THE HIGH
WATER MARK
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION 2022 - Volume 32, Issue 1
THE HIGH
WATER MARK The Newsletter of the Floodplain Management Association February 2022 - Volume 32, Issue 1 Mission: To promote the common interest in reducing flood losses and to encourage the protection and enhancement of natural floodplain values.
Chair Mike Nowlan Wood Rodgers, Inc. 916.326.5277
Director Darren Suen Central Valley Flood Protection Board 916.574.0609
Advisor Jeremy Lancaster California Geological Survey 916.445.1825
Vice Chair Brent Siemer City of Simi Valley 805.583.6805
Director Millicent Cowley-Crawford Woodard & Curran 415.321.3421
Advisor Salomon Miranda California DWR 818.549.2347
Secretary Vince Geronimo Mead & Hunt 916.993.4606
Director Kyle Gallup Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District 951.955.1265
Advisor Cindy Matthews NOAA 916.979.3041
Treasurer Connie Perkins-Gutowsky California DWR 916.973.3008 Past Chair Alex Yescas HDR, Inc. 858-712-8283
Director Pat Wood Los Angeles County DPW 626.458-6131 Director Roger Leventhal Marin County DPW 415.473.3249
Advisor Eric Simmons FEMA Region IX 510.627.7029 Advisor Erin Warnock Nevada DWR 775.684.2890
Director Abigail Mayrena Clark County RFCD 702-685-0000
Director Megan LeRoy California DWR
Advisor Jeanne Ruefer HWC, Inc. 775.722.7395
Director John Moynier Parsons Corporation
Director David Smith WEST Consultants, Inc. 858.487.9378
Advisor Carol Tyau-Beam Hawaii DLNR 808.587.0267
Advisor Kelly Soule California DWR 916.574.1205
Executive Director Mary Seits FMA 760.936.3676
Director Ann Bechtel CDM Smith 760.710.4663 Director Brian Brown California DWR
FMA NEWS
Advisor Jose Lara CA Governor’s Office of Emergency Services 916.845.8883
CONTENT
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A Note From The Chair Federal/National News State News Meet The Board - Patricia Wood Call For Articles At the Confluence of Emerging and Professional ASFPM Foundation Scholarship Announcement FMA Board Agency Report Bridging the Equity Gap in Flood Risk Management Is it Time to Add a Beaver to Your Flood Management Team? Flood Memories as a Catalyst for Change Flood Hazard Mapping for California Gerald Galloway Interview Highlights Memorial
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FMA NEWS
A NOTE FROM THE CHAIR Mike Nowlan How are y’all doin’? My son lives in Texas now, so I thought I would greet you with a little hospitality. Now, in all seriousness, how ARE you all doing? After entering the “omicron wave”, like me, I’m sure many of you are asking “When is this going to let up?” I would like to give you a more definitive answer, but, like all of you, I can’t predict the future. We make plans, but plans change. Resiliency has become very personal for all of us.
and beneficial. On that note, we have identified a local restaurant in the Sacramento region to hold luncheons. Hopefully this new venue will end up holding as many fond memories as the Buggy Whip once did, for those of you that remember. Stay tuned as we also get the logistics figured out for relaunching at all of our locations within our FMA world. Notices will be sent out via email, once specific topics and dates are set.
As we move into the new year, we have begun holding planning committee meetings for the 2022 FMA conference, and we are currently still planning on the conference being in person, in Sacramento this September. We are very intentionally trying to include themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our discussions, panels and presentations on floodplain management. If you are not already involved, but would like to be, please contact Mary Seits, our wonderful Executive Director.
The upcoming SouthWest Extreme Precipitation SYMposium (SWEPSYM) will be virtual this year, but we are still planning on holding the California Extreme Precipitation SYMposium (CEPSYM) in person at the Lake Natoma Inn, in Folsom, CA. Both should be an exciting exploration of the latest that is happening with extreme precipitation.
