Floodplain Management: A New Approach for a New Era - Hardcover

Freitag, Bob; Bolton, Susan; Westerlund, Frank; Clark, Julie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1597266345 ISBN 13: 9781597266345

Publisher: Island Press, 2009

Synopsis

"Floodplain Management" outlines a new paradigm for flood management, one that emphasizes cost-effective, long-term success by integrating physical, chemical, and biological systems with societal capabilities. It describes our present flood management practices, which are often based on dam or levee projects that do not incorporate the latest understandings about river processes. And it suggests that a better solution is to work with the natural tendencies of the river: retreat from the floodplain by preventing future development (and sometimes even removing existing structures); accommodate the effects of floodwaters with building practices; and protect assets with nonstructural measures if possible - and with large structural projects only if absolutely necessary.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Freitag is executive director of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup and director of the Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning & Research at the University of Washington. He has recently developed a higher education course in floodplain management for FEMA, based on the principles articulated in this book. Susan Bolton is a professor at the University of Washington in the Department of Forest Resources. Frank Westerlund is the chair of urban design planning at the University of Washington. Julie Clark is a geologist.

Edition details

• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1597266345
• ISBN 13: 9781597266345
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256