Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States (2019) / Chapter Skim
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2 Insights from Four Metropolitan Areas
2 Insights from Four Metropolitan Areas
Pages 15-28
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From page 15... ...
These metropolitan areas vary in rainfall, growth rate, land development patterns, storm water and wastewater infrastructure, and other characteristics that influence flooding. This chapter addresses Task 1: identify commonalities and differences in the causes, impacts, and recovery and/or mitigation actions across the four case study areas, based on stakeholder workshops, follow-up interviews, site visits, or meetings with subject matter experts.
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Sinkhole repair consumes almost all of Baltimore's dedicated flood management resources.1 People Affected by Urban Flooding in Baltimore Urban flooding affects a wide array of people in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Comments from workshop and interview participants suggest that the most vulnerable people tend to live in older, flood prone neighborhoods.
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Finally, getting ahead of the city's sinkhole problem would avoid transportation disruptions and resource diversions from proactive mitigation. LOCAL REFLECTIONS FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS Overview The Houston metropolitan area, which includes Harris County, is among the most flood-impacted urban centers in the nation.
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SOURCE: Photo courtesy of Katie Luke Hayes. On July 6, 2017, six weeks before the onset of Hurricane Harvey, the committee met in Houston, Texas, for its second community workshop.
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Many of the participants shared personal stories of loss, trauma, or near misses related to a flood event. The Houston and Harris County participants demonstrated a high awareness about urban flooding and its impacts. Causes of Urban Flooding in Houston As noted by workshop participants, Houston and Harris County are situated in a flat, low-lying region marked by high rainfall, poorly drained and clay-based soils, and sprawling development.
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The Harris County Flood Control District has about 380 full-time employees and a total annual budget of $154.6 million,2 of which an estimated $20 million per year is committed to urban flood management. Most of these resources are directed to engineered solutions that gather, redirect, or expedite the flow of water to reduce flooding.
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LOCAL REFLECTIONS FROM CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Overview On September 19, 2017, the committee visited the Chicago metropolitan area, which includes Cook County, and held its third community workshop. The Chicago visit was similar to Houston's, and entailed a full-day workshop with local stakeholders and subject matter experts (see Appendix D for the Chicago meeting participants, agenda, and list of site visits)
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. In addition, the Cook County Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is currently funding 85 localized storm water projects across the county, an investment of $403M (MWRD, 2017)
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LOCAL REFLECTIONS FROM PHOENIX, ARIZONA Overview The committee visited the Phoenix metropolitan area, which includes Maricopa County, on January 24, 2018. Substantial investments in flood mitigation have been made in this arid region.
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Actions Phoenix and Maricopa County are addressing flooding with substantial infrastructure investments, community engagement, and innovative approaches to flood control. An example includes the Indian Bend Wash, which the committee visited in its field trip.
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provide information to the Maricopa County Flood Control District, and the Flood Control District provides information to other county departments, cities, and the Arizona Department of Transportation. An example at the state level is the Arizona Department of Transportation Resiliency Program, in which participating agencies share information, identify common problems and shared solutions, and develop policies and regulations to mitigate urban flooding.
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The key messages are organized by the physical, social, information, and actions and decision-making dimensions of urban flooding. Physical Dimensions: In all of the four metropolitan areas visited, the intensity, location, and duration of urban flooding was influenced by land use, land cover, development patterns, and the age, condition, and design capacity of storm water infrastructure.
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Some counties are working to fill the information gap. For example, Harris County has developed local flood models, and Maricopa County and its partners are producing flood maps for transportation purposes as well as flood warnings.
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