On the monthly luncheon front, we have not been able to get that rolling again as I had previously announced last November. Due to COVID concerns/restrictions, the in-person luncheon relaunch has been delayed. I am hopeful that the current surge will wane and the thought of meeting and speaking in person will become real again in the hearts and minds of our membership. I do believe in-person interactions are more beneficial to our professional “health”, but not at the expense of our personal physical and mental health. Just as spending time with family over the holidays is desirable and beneficial, spending time associating with colleagues is also desirable
SAVE THE DATE Southwest Extreme Precipitation Symposium (SWEPSYM) April 19-20, 2022 Virtual – visit floodplain.org
California Extreme Precipitation Symposium (CEPSYM) June 21, 2022 Lake Natoma Inn, Folsom CA Floodplain Management Association Annual Conference September 6-9, 2022 Sacramento Hyatt Regency
FMA NEWS
The FMA Board of Directors met in January to discuss many important issues affecting FMA and the future of the Association. We were planning on holding a twoday in-person retreat, but it changed to a three-hour virtual meeting, with a follow up in April. The topics included inspiring/creating leadership and membership opportunities for all professional stages, clarifying the structure/definition of the Board, expanding professional development opportunities, defining diversity/equity/ inclusion/justice within FMA, financial/budget outlooks, and opportunities for improving our conference delivery to our membership. No decisions were made, but the Board will be working on these and other issues and making decisions in April, which will be communicated to all of you shortly thereafter.
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This is where our resiliency becomes personal, and there is no clever segue for the next topic. I have always believed it is important to remember and honor those who have gone before us. Therefore, this issue will include a memorial section for the fellow floodplain managers we’ve lost in the previous year or so. I hope that all of our efforts to keep you informed will make our time more meaningful and productive in the coming year. To wrap up with a modicum of optimism, I will quote some light and yet profound words from High School Musical, “We’re all in this together”.
FMA NEWS
FEDERAL/NATIONAL NEWS For an update of the latest disaster declarations: CLICK HERE For information on Flood Insurance Reform – Rates and Refunds: CLICK HERE
Advisor Update FEMA Updates for FMA Board: December 2021 •
Unprecedented funding for mitigation is being made available with more possible from BuildBack-Better legislation. Earlier this Fall FEMA announced a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program award of $3.46B nationwide (including $484M for California), $1B for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program (BRIC), and $0.2B for Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA). The recent infrastructure legislation added $3.5B for FMA grants over five years, another $1B for BRIC, and $1.6B for dam safety/removal ($725M for FEMA’s dam safety program, $400M for NOAA’s restoration program, $200M for USFWS, $115M for USACE, $75M for WIFIA, $75M for FEMA’s high hazard dams program, and $10M to USFS). This is a great opportunity for communities across the nation to reduce disaster suffering.
FMA NEWS
•
Congress extended the National Flood Insurance Program until February 18, 2022, and updated rates took effect October 1st for new policyholders. Flood insurance renewals start transitioning the updated rates on April 1, 2022. Detailed information on Risk Rating 2.0 is online. The October 2021 Flood Insurance Manual has been released. New premiums better account for flood risk including home value, with more expensive buildings costing more to insure. The mandatory purchase requirement nor floodplain management aspects are impacted by insurance rating changes.
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A request for information has been issued for the National Flood Insurance Program floodplain management standards and program impacts on endangered species and their habitats. The comment period has been extended to January 27, 2022. Details are in the Federal Register.
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GAO’s most recent report on flood maps is online and recommends that FEMA develop an updated multiyear plan for the Risk MAP program and assess the usefulness of nonregulatory products.
STATE NEWS
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California Climate Change Informational Webinar Highlights
Dry January Conditions Return Snowpack to Near Average Levels
Rain and snowfall in California have always been inconsistent and unpredictable. It is our climate’s natural state. The realities of climate change, that take the inconsistent nature of precipitation in California to an extreme, are making water management that much more of a challenge. The proposed Delta Conveyance Project is just one way the state can adapt to help ensure a reliable supply of water for our cities, farms and environment in this new normal.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the second snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. Following a dry January, the manual survey recorded 48.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 19 inches, which is 109 percent of average for this location for this date. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast. Statewide, the snowpack is 92 percent of average for this date.
