GEOL105 Lecture 7: FLOOD CONTROL
Document Summary
Aim is to mitigate floods: prevent most floods, limit damage. Highest priority is given to areas with densest populations and high value property. Mitigation in one area may cause worse floods elsewhere. Much flood control in the us provided by us army corps of engineers: also bureau of reclamation in some areas. Small scale efforts provided by state and local governments. Storm water detention basins- manmade low lying basins to collect excess water. Rising and falling river may create natural ones. Artificial ones are built in many locations as a primary flood control. Excess water does not disappear, forced down stream, creates greater flooding down stream. Compresses the water so it flows faster, wearing down the bed of the stream making it deeper, sometimes undermining the levee. Aim is to store excess water and release it more slowly. May be small dams on tributaries that only stop flow during flood danger.
