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Engineering Geology

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E n g i n e e r i n g G e o l o g y<br />

Table 8.2. Generalized flood hazard zones and management strategies (after Kenny, 1990).<br />

With the kind permission of the Geological Society<br />

Flood hazard zone I (active floodplain area)<br />

Prohibit development (business and residential) within floodplain. Maintain area in<br />

a natural state as an open area or for recreational uses only<br />

Flood hazard zone II (Alluvial fans and plains with channels less than a metre deep, bifurcating<br />

and intricately interconnected systems subject to inundation from overbank flooding)<br />

Flood proofing to reduce or prevent loss to structures is highly recommended. Residential<br />

development densities should be relatively low; development in obvious drainage channels<br />

should be prohibited. Dry stream channels should be maintained in a natural state and/or<br />

the density of native vegetation should be increased to facilitate superior water drainage<br />

retention and infiltration capabilities. Installation of upstream stormwater retention basins<br />

to reduce peak water discharges. Construction should be at the highest local elevation site<br />

where possible<br />

Flood hazard zone III (Dissected upland and lowland slopes; drainage channels where both<br />

erosional and depositional processes are operative along gradients generally less than 5%)<br />

Similar to flood hazard zone II<br />

Roadways that traverse channels should be reinforced to withstand the erosive power<br />

of a channelled stream flow.<br />

Flood hazard zone IV (Steep gradient drainages consisting of incised channels adjacent<br />

to outcrops and mountain fronts characterized by relatively coarse bedload material)<br />

Bridges, roads and culverts should be designed to allow unrestricted flow of boulders and<br />

debris up to a metre or more in diameter. Abandon roadways that presently occupy the<br />

wash flood plains. Restrict residential dwelling to relatively level building sites. Provisions for<br />

subsurface and surface drainage on residential sites should be required. Stormwater retention<br />

basins in relatively confined upstream channels to mitigate against high peak discharges.<br />

Emergency action involves erection of temporary flood defences and possible evacuation.<br />

A flood warning system can be used to alert a community to the danger of flooding. The success<br />

of such measures depends on the ability to predict floods and the effectiveness of the<br />

warning system. However, widespread use of flood warning is usually only available in highly<br />

sensitive areas. Warning systems often work well in large catchment areas that allow enough<br />

time between the rainfall or snowmelt event and the resultant flood peak to allow evacuation<br />

and any other measures to be put into effect. By contrast, in small tributary areas, especially<br />

those with steep slopes or appreciable urban development, the lag-time may be so short that,<br />

although prompt action may save lives, it is seldom possible to remove or protect property.<br />

No structure of any importance, either in or adjacent to a river, should ever be built without<br />

giving due consideration to the damage it may cause by its influence on flood waters or the<br />

damage to which it may be subjected by those same waters. The maximum flood that any<br />

such structure can safely pass is called the design flood. If a flood of a given magnitude<br />

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