https://water.ca.gov/News/Blog/2022/January/ Climate-Change-Information-Webinar-Highlights
https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2022/Feb-22/ Snow-Survey-February-2022
Environmental Justice Informational Webinar Highlights As efforts continue to plan and obtain all permits for a single tunnel project to modernize Delta conveyance, the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) ongoing environmental review process will provide the public an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed project, including the potential environmental impacts and associated mitigation measures, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). https://water.ca.gov/News/Blog/2022/January/ Environmental-Justice-Informational-Webinar-January
Public Comment Period Opens for Riverine Stewardship Grant Program DWR announced the opening of the public comment period for the Riverine Stewardship Program: San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program (SJFPEP) & Urban Streams Restoration Program (USRP) Grants Draft Guidelines and Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP). https://water.ca.gov/News/Public-Notices/2022/ January-22/Public-Comment-Period-Opens-for-RiverineStewardship-Grant-Program
Hawaii
25 Years After Deadly 1997 New Year’s Floods, Here’s How California is More Prepared California is no stranger to devastating floods. With the most variable weather conditions in the country, the state receives between 40 and 60 percent of its precipitation from atmospheric rivers, a stream of water vapor created in the atmosphere by circulating air currents over the waters of the Pacific Ocean. https://water.ca.gov/News/Blog/2022/January/1997New-Years-Floods
See the latest news stories for Hawaii. For the transformed flood information platform from Hawaii visit their exciting weekly blog here. For archived Wai Halana Newsletters (prior to 2018) FMA NEWS
STATE NEWS Nevada Outreach The Nevada Floodplain Management Program has been able to get back out in the community for some in person outreach. During this past quarter we have had our 8th annual Nevada Flood Awareness Week (FAW) which was November 14 – 20, 2021. Events were primarily virtual and multi-media included airing public service announcements via Radio, radio interviews, a billboard ad, social media posts, and print ads. Local schools participated in a coloring contest and the flood model made its way around to some of them for some hands-on flood awareness education. Governor Sisolak recognized Nevada Flood Awareness week through proclamation, Facebook, and Twitter. In person outreach continues to grow especially now that Nevada has dropped its mask mandate. We expect to be out in the community even more now at schools and local events. Presenting our Silver Jackets project Nevada Flood After Fire Guide to Douglas County was a highlight of our most recent in person events. The extremely well attended event was hosted at the Topaz Lodge in Douglas County and included an agenda of several speakers from local community officials to experts in this field. Residents expressed their gratitude for the helpful working document and the connection to their local officials.
FMA NEWS
Our website NevadaFloods.org is nearly ready for its updated reveal. We are excited to share the new, improved, and easy to navigate website with the public. We are in progress with creating a high-water mark sign for City of Reno which they plan to place at Wingfield Park. This sign will include a QR code that navigates to our new website and provides resources and information. We are hoping to coordinate a flood awareness event to reveal the sign. We are collaborating with California Division of Water Resources to bring trainings to local floodplain managers in April. Topics will pertain to the Floodplain Management, NFIP and Elevation Certificates.
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FMA NEWS
MEET THE BOARD - Patricia Wood Patricia Wood, Senior Civil Engineer, Los Angeles County Public Works Patricia Wood is one of the Floodplain Management Association’s newest Directors-at-Large, elected in September 2021. She is a Senior Civil Engineer with Los Angeles County Public Works, the largest local public works agency in the nation which serves 10 million people. (That’s about one in four Californians!) Pat is a native of the Los Angeles area and a graduate of Santa Clara University. Pat joined Public Works in 1985 with the desire to help and be of service to her fellow Los Angeles County residents. Her work has been in the field of flood protection. From her days growing up in Los Angeles County, she became fascinated with the big storm drains that were constructed in her neighborhood, and the usually-dry channels she saw every day on her way to school that would all of a sudden be filled with fast-moving flows during storms that occasionally moved in, protecting the homes that were right next to the flows. During one storm, she was travelling along a street that quickly flooded, causing the car (actually, a big Irish green dune buggy) she and her dad were in to start floating down the street! It’s thus a natural fit for Pat to be the floodplain manager for Los Angeles County’s unincorporated areas, home to over one million residents.
FMA NEWS
During the course of her career, she has managed sediment removal projects at Public Works’ reservoirs, acquired state and federal regulatory permits under the Los Angeles region’s challenging regulatory climate, and overseen post-fire debris mitigation outreach and projects in the aftermath of the numerous wildfires that occur in the area. Pat is also engaged in analyzing proposed state and federal legislation and environmental regulations. She also works with flood management committees of the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Managers (NAFSMA) and the County Engineers Association of California (CEAC). Pat is a history buff, and so has had a keen interest in acquiring institutional knowledge about the history of how, and especially why, Los Angeles County’s extensive and complex system of flood and stormwater management facilities came to be. What Pat really likes about her job in floodplain management is the opportunity it provides for her to talk directly to the residents she serves, and help them better understand their flood risks and what measures they can take to lessen flood risk. Pat finds the Floodplain Management Association to be an excellent source of education, information, and contacts with other professionals who share her passion about floodplain management and making communities flood resilient!
