Journal article
Tradeoffs of strategically reconnecting rivers to their floodplains: The case of the Lower Illinois River (USA)
Science of the Total Environment, Vol.572, pp.43-55
12/01/2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.190
PMID: 27494653
Abstract
During the latter half of the 19th Century and first half of the 20th Century, the Illinois River was heavily altered through leveeing off large portions of its floodplain, draining wetlands, and the construction of dams and river-training structures that facilitated navigation. As a result of these alterations, flood stages continue to rise, increasing flood risk and threatening to overtop levees along the La Grange Segment (LGS) of the Illinois River. Over the last two decades, more emphasis has been placed on reconnecting portions of floodplains to rivers in order to solve the long-term problem of rising flood heights attributed to continual heightening of levees to provide flood protection. Multiple studies have suggested that strategically reconnecting larger portions of the LGS could result in more sustainable floodplain management. However, the true costs and benefits of reconnecting the floodplain are not known. We use a novel hydrodynamic, geospatial, economic, and habitat suitability framework to assess the tradeoffs of strategically reconnecting the Illinois River to its floodplain in order to decrease flood risk, improve floodplain habitats, and limit the costs of reconnection. Costs include building-associated losses, lost agricultural profits, and levee removal and construction costs. Tested scenarios demonstrate that while flood heights and environmental benefits are maximized through the most aggressive levee setbacks and removals, these scenarios also have the highest costs. However, the tradeoff of implementing lower-cost scenarios is that there is less flood-height reduction and less floodplain habitat available. Several individual levee districts have high potential for reconnection based on limiting potential damages as well as providing floodplain habitat. To implement large-scale strategic floodplain reconnection, costs range from $1.2–$4.3 billion. As such, payments for ecosystem services will likely be necessary to compensate landowners for decreased long-term agricultural production and building losses that result in flood-reduction benefits and increased floodplain habitat. [Display omitted] •Increasing flood levels require transdisciplinary flood management solutions.•River-floodplain reconnection scenarios including levee setbacks, removals•Combined hydrologic, hydraulic, socioeconomic, ecological, and geospatial modeling•Floodplain reconnection restores potential habitat and decreases flood risk.•High costs are the tradeoff for reducing flood risk and increasing habitat.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Tradeoffs of strategically reconnecting rivers to their floodplains: The case of the Lower Illinois River (USA)
- Creators
- Ross J Guida - Geography and Geology, Sam Houston State University, PO Box 2148, Huntsville, TX 77341, United StatesJonathan W.F Remo - Geography and Environmental Resources, Southern Illinois University, Mail Code 4514, Carbondale, IL 62901, United StatesSilvia Secchi - Geography and Environmental Resources, Southern Illinois University, Mail Code 4514, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Science of the Total Environment, Vol.572, pp.43-55
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.190
- PMID
- 27494653
- ISSN
- 0048-9697
- eISSN
- 1879-1026
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/01/2016
- Academic Unit
- Public Policy Center (Archive); Geographical and Sustainability Sciences; University College Courses
- Record Identifier
- 9983917692502771
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