Flooding 6 Solutions To FloodingPresentation Transcript

1. Solutions to flooding Key idea: There is discussion about the costs and benefits of hard and
soft engineering and debate about which is the better option
2. Lesson objectives
1. To be able to describe hard engineering strategies dams, reservoirs and channel
straightening
2. To be able to describe soft engineering strategies flood warnings, preparation,
flood plain zoning, do nothing
3. To be able to explain the costs and benefits
4. To evaluate which is the better option and understand situations where one solution
outweighs the other.
5. Textbook reference:
6. Pg 117
3. What causes flooding? Impermeable rock deforestation Arable farming Building on
floodplains Heavy rainfall Lots of tributaries Marshy areas Very wet soil Hard dry soil steep slopes
4. Recap What factors increase The risk of flooding?
5. What factors increase The risk of flooding? * Impermeable rock * Hard dry soil * Very wet soil
*steep slopes * Cutting down trees Building in the drainage basin * Many tributaries
6. Reducing The Risk?
1. What is the difference between prevention and protection?
2. Methods of prevention?
3. Methods of protection?
4. Hard / soft engineering
7. Starter activity What do we mean by river basin management? What do you think is meant
by hard engineering and soft engineering? In pairs discuss the questions What strategies for flood
control are there?
8. Flood protection *Dams hold back flood waters *reservoirs store floodwater *straighten
channels Increases speed of flow *Dredging Makes channel deeper so can hold more water *levees
and embankments Prevents river from overflowing *land use zoning Restricts development to uses
unaffected by flooding *afforestation Increases interception etc, reduces run off
9. Flood management strategies
1. The aim of flood management is to protect homes, businesses and the environment
from flooding
2. Hard engineering defences involve the use of technology to control rivers - building
structures that reduce flooding:
1. Dams and reservoirs - designed to store water and therefore control the
discharge of the river.
2. Levees - increases the height of the river banks and therefore the river can
contain more water
3. Dredging the channel keeps the channel free from sediment so more water
can flow through it.
4. Straightening rivers - increases the speed of the river to remove water from
affected areas.
5. overflow channels which allow rivers to flood areas of unused land or areas
which do not cause much damage.
6. Building flood walls
7. Hard engineering approaches tend to give immediate results and control the
river but are expensive
10. General disadvantages of engineering defences
1. Expensive to build and maintain, need technical skill
2. Floods happen less often but when they do occur they tend to be more hazardous
imagine if a dam fails
3. Natural processes are disrupted crops dont get fertile silt
4. Ugly structures
11. Dam
12. Dams Theyre very expensive Land is flooded when a reservoir is created. Farmland may be
destroyed People may be forced to move elsewhere Wildlife may be affected fish migrating
upstream to breeding grounds Dams trap sediment normally carried in rivers. This can cause the
dam to fail. It can also cause increased river erosion downstream as there is less sediment being
deposited. Turbines are often built into the dams which generate electricity Steady water release
allows irrigation of land below the dam throughout the year. People can use the reservoir for
recreational activities e.g. sailing Dams are huge walls built across rivers. A reservoir is formed
behind the dam. Floodwater is caught by the dam which prevents flooding downstream. The water is
released as a steady flow throughout the year Disadvantages Extra benefits How it works
13. To control the water level
1. Dam and pumping station
14. Channel straightening Flooding may happen downstream instead as flood water is carried
there faster. More erosion occurs downstream because the river flows faster Altering river channels
disturbs wildlife habitats It takes less time to navigate the river because it has been made shorter
Meanders are removed by building artificial cut- throughs. This makes the water flow faster which
reduces flooding because water drains downstream more quickly and doesnt build up to a point
where the channel cant contain it any more Disadvantages Extra benefits How it works
15. Channel Straightening
16. Alter the rivers channel
17. Levees Theyre quite expensive Theres a risk of severe flooding if the levees are breached
. Think back to New Orleans They allow the floodplain to be built upon Levees are embankments
built along rivers. The river can hold more water without overflowing and so it floods less often
disadvantages Extra benefits How it works
18. Diversion spillways An increase in discharge when the diverted water joins another river (or
rejoins the same one) could cause flooding below that point. If spillways are overwhelmed water will
flood areas not used to flooding which could cause even bigger problems These are channels that
take water elsewhere if the water level in the river is too high. Water is normally diverted around an
important area or to another river. They prevent flooding because river discharge is reduced. The
spillways often have gates that can be opened so the release of water can be controlled
disadvantages Extra benefits How it works
19. How can the risk of flooding be reduced?
1. Alter the RIVERS CHANNEL
2. Straighten it to speed up flow of water
3. Widen and deepen it
1. Levees and embankment
2. Dredging
4. Build BARRIERS
5. Build up the banks with earth or concrete to make embankments to keep water IN
6. Build flood walls to keep water OUT
20. Build barriers
21. Flood barriers in Bewdley
22. Straightening meanders
1. This represents a small scale approach to managing rivers.
2. Water in a meander takes longer to clear an area than water in a straight section of a
river.
3. A possible solution to flooding in areas where there are many meanders is to
straighten them artificially.
4. The river is made to follow a new shorter straight section.
23. Channel Diversion
24. Levee on the Mississippi Note the school bus for scale and the seepage along the side of the
levee.