CALL FOR ARTICLES!
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The FMA Newsletter welcomes the input of its members and now our extended family of readership to contribute to the conversation! Keep the great articles coming! We need to hear from all of you. There’s always room for more to join the ranks of published authors. Showcase your programs, projects, tools, policies, regulations or ideas to hundreds of floodplain management professionals throughout the U.S.! Articles must be submitted in Word format to Mary.Seits@Floodplain.org and may contain 2-3 small pictures. Preferred length is less than 850 words.
For more details call (760) 936-3676.
THERE IS A RIGHT WAY TO DO THINGS. AND THERE IS A NEW WAY TO DO THINGS.
AND SOMETIMES THEY’RE EXACTLY THE
SAME THING.
FMA NEWS WWW.WOODRODGERS.COM
AT THE CONFLUENCE OF EMERGING AND PROFESSIONAL
WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? Morgan O’Brien As we go through our careers, we’re faced with everoscillating priorities, goals, and hurdles. How we handle those is largely based on who we are – as Brené Brown says, “Who we are is how we lead.” This inherently means we face our own shortcomings regularly… How do we become aware of those? How do we deal with them? How do we learn from them? It depends on our willingness to investigate ourselves. Ultimately, it depends on our self-awareness. And that’s a humbling pursuit. One instance of this, is when we face major priority clashes and decisions. I’m not talking projects that are more or less urgent or important in our daily work lives; I mean the difficult decisions of having the perfect job offered to you, but the organization is offering only the minimum time off for having a kiddo; having to decide between your own health and maintaining the status quo relationship with a parent/ sibling/friend; suddenly needing to dedicate what is normally your work day to childcare but also needing to earn a living so you can continue to financially support your family, all during a pandemic. These are the priority calls that exhaust us. These are the sudden priority face-offs that force us to decide what is most important to us. Because, as a very wise woman once said: “It’s easy to state your priorities… it’s much harder to live them.” How do we deal with the struggle those decisions create for us?
FMA NEWS
This is often the discussion that ensues at our Leadership Sessions with FMA Emerging Professionals. Some of the hardest priority calls we face land at the beginning to middle of our careers - when we’re still figuring it all out. What are my goals? What direction do I want my career to develop? Do I stay private/public, or switch it up? What do I find most important? How do I figure out what is important to me? How do you manage your health while working 40 hours per week? How do we know what’s important about a health care plan? Do I really need life insurance? And, how in the world do I buy a house? But in all seriousness, as you start, develop, and maintain your career, making time to think and reflect on your priorities is crucial to building an invigorating and satisfying life. What is most important to you as an individual? On a team? In a boss? What are your dreams and goals outside of work? This takes reflection, time, and discussion… which the FMA EP crew has enjoyed creating over the last 2 years of our new normal. So… consider giving this some thought: Who are you, and what are you doing here? All are welcome to join the conversation – please email FMA EP Committee Chair, Mina Ziaei, at mina.ziaei@ water.ca.gov or the author, Morgan O’Brien at Morgan. Obrien@water.ca.gov to get involved!
