Types of Flood Management

Flooding happens when water rushes into an area and it cannot drain fast enough. The water level then rises and the area is flooded. Flood management is the process of determining the amount of flooding that can occur during a storm or spring thaw, where the flood waters will reach, and the resulting damage that it could cause.

Methods of Flood Management

• Flood waters can be stored in dam reservoirs or diverted to floodplains. Floodplains are flat areas of land that are located near a riverbed and are prone to flooding. To increase a riverbed's ability to hold water, the river channel is be deepened and widened. Additional waterways are dug out of the earth. These trenches can run parallel to the river or lead to another water outlet. Building embankments along the river to contain the water when the water level rises above the natural river banks is another way to manage flooding. Coastal defenses such as sea walls, beach nourishment, barrier islands, dikes, tide gates, and culverts are other structural means of preventing floods.

Modern Approach

• The modern approach to flood management involves risk assessment, which is done by studying floods and flooding patterns on a water basin. This is done to figure out which area is going to flood and how bad the flood is going to be for its inhabitants. Unfortunately extreme flooding cannot be stopped by creating trenches that divert the flow of water away from flood plains. Because of this, flood management teams work to create non-structural measures to decrease property damage, such as designating flood plains.

Land Use Planning

• During land development, the flow of water and it's runoff can be accelerated by obstructions in the natural draining system of the soil. Agricultural land development must take into account the soil's drainage system when digging trenches, ditches, or pipes for crop irrigation. Plowing and tilling the soil, as well as the slope of the field can alter the land's ability to drain properly.

Dams

• Dams and their reservoirs can store water during times when the rivers have a high water line and then release it at a later date when the rivers water line is low, thus preventing flooding. Dams are also used to supply water to urban areas, create power, such as hydroelectric dams, as well as for irrigation of farmland.

Embankments

• Flood embankments, or levees, are dug around cities. Agricultural levees are constructed to follow natural water courses like springs and rivers. These embankments must be built in such a way that they leave sufficient space for the water to flow through to safely divert the flooding waters away from populated areas.

Prevent Repeated Disasters

• This type of flood prevention management is done by planning ahead. If you live on a natural watershed basin or a flood plain, chances are, when the weather gets harsh enough, the river is going to overflow and the land is going to flood. By moving out of the flood plain and turning it in to a natural barrier for the water to divert to and then flow into the sea, many people can be saved from having to lose their homes and livelihoods.