Hydrologic Hazards Science at the U.S. Geological Survey (1999) / Chapter Skim
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2 water Management and Information Needs
2 water Management and Information Needs
Pages 7-22
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From page 7... ...
Subsequent sections of this chapter include an overview of the nature and magnitude of damages caused by floods and droughts and an examination of organizational arrangements for addressing floods and droughts in the United States, with particular attention to the roles of various government management agencies. A special section is devoted to the role of the U.S.
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From page 8... ...
A recent compilation of data on events leading to declarations of disasters under the 1988 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act indicates that of the 295 declarations during the period December 1988 to May 1996, one-third were due to flooding (Godschalk et al., 1997~. Another 11 percent were due to a combination of tornadoes and flooding.
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From page 9... ...
Average annual damage in the 1970s was in the neighborhood of $4 billion per year in 1985 dollars. Although that average dropped to just over $2 billion in 1980-1985, the Interagency Floodplain Management Review Committee estimated that the Midwest floods in 1993 caused $12 billion to $16 billion in damages (IFMRC,1994~.
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From page 10... ...
Implementation of these strategies takes place through a complex array of federal, state, and local government and private-sector activities. Federal agencies with prominent roles in managing flood risk are the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
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From page 11... ...
At the same time, the costs of dams and reservoirs increased as the most attractive sites had already been developed, and debates over how the costs of building these facilities would be shared between federal and nonfederal partners put many projects on hold. Nonstructural Measures In the 1960s, behavioral research by Gilbert White and others began to show that, as the frequency of flood events was reduced by building control structures, protected lands became more attractive for urban development.
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From page 12... ...
Some, like disaster payments under the Agricultural Consumer Protection Act of 1973 and cost sharing under the Emergency Conservation Program in the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978, are targeted specifically to disasters. Others, such as the Wetlands Reserve Program in the 1990 Farm Bill, "swampbuster" provisions of the Farm Bill of 1985, and the small watershed program under the Natural Resources Conservation Program, are directed at modification of flood events
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From page 13... ...
Its Flood Emergency Operations and Disaster Assistance programs provide a wide variety of flood-fighting and rescue operations, assistance for repairing flood control works, emergency water supplies, and other services. Its Floodplain Management Services Unit provides nonemergency technical assistance, including flood hazard mapping and planning.
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From page 14... ...
Another factor that influences hydrologic drought is the water supply for human and industrial consumption: periods of droughts cause an increased water need, further depleting water supplies (Wilhite, 1993; Grigg, 1996~. Agricultural drought occurs when soil water is inadequate to initiate and sustain normal crop growth over a substantial period of time.
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From page 15... ...
Much of the information is anecdotal the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s, droughts of Southern California in 1927 to 1932 and 1987 to 1992, the drought in the Northeast in the 1960s, and the nationwide drought of 1988. Much of the economic information is also specific to particular effects on agnculture, public water supplies, hydroelectric power, and navigation.
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From page 16... ...
Shortages of public water supplies and crop losses were among the most frequently cited effects. Environmental damages to wildlife, fisheries populations, and other aquatic ecosystems were also frequently mentioned.
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From page 17... ...
Furthermore, there has been a substantial history of federally legislated financial assistance to farmers for drought relief both in general and in particular years. Local governments and the private sector have likewise made substantial investments in reservoirs to augment flows for public water supplies and hydroelectric power.
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From page 18... ...
The long-term streamflow and ground water-level monitoring programs of the USGS provide the base information for determining the probability of occurrence of extreme hydrologic events. The current network of 7,000 daily streamflow stations and the more than 27,000 other stations that have previously been operated as daily discharge stations or peak discharge or low-flow stations provide a robust database for assessing flood and drought potential in many parts of the nation.
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From page 19... ...
Geological Survey. also provides a basis for designing flood control facilities, including providing adequate storage for water control and sediment accumulation.
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From page 20... ...
Emergency management officials use the information to make informed logistical decisions for distributing flood-fighting resources, rescue teams, potable water, food, medical supplies, and temporary housing. The information is also used for land-use planning and for assessing floodplain management strategies.
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From page 21... ...
The USGS periodically assesses those impacts using regression equations, but the generalization of results needs improvement. Hydrologists need enhanced procedures for adjusting the probabilities of extreme events in a timely manner.
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From page 22... ...
An agricultural drought is not necessarily the same as a municipal water supply drought. It may be necessary to establish different definitions of droughts and different estimates of probabilities to respond to different needs.
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