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FMA NEWS
Association of State Floodplain Managers Foundation Announces Opening of 2022 Future Leaders Scholarship Application Period! We are pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2022 to Spring 2024 Future Leaders Scholarship. We continue to look for the best and brightest to make sure we sustain a strong floodplain management community into the future. If our current and past Future Leaders Scholarship (FLS) recipients are any indication, we are well on our way. To ensure full consideration, students wishing to apply will need to submit their applications and all required attachments in time to be received by the ASFPM Foundation no later than midnight EST on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. In 2018, ASFPM Foundation established the FLS to provide direct, financial assistance, mentoring, and support to a deserving college student interested in pursuing a career in a field related to floodplain management. The FLS is a two-year scholarship awarded every other year to a college student entering their junior year of undergraduate studies or the last two years of a 5-year or dual degree undergraduate program. Learn more. As many of you know, the inaugural scholarship was awarded to University of Arizona engineering student, Jesus Mulgado. Jesus completed his master’s degree in 2020, and is currently working as a flood risk management professional with Atkins in Arizona. Please visit the Foundation website to watch Jesus speak at the 2019 ASFPM Annual National Conference and share how the FLS has had a profound impact on his life. The 2020 FLS recipient, Elizabeth Lacey, is an honors student in civil engineering at Colorado State University. Elizabeth’s inspiration to study in the floodplain management field was influenced by her experiences earlyon. You can also see Elizabeth’s acceptance remarks on the Foundation website. Duration of Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded for up to a two-year duration and to a student enteringtheir junior year in a 4-year undergraduate degree program or entering the last two years of a 5-year or dual degree undergraduate program. Amount of Scholarship and What It Covers: The scholarship will be in the amount of up to $20,000 per year for two years. The funds will pay the recipient’s college or university directly for any tuition costs which exceed any existing financial aid or scholarships up to $20,000 per year. Funds remaining after tuition payment
FMA NEWS
may be used for other educational expenses, room and board in a college dormitory, or an equivalent stipend if living off-campus. The precise amount of the stipend will be negotiated by the Foundation with the scholar prior to the beginning of the academic year. The successful recipient will also receive assistance finding a paid summer internship in a relevant professional setting. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: In order to be eligible for consideration, the FLS applicant must satisfy the following requirements: •
Be a U.S. citizen or have U.S. permanent resident alien status • Have graduated from high school prior to August 2020 • Have completed a minimum of one year of studies at a college or university on or before January 2022 • Be entering their junior year or entering their 4th year of a 5-year dual degree program in Fall 2022 • Have a cumulative, minimum GPA of 2.5 (or equivalent) at the completionof the Fall Semester 2021 • Be attending an accredited public or private college or university in the United States or its territories Be pursuing a course of study related to the missions of the Association of State Floodplain Managers and ASFPM Foundation, which entail flood risk management or any of its related components To learn more and/or apply: visit the ASFPM Foundation website. Any questions may be directed to: asfpmfoundation@floods.org. Your help is appreciated! We are asking that you use your networks within the floodplain management community including your relationships with colleges and universities to share information about this incredible opportunity. We believe our hope for a strong and resilient future begins with the support the Foundation provides through the Future Leaders Scholarship. Help us find our next rising star! ALL ARE WELCOME! We encourage you to share this information with your family, friends, and colleagues to ensure we reach as many college students as possible.
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Case Study: San Jose’s Guadalupe River Park A recent planning study on the expansion of Guadalupe River Park in San Jose offers an example of the potential of riparian urbanism. The goals of the expansion include supporting ecology, improving user experience and public access, and increasing the sustainability and resilience of the downtown district. A “bluegreen San Jose” would leverage proposed redevelopment to incorporate riparian urbanism strategies that mimic natural hydrology while benefiting the city through integrated water management and green infrastructure. When it opened in 2005, Guadalupe River Park was a model for community-friendly flood protection infrastructure and public space design. An innovative design made its flood control features both environmentally sensitive and inviting. With trails for public access, it is San Jose’s largest urban park, running along the west side of downtown for 2.6 linear miles. Sadly, even though it still provides flood protection benefits, the park has fallen on hard times. In a Have questions or comments region with exceptionally high housing costs, homelessabout residentsthis have month's claimed the articles? riverbanks as shelter. The park also suffers from a lack of consistentParticipate maintenance and such as inamenities the discussion vegetation management and sufficient lighting. ona survey the FMA facebook page! As a result, of 1,000 San Jose residents (some of whom are regular park goers) reported being less likely to visit Guadalupe River Park than other city parks. During the past few years, the park has gotten a second look. Plans to bring improved mass transit to a station flanking the park have rekindled interest in the area. Notable corporate entities like Google are planning investments in jobs and housing. And with growing support for
FMA NEWS
FMA BOARD AGENCY REPORT NOAA/NWS Alan Haynes, Hydrologist in Charge, California Nevada River Forecast Center December 1st, 2021
New Interactive Short Range Ensemble Graphic
New Forecast Points Added to CNRFC Interactive Map
The CNRFC has gone live with a new interactive short range streamflow graphic on their webpage for all Hydrologic Ensemble Forecast Service (HEFS) locations. This new graphic replaces old static graphics and includes much more capability. A brief YouTube video is available explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/D0lgT5ZP9T8.
The CNRFC added a few forecast locations this year, accessible as “Other Points” from the CNRFC webpage. These forecast locations and their associated IDs are listed in tabular form in Figure 2 below.
