One of the issues that are associated with the increasing of the world population is the need of housing development projects. Housing projects, along with other types of developments, increase the amount of impervious surfaces, such as paved roads, rooftops and sidewalks.
The increased amount of impervious surface increases the probability of flood problem to occur. This is because of the nature of the impervious surface that does not allow the water,
from either the precipitation or the snow melting, to infiltrate the ground, thus producing runoff. The impervious surface increase the likelihood for downstream flooding to occur because the runoff that flows into the river is much more than the amount of water that the river can hold.
Over the years, many damages related to flood have been reported. In France, floods have killed more than 100 people in the last 10 years. In less than three years, two catastrophic flash floods struck southern France. The first flash flood occurred in November 1999 and the second flash flood occurred in September 2002. The two flash floods cause 58 fatalities and properties damage of around 2.3 billion of Euros (Vinet, 2008). In United States of America, flash flood that occurred in June 2001 has cause $2 billion of damages to the urban states in Texas (Holder et al., 2002). All of this damages and loss serve as frightening examples of the threat that flood possess.
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The incorporation of effective drainage system and sometimes detention basin, if the catchment area is large, is essential as combating efforts against runoff. Researchers and engineers use urban stormwater computer model to carry out simulation of urban collection system network. Urban stormwater models play a signifi...
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...ce Contaminants, “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPAR 2: 72-81
Schueler, T.R., 1987, “Controlling Urban Runoff: A practical Manual for Planning and Designing Urban BMPs,” Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Washington, DC
Schueler, T.R., 1994, “The Importance of Imperviousness,” Watershed Protection Techniques 3(1): 100-111
Shaw, S.B., Walter, M.T., Steenhuis, T.S., 2006, “A physical model of particulate washoff from rough impervious surfaces,” Journal of Hydrology 327: 618-626
Sutherland, R.C. and Jelen S.L., 1996, “Sophisticated Stormwater Quality Modeling is Worth the Effort,” Advances in Modeling the Management of Stormwater Impacts 4: 1-14
White, M.D., Greer, K.A., 2006, “The effects of watershed urbanization on the stream hydrology and riparian vegetation of Los Peñasquitos Creek, California,” Landscape and Urban Planning 74: 125-138
Case study: the flooding that occurred in Minden Hills in the spring of 2013, flooded the downtown core. The picturesque cottage town has the Gull River flowing through it. The river overflowed in April because of many reasons: a couple of days of rain, the third largest amount in over a century, but it also happened because the frost in the ground stopped the water from going into the Earth, the lakes and rivers being full from the spring thaw, and the rapid
El Paso has seen its fair share of heat, drought, storms and floods. The complication the binational region has to concentrate on will be management after flash flooding. In order to accomplish an earlier warning time frame the meteorologist need to get ahead of the “Climate Whiplash”. Geologist have already figured out why the ground cannot naturally absorb the stormwater leaving it to the city to find a way to divert or control the runoff. There are many ways to have the water led away from the city. This paper will bring to light past and some current systems in place.
How does the smooth mountain rock surface type affect the amount of runoff? Speculate why this happens.
Baker, William C., and Tom Horton. "Runoff and the Chesapeake Bay." GreenFILE. EBSCO, Nov.-Dec. 1990. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
The Colorado River Delta is a vast stream of water that begins in the Rocky Mountains and flows to the Gulf of California. It is the primary source of water for the western part of the United States, making the golden nectar available to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Mexico. Because of miscellaneous international treaties and over 40 dams built along the river’s path (Ficklin 1), it is slowly becoming the most controlled of all watersheds. With the populations of these towns becoming greater, the amount of pull on the river from the society has increased as a rapid rate. Normally that would not be a problem but given the context, water sources are not as dynamic--fluid, if you will, as the world would often appreciate.
Storm waters are widely used in many different areas, even required in some. They are a vital tool that helps keep streams healthy. Storm water ponds are used to capture, control, and filter all kinds of runoff that could be from anything like parking lots to roof tops. The use of storm water ponds is essential to slow the flow of water down, filter out toxins, and improve the health of streams for aquatic life and for consumption purposes. All of that is in efforts to protect local streams.
New Orleans flooding risks originated from its location characteristics in proximity of Mississippi River. Since its foundation up to 1927, New Orleans water and flooding threats originated from Mississippi River but human activities had contained this by 1930s. Regrettably, this led to additional water problems. Accordingly, the critical changes to the New Orleans environment originating from the human development worsened the water problems in area caused by the floods. In particular, the growth in ...
Rivers all over the United States create geological features that fascinate many people, whether it is for work or for play. Rivers also pose a threat to many towns every year as spring rains and snow melt fill these rivers to beyond capacity, causing them to overflow their banks; flooding the surrounding areas. Rivers may cause floods, however, they also provide many benefits to society. One of the most notable is hydroelectric power, which often leads to a river being dammed. A dammed river creates a reliable location for adventure companies to establish whitewater rafting businesses that utilizes the flow of the river through rapids and scenic views to create a thrill for adventure seeking customers.
There are numerous stages that take place simultaneously in the hydrologic cycle and this includes evaporation. This is when the water alters from a liquid state into a gas. The damp air from the water rises into the atmosphere and when it cools, the vapor condenses and shapes into clouds. But those billows are not the only form the vapors make; it can also materialize as dew, fog and mist, which blanket the Earth, characteristically on a rainy or humid day. Evaporation takes place when water changes from a liquid state into a gaseous state, and ascents out of the pores of the earth and into the atmosphere as a vapor (“How”). While evaporation is taking place, condensation is also occurring. When the temperature in the air plunges, the clouds become heavy and as a result they relieve themselves of the extra weight, which is called precipitation. This produces rain, hail, snow and sleet, conditioned upon the temperate. As the precipitation falls, it enters the surface of the ground and percolates into the soil, which is called infiltration. The more porous the land is, the more the infiltration can take place. However, the ground cannot hold all of that water and floods. The excess rainfall, which is also called runoff that has not been absorbed makes its way into bodies of water, such as small ponds, rivers, lakes and parts of the ocean (“Summary”).
Storm Water Drainage: This is simply the water from rain, melted snow, etc. draining into
Urban runoff is the pollution washed into the oceans from, “irrigation runoff, households, and storm events, as well as contributions of raw sewage from degrading infrastructure and accidental spills,” (Dwight Fernandez). Urban runoff is a major issue facing California’s beach water quality. The two main sources of coastal water pollution in California are treated sewage and urban runoff, and in Southern California urban runoff is the primary cause of contamination in coastal waters (Brinks). Analysis has shown that urban runoff waters contain, “infectious and toxic pollutants,” posing a serious risk to beachgoers across California (Dwight, Fernandez). Southern California’s dense urban infrastructure, in particular, is conducive to generating urban runoff that is washed int...
Howell, W.E. (1977). Environmental Impacts of Precipitation Management: Results and Inferences from Project Skywater. Bureau of Reclamation Department of the Interior, 58(6), 491-492.
Hennigan, Robert D. "Water Pollution." Oxford University Press 19.11 (1969): 976-78. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
a change in the water cycle. Some places may experience more rain. Warmer temperatures will
Cunningham, William, and Mary Ann Cunningham. "Chapter 18: Water Pollution." Environmental Science. ; A Global Concern. 12th ed. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2011. 396-421. Print.