Flood Risk Management
The workgroup is dedicated to providing reliable flood risk management in the Ohio River Basin through well-managed and maintained infrastructure, including appropriate floodplain connections for water conveyance and ecosystem benefits, and management of surface and storm water runoff to better protect life, property, and economies.
Background
Efforts to reduce flood risk in the Ohio River Basin began in the 1800s, with federal involvement starting in 1917 through the River and Harbor Act. Key agencies, including the USGS, USACE, and NWS, operate a network of over 1,000 stream gages for flood forecasting and warning. Despite these efforts, the infrastructure requires improvements to enhance effectiveness. The 2009 USACE report highlighted deficiencies in flood control, with aging structures and extreme flood events, such as those in 2005, 2008, and recent years, underscoring the need for updated flood risk management. Additionally, climate change and shifting weather patterns complicate flood prediction and response. While the USACE Flood Risk Management Program and related sub-programs work to address flood risk, issues like aging infrastructure, watershed management, and evolving risk analysis methods continue to challenge flood prevention and mitigation efforts in the region.
Flood Risk Management Workgroup Highlighted Strategic Actions
Advocate
For the preparation of a Basin-wide reinvestment plan that addresses the existing Corps-designed and constructed flood risk management structures; for the divestiture of un-needed infrastructure (dams and levees) and potentially target for green spaces and ecosystem restoration efforts; for agencies and stakeholders, to incorporate climate change considerations into flood frequency estimates and related outreach efforts.
Examine
High risk areas that may benefit from a feasibility study and structural or nonstructural measures, with an emphasis on wetlands and floodplains that could reduce risk within those areas.
Encourage
the Basin-wide Silver Jacket collaboration to pursue funding for a future PAS study, which would provide county Emergency Management Agencies below dams and other flood prone areas with best practices and template warning messages to ensure timely evacuations following flood warnings.
Workgroup Objectives
1) Prepare a Basin-wide investment plan that addresses high flood risk areas, including areas where dams and local protection projects exist;
2) jointly prepare a Basin-wide plan to update and expand components of an adequate flood warning system incorporating climate change considerations alongside USGS, USACE, and NWS;
3) hold regular collaborative stakeholder meetings to discuss and identify opportunities and issues with flood risk management and increase overall communication between Flood Response Groups.
Workgroup Leadership
If you'd like to join the Flood Risk Management Workgroup, email the Chair.
Sarah Hippensteel Hall