A contrived image representing the look and feel of these new graphics for a forecast point on the West Walker River is presented below in Fig. 1 for illustration purposes. Watch the video linked above for more information on how to interpret these plots.
Location ID Description SPYC1
Pilot Creek - upstream of Stumpy Meadows
TRNC1
Trinity River - abv NF Trinity River nr Helena
RROC1
Russian River below Guernville (GUEC1) down to Hwy 1 bridge
HODC1
San Dieguito River - Hodges Dam
BTJC1
Big Tujunga Cr – Big Tujunga Reservoir
BRTC1
Pine Valley and Cottonwood Cr Conflu. - Barrett Lake
SUDC1
Santa Ysabel Cr - Sutherland Reservoir
HANC1
Big Tujunga Cr – Hansen Dam
Figure 2 – List of forecast points added this year including location ID and a brief description.
Yuba-Feather
Figure 1 – Fictional 5-day probabilistic plot of the hydrograph for the West Walker River – Highway 395 Below Little Walker.
FMA NEWS
This is the newest FIRO project, and a work plan is in place to help develop a Preliminary Viability Assessment. There are eight work teams tackling this FIRO project: 1) Water Resources Engineering Team, 2) Verification Team, 3) Observations Team, 4) Meteorology Team, 5) Hydrology Team, 6) Communications Team, 7) Economics Benefit Team, and 8) Decision Support Team. Efforts are also underway to update the Water Control Manuals (WCMs) for Oroville and New Bullards Bar reservoirs, scheduled to complete in FY2024. The Sacramento District of the USACE will receive $22.5 million to update various WCMs.
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Update on Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) There are three formal Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) projects that the California Nevada River Forecast Center is participating in, Lake Mendocino, Prado Dam, and the Yuba-Feather basins. Figures 3-5 identifies these three areas. These FIRO projects represent deep collaboration between various agencies, including the US Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Water Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Sonoma Water Agency, Orange County Public Works, Yuba Water Agency, US Bureau of Reclamation, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Fig. 3 – Map of the Russian River watershed.
Fig. 5 – Map of the Yuba Feather watersheds.
Lake Mendocino A Preliminary Viability Assessment (PVA) was released in 2017 regarding Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations at Lake Mendocino. A Final Viability Assessment (FVA) was published in December of 2020. An economic assessment, funded in part by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, was completed to quantify the benefits of FIRO for dam operations, water supply, fisheries, recreation, and hydropower. It found that FIRO will lead to positive benefits in all these areas except hydropower, resulting in total estimated annual benefits of $9.4 million. In early 2020, Sonoma Water Agency saved 11,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Mendocino (20% of its water capacity at the time) by implementing a deviation request that allowed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use decision support tools developed as part of FIRO. Nevertheless, a dry year resulted in nearly record low storage levels going into the fall, with storage at Lake Mendocino registering near 13,000 acre-feet in late October, just before heavy rain arrived associated with an atmospheric river. The record low storage at the lake was 12,081 acre-feet in November 1977. As of November 28th, 2021, storage had increased to 20,732 acre-feet, still nearly 50,000 acre ft below the flood control pool. The Steering Committee for the Lake Mendocino FIRO project is currently focused on supporting a new Water Control Manual that will take advantage of meteorological and hydrologic forecasts routed through a Decision Support Service (DSS) to help better manage water at Lake Mendocino, and on research aimed to improve weather forecasts. Prado Dam
Fig. 4 – Map of the Santa Ana watershed.
A Preliminary Viability Assessment for Prado Dam was published in August 2021. This FIRO project, found that 7,000 acre-feet per year of stormwater could potentially be added to groundwater recharge in Orange County. The Steering Committee is now focused on producing a Final Viability Assessment.
FMA NEWS
BRIDGING THE EQUITY GAP IN FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT Hunter Merritt
Reprinted from IMPACT magazine from AWRA
Floods can affect every person and every community—but not always equally. Some communities—particularly poorer communities that lack access to much-needed resources— struggle harder than others to prepare for and recover from floods. Climate changes are exacerbating these inequalities; tides are rising along coasts, atmospheric storms and river floods are coming harder and faster than ever before, hitting the places that have not been armored against flood, and emergency response capabilities are feeling the strain. Across the industry, water resources professionals from a variety of sectors are becoming increasingly aware of disparities in the disaster risk cycle. Continued effort is needed, on the part of engineers and planners, to better understand the factors that contribute to the inequities facing the less resilient communities. These factors may include the agencies themselves, if they continue to depend upon antiquated policies, processes, and institutional systems that marginalize some individuals and communities. To that end, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Flood Risk Management Program hosted the first in a series of virtual engagements titled “Bridging the Equity Gap in Flood Risk Management” in August 2021. The inaugural webinar, titled “Environmental Justice, Equity, and Flood Risk Management,” featured panelists who offered valuable insights into how environmental and social justice intersect with flood risk. The panelists also offered perspectives on how everyone – individuals, communities, and agencies – must work together to overcome the equity gap in flood risk management.
