Flood Management

Question 1

what are the types of hard engineering?

Answer 1

•dams and reservoirs
•channel straightening
•embankments
•flood relief channels

Question 2

what are the types of soft engineering?

Answer 2

•flood plain zoning
•flood warning and preparations
•planting trees
•river restoration

Question 3

what is hard engineering?

Answer 3

man made structures to control the flow of rivers to reduce flooding

Question 4

what are dams/resvoirs?

Answer 4

they are built along the river coast to control discharge

Question 5

what are the benefits of dams/resevoirs?

Answer 5

•highly effective against floods as they control the release of water
•can boost tourism e.g. the one at kielder attracts 300,000 tourists a year

Question 6

what are the costs of dams/ reservoirs?

Answer 6

*very expensive
*you have to flood a valley to put these in place meaning people have to be rehomed e.g. 58 people in keilder were rehomed
-disrupt habitats

Question 7

what is channel straightening ?

Answer 7

digging straighter shorter channels in areas where rivers meander to speed up water flow in flood prone areas to stop water from ‘hanging around’

Question 8

what are the benefits of channel straightening?

Answer 8

•significantly less floods means house pricing increases meaning they are more likely to sell
•the length of the river tees was reduced by 4.4km which increases trade as navigation was improved at the main port

Question 9

what are the costs of channel straightening?

Answer 9

•water moving downstream can lead to a flood when it meets a meandering section
•degrading the channel to remove sediment is expensive

Question 10

what are embankments?

Answer 10

•they are raised walls along river banks
•by increasing the height of river banks the river can hold more water

Question 11

what are the benefits of embankments?

Answer 11

•they an provide habitats for animals on river banks e.g. otters
•this method can create walking routes attracting local tourists

Question 12

what are the flood relief channels?

Answer 12

•the channel diverts the water around important areas or takes it elsewhere if water levels are to high
•flood risk reduced as discharge is reduced

Question 13

what are the costs of embankments?

Answer 13

•unattractive
•not the most reliable method as water can break banks

Question 14

what are the benefits of flood relief channels ?

Answer 14

•they divert water from areas more vulnerable
•water can be controlled by the gates added on channels

Question 15

what are the costs of flood relief channels?

Answer 15

•the level of water in the channel can vary because of the extra channel impacting habitats
•high maintenance costs as they aren’t reliable

Question 16

what is soft engeneering?

Answer 16

schemes set up to reduce the effects of flooding using the knowledge of the river and its processes

Question 17

what is floodplain zoning?

Answer 17

putting restrictions on building on certain parts of flood plains that are likely to flood

Question 18

what are the benefits of flood plain zoning?

Answer 18

•fewer impermeable surfaces
•impact of flooding reduced as there are no building to damage

Question 19

what are the costs of floodplain zoning?

Answer 19

•the expanison of an urban area is limited if there aren’t any suitable building sites
•it can’t help in areas with existing buildings

Question 20

what are flood preparations and warnings?

Answer 20

•issuing flood warning through the media
•modified buildings to reduce flood impact
•sand bags can also be used

Question 21

what are the benefits of flood warnings and preparations?

Answer 21

•gives people time to move possessions upstairs, put in sandbags or evacuate
•extremely low cost and educational

Question 22

what are the costs of flood warnings and preparations?

Answer 22

•people may not have access to warnings
•don’t actually prevent flooding- people may be displaced temporarily to accommodations affecting house pricing

Question 23

what is river restoration?

Answer 23

•making the river more natural e.g. by removing man made levees so the flood plain can flood naturally

Question 24

what are the benefits of river restoration?

Answer 24

•discharge is reduced so there is less risk of flooding downstream
•better habitats for wildlife

Question 25

what are the costs of river restoration?

Answer 25

local flood risk can increase if nothing is done to prevent major flooding

Question 26

how does planting trees manage flooding?

Answer 26

planting trees in the river valley means more rainwater is intercepted

Question 27

what are the benefits of planting trees?

Answer 27

•increased vegetation means more habitats
•discharge and flood risk decrease

Question 28

what are the costs of planting trees?

Answer 28

less land is available for farming

Question 29

what are the costs of hard engineering?

Answer 29

•doesn’t blend in with natural environments
•expensive

Question 30

what are the benefits of hard engineering?

Answer 30

•lasts a long time
•effectively reduces flooding

Question 31

what are the benefits of soft engineering?

Answer 31

•blends in with natural environment

Question 32

what are the costs of soft engineering?

Answer 32

•don’t always reduce flooding