Publication Date

Spring 2001

Degree Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Urban Planning (MUP)

Department

Urban and Regional Planning

Abstract

Often the river is seen as running through the town or city. Initially, water was the resource that created the settlement that became the town or city. The reality is that the town or city runs through the river, if not initially, certainly as the town grew. Perhaps the bridge crossing the waterway was the first encroachment: fanning, pipelines, levies. and buildings, followed. Among the first recognition that the river has it's space and can claim its stake is floodwaters. Often it is only a ten, or fifteen-year flood occun'ence that wrecks havoc with the low-lying areas of the community or simply the river changed coarse. There is often significant change in a growing community in less than the ten, or fifteen-year flood occurrence. What happens is that people observe a spot for a relatively short period of time relative to flood occurrence and then build or encroach in some way only to find that the river can re-stake its claim. In recognizing flood potential, we learned to calculate flood levels and map the levels and make appropriate adjustments for the flood occurrences. We have been slow to recognize the causes of fluvial change, and what it might mean to the built environment. In the past several years, we have experienced a wet cycle, which included the El Nino and the La Nina. The biggest storms in forty years have brought the biggest flows since then. Rivers move more than water, they mobilize and move sediment. This sediment is either washed into the river or taken from its bottom or banks. These stonns have caused major changes to the form of the river, causing the loss of private property, including homes, fann acreage, and grazing lands and causing the loss of public infrastructure such as; bridges, and water and sewer lines. It is for these reasons that understanding the river and its characteristics will help us plan for appropriate land uses within proximity of the river environs.

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