A New Approach to Flood Protection Design and Riparian Management

Conventional engineering methods of flood control design focus narrowly on the efficient conveyance of water, with little regard for environmental resource planning and natural geomorphic processes. Consequently, flood control projects are often environmentally disastrous, expensive to maintain, and even inadequate to control floods. In addition, maintenance programs to improve flood conveyance and enhance levee stability, such as clearing riparian vegetation in channels and on levees, undergo little – if any – technical scrutiny. Such programs are often prescriptive in nature, rather than based on actual performance standards. A new approach to planning channel modifications for flood damage reduction is presented that is multi-objective and incorporates proper consideration of hydrologic, geomorphic, and biologic factors that influence stream hydraulics.