueller, Erich R.; Grams, Paul E.; Hazel, Joseph E.; Schmidt, John C.

2018-01-01

Sandbars are iconic features of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A. Following completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, sediment deficit conditions caused erosion of eddy sandbars throughout much of the 360 km study reach downstream from the dam. Controlled floods in 1996, 2004, and 2008 demonstrated that sand on the channel bed could be redistributed to higher elevations, and that floods timed to follow tributary sediment inputs would increase suspended sand concentrations during floods. Since 2012, a new management protocol has resulted in four controlled floods timed to follow large inputs of sand from a major tributary. Monitoring of 44 downstream eddy sandbars, initiated in 1990, shows that each controlled flood deposited significant amounts of sand and increased the size of subaerial sandbars. However, the magnitude of sandbar deposition varied from eddy to eddy, even over relatively short distances where main-stem suspended sediment concentrations were similar. Here, we characterize spatial and temporal trends in sandbar volume and site-scale (i.e., individual eddy) sediment storage as a function of flow, channel, and vegetation characteristics that reflect the reach-scale (i.e., kilometer-scale) hydraulic environment. We grouped the long-term monitoring sites based on geomorphic setting and used a principal component analysis (PCA) to correlate differences in sandbar behavior to changes in reach-scale geomorphic metrics. Sites in narrow reaches are less-vegetated, stage changes markedly with discharge, sandbars tend to remain dynamic, and sand storage change dominantly occurs in the eddy compared to the main channel. In wider reaches, where stage-change during floods may be half that of narrow sites, sandbars are more likely to be stabilized by vegetation, and floods tend to aggrade the vegetated sandbar surfaces. In these locations, deposition during controlled floods is more akin to floodplain sedimentation, and the elevation of sandbar surfaces increases with successive floods. Because many sandbars are intermediate to the end members described above, high-elevation bar surfaces stabilized by vegetation often have a more dynamic unvegetated sandbar on the channel-ward margin that aggrades and erodes in response to controlled flood cycles. Ultimately, controlled floods have been effective at increasing averaged sandbar volumes, and, while bar deposition during floods decreases through time where vegetation has stabilized sandbars, future controlled floods are likely to continue to result in deposition in a majority of the river corridor.

A study of Minnesota forests and lakes using data from Earth Resources Technology Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Highlights of research and practical benefits are discussed for the following projects which utilized ERTS 1 data to provide municipal, state, federal, and industrial users with environmental resource information for the state of Minnesota: (1) forest disease detection and control; (2) evaluation of water quality by remote sensing techniques; (3) forest vegetation classification and management; (4) detection of saline soils in the Red River Valley; (5) snowmelt flood prediction; (6) remote sensing applications to hydrology; (7) Rice Creek watershed project; (8) water quality in Lake Superior and the Duluth Superior Harbor; and (9) determination of Lake Superior currents from turbidity patterns.

Improved Gradation for Rain Garden of Low Impact Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sandra; Chang, Fu-Ming

2016-04-01

With rapid urban and economic development, living standard improves in urban areas but urban ecological environments deteriorate rapidly. Urban waterlogging and flooding have become a serious problem for urban water security. As urbanization continues, sustainability is the key to balance between urban development and healthy environment. Rain garden is recommended to be one of the best ways to reduce urban pollutants. It not only diminishes runoff flooding but also purify water in the urban area. The studies on rain gardens are mainly about how to incorporate rain garden to purify water quality, but lack of researches on runoff control. This project focuses on rain garden under Low Impact Development using indoor laboratory to test and quantify the water holding capacities of two different Taiwan indigenous rain garden plants, Taiwan Cyclosorus and Sour Grass. The results show that the water holding capacity of Sour Grass (10%-37%) is better than that of Taiwan Cyclosorus (6.8%-17.3%). The results could be a helpful reference for Low Impact Development in urban flood prevention and urban planning. Keywords: Low Impact Development; rain garden; indoor laboratory experiments; water holding capacity; porosity

A Bayesian-Based System to Assess Wave-Driven Flooding Hazards on Coral Reef-Lined Coasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearson, S. G.; Storlazzi, C. D.; van Dongeren, A. R.; Tissier, M. F. S.; Reniers, A. J. H. M.

2017-12-01

Many low-elevation, coral reef-lined, tropical coasts are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, sea level rise, and wave-induced flooding. The considerable morphological diversity of these coasts and the variability of the hydrodynamic forcing that they are exposed to make predicting wave-induced flooding a challenge. A process-based wave-resolving hydrodynamic model (XBeach Non-Hydrostatic, "XBNH") was used to create a large synthetic database for use in a "Bayesian Estimator for Wave Attack in Reef Environments" (BEWARE), relating incident hydrodynamics and coral reef geomorphology to coastal flooding hazards on reef-lined coasts. Building on previous work, BEWARE improves system understanding of reef hydrodynamics by examining the intrinsic reef and extrinsic forcing factors controlling runup and flooding on reef-lined coasts. The Bayesian estimator has high predictive skill for the XBNH model outputs that are flooding indicators, and was validated for a number of available field cases. It was found that, in order to accurately predict flooding hazards, water depth over the reef flat, incident wave conditions, and reef flat width are the most essential factors, whereas other factors such as beach slope and bed friction due to the presence or absence of corals are less important. BEWARE is a potentially powerful tool for use in early warning systems or risk assessment studies, and can be used to make projections about how wave-induced flooding on coral reef-lined coasts may change due to climate change.