Journal article
Restoring straightened rivers for sustainable flood mitigation
Disaster prevention and management, Vol.14(1), pp.6-19
02/01/2005
DOI: 10.1108/09653560510583806
Abstract
Purpose - This article aims to show how communities with severe river flooding can develop sustainable flood plans that remediate environmental problems caused by previous river straightening and other structural flood controls.Design methodology approach - The article builds on a case study of the nationally recognized Napa River Flood Protection Project (USA), which incorporates an ecological living river strategy and builds on strong community participation to restore a river and its floodplain. After discussing the drawbacks of structural flood control measures, and especially of river straightening, reviews the contents of the Napa Flood Project and the public participation process necessary for its design, approval and implementation.Findings - The key lessons learned from Napa's flood project are that: undoing past structural works is difficult but feasible; ecological criteria can and should be used to design modern flood projects; involvement of a wide and diverse group of stakeholders is crucial to developing and implementing an environmentally sustainable flood management project; and the US Army Corps of Engineers can work with communities and depart from its typical, structural flood control approaches.Research limitations implications - Information on straightened rivers is extremely limited. Furthermore, this study focuses on flood planning for US rivers, and may therefore be less useful elsewhere in the world where the frequency of river straightening may differ.Originality value - This case study provides a critique on river straightening, which is a poorly documented but fairly frequent approach to flood control. This article helps to fill gaps in the knowledge of how communities can, and are, addressing environmental concerns associated with flood controls and river straightening.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Restoring straightened rivers for sustainable flood mitigation
- Creators
- Vanessa Bechtol - (Arizona Open Land Trust, Tucson, Arizona, USA)Lucie Laurian - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Disaster prevention and management, Vol.14(1), pp.6-19
- Publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing Limited
- DOI
- 10.1108/09653560510583806
- ISSN
- 0965-3562
- eISSN
- 1758-6100
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/01/2005
- Academic Unit
- School of Planning and Public Affairs; Public Policy Center (Archive)
- Record Identifier
- 9984271557902771
Metrics
9 Record Views