FMA NEWS
Environmental Justice and Flood Risk Management Policy Jerica Richardson, a senior policy advisor with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), kicked off the panel with a short history of federal policies centered on environmental justice and an introduction to emergent applications of the principles of environmental justice to contemporary challenges in flood risk management. To evaluate benefits from water resources projects, Richardson explained, USACE and other federal water management agencies apply the “Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies.” These principles and guidelines, first codified in 1983 and recently updated (and renamed) in 2013, assist and direct evaluation of projects from four distinct lenses, often called the “four accounts”: National Economic Development (NED), Regional Economic Development, Environmental Quality, and Other Social Effects. The fourth account includes consideration of social and environmental justice.
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"Regional resilience is not a top-down or outside-in initiative. It must be led, owned, and understood by the community, while the government plays a supporting role." Since 1983, NED has been the primary justification for federal water resources investments. However, as Richardson explained, this longstanding approach is beginning to change. Recent directives from the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works underscore the need to balance assessment priorities and place greater emphasis on the other accounts. In justifying projects, Richardson said to “look at all four accounts—that is what they are there for,” and she emphasized the agency’s aspiration toward alignment between existing and changing policy to address environmental justice priorities. Also, Executive Orders 13985 and 14008 call for an increased agency investment in community engagement to identify equitable flood risk management solutions and collaboratively address water resources concerns. The next webinar speaker, Dámaris Villalobos-Galindo— an engineer from Valley Water (formerly the Santa Clara Valley Water District) and a member of the Association of State Floodplain Managers’ Social Justice Task Force— explored how environmental injustice and inequality can be seen in each quadrant of the disaster risk cycle. “When we talk about flood vulnerability, we often talk about people. In reality, it is the system that is vulnerable— natural, socioeconomic, and institutional.” Low-income and minority communities often lack the resources to adequately prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against floods. In other words, these communities exhibit a greater degree of flood vulnerability, which Villalobos-Galindo defined as “exposure plus susceptibility, minus resilience.” With this simple formula, Villalobos-Galindo explained how social and economic inequities compound the dangers of flood exposure.
Preserving a Role for Mutual Aid Top-down, government-based solutions are not the only way communities can protect themselves from flooding – in certain situations, it can be the least favored option. Ms. Miriam Belblidia, co-founder and director of research and advocacy at Imagine Water Works, presented a history of mutual aid organizations. Mutual aid is as old as community itself: it consists of voluntary associations of individuals providing cooperative, reciprocal assistance. These organizations, such as the award-winning Mutual Aid Response Network, enjoy certain distinct advantages. As Belblidia pointed out, community members themselves are often the first responders in a disaster. Indeed, there is a long history of neighbors helping neighbors before emergency management can arrive, and the concept of self-help and mutual aid is well established in communities such as New Orleans. Historically, Belblidia explained, mutual aid has been especially valuable in underserved and marginalized communities. Black mutual aid organizations, for example, have existed since at least the 1700s, grounded in the principles of resource sharing that came from the Haitian and French Revolutions. Since that time, associations across the country have formed to share resources and foster a sense of community but have often been eclipsed by government aid programs. “It is interesting to see how these associations, these mutual aid projects, come in response to social upheaval and then are often co-opted by government,” said Belblidia. “One famous example is the Black Panthers’ free breakfast program, which was co-opted by the federal government and then became the Department of Agriculture’s school breakfast program.” Continues on next page
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BRIDGING THE EQUITY GAP IN FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT [Continued] Hunter Merritt
Reprinted from IMPACT magazine from AWRA
Grassroots mutual aid is rooted in the community itself. “Mutual aid is about solidarity, not charity,” said Belblidia. The examples she provided demonstrated the resilience that can be cultivated when communities band together and proactively pursue the common good. Step One: Empower the Community All three panelists emphasized that government agencies must earn the trust of historically marginalized communities and involve them in decisions regarding how best to mitigate flood risks and respond to flooding events. Building trust and engaging communities is difficult, but it is also critical, as it provides an opportunity to empower those who are most affected, ensure their perspectives are represented, and engender ownership of the solution. Regional resilience is not a top-down or outside-in initiative. It must be led, owned, and understood by the community, while government plays a supporting role. “Think about what effect your job has. What is the impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion, leveling the playing field?” Villalobos-Galindo enjoined. “You might not think your job, for example in hydraulic modeling, has an impact, but it does.” In closing, and with gratitude to the coordinators and speakers who participated in this inspirational webinar, the message is clear: community resilience discussions must occur in a variety of settings as we strive to bridge the
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equity gap in flood risk management. There is no single “owner” of the discussion—everyone has a part in these conversations, and every voice needs to be heard to articulate a shared vision of the future. The information revealed through these discussions must be shared across audiences and agencies so that they can collaborate to identify and holistically address inequities in flood preparedness and resilience. Addressing today’s flood problems, in other words, requires teamwork. These teams must include marginalized and disadvantaged communities, incorporating their perspectives. Working together, communities and government agencies can create a proverbial wave to lift all boats. Hunter Merritt (Hunter.merritt@usace. army.mil) is a social scientist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources’ Collaboration and Public Participation Center of Expertise. He has 30 years of experience in the fields of facilitation, mediation, and conflict resolution, and more than 12 years of agency experience in collaborative planning and problem solving in water resources and flood risk management. For more information on the webinar series, please contact Jessica Ludy, USACE San Francisco District, Flood Risk Management Program Manager, at Jessica.J.Ludy@usace.army.mil.
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IS IT TIME TO ADD A BEAVER TO YOUR FLOOD MANAGEMENT TEAM? Lisa Beutler
Reprinted from IMPACT magazine from AWRA
If you’re looking for new talent for your next flood management project, you may have overlooked an entire pool of low-cost, hardworking, extremely experienced workers. Sometimes called nature’s premier construction engineers, they have their detractors, and you may have some qualms after reference checks. They’ve been in multiple disputes, been called nuisances, and even been ejected from the worksite. But some managers (and governments) are saying it’s time to give them a second look. Beavers, nearly hunted to extinction for their valued coats, are slowly returning to public lands. In his recent book, Eager, author Ben Goldfarb calls the semi-aquatic mammals “ecological and hydrological Swiss army knives.” Goldfarb believes they are building a new reputation for positive impacts on landscapes, ecology, and even the economy. “A beaver pond,” he explains, “is more than a body of water supporting the needs of a group of beavers, but the epicenter of a whole dynamic ecosystem.” Beaver-built dams and wetlands naturally boost cost-effective climate resilience. Known benefits include habitat creation for endangered species, increased biodiversity, water storage and purification, reduced wildfire damage, accelerated reforestation after fires, and groundwater recharge. These large rodents are now getting renewed attention for their potential to reduce flooding. For many, this seems counterintuitive. Often considered pests, tens of thousands of beavers are killed annually when their activities create localized flooding. A return of beavers to Great Britain created enormous controversy as farmers worried about beaver-made alterations to their drainage systems.
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A Cautious Welcome Prompted by a European Union agreement to bring back extinct species “where feasible,” the formal reintroduction of this once-native British mammal was conducted cautiously and studied carefully. Results have been promising. Media headlines such as “Dam It! How Beavers Could Save Britain from Flooding” and “Why Beavers Could be the UK’s Secret Weapon against Flooding” have captured the public’s interest. (Another publication carried a similar banner headline, but, to the horror of beaver enthusiasts, the column included a picture of a nutria.) In a five-year study in west Devon, researchers from the University of Exeter measured water flows and water quality above and below beaver dams. As expected, the dams improved water quality. The researchers also found that beaver activity reduced flood events: Monitoring demonstrated that during heavy rain, water volume increased rapidly above the study site. However, floodwater measured again below the site showed reduced peaks and velocity. In 2019 interviews with the Guardian, John Morgan, a retired rancher and owner of the property where the pilot project occurred, reported that before the beavers’ introduction the rural roads in the area used to flood in heavy rain. Since their arrival, road flooding has ceased. Offering a full-throated endorsement of more reintroduction, he said, “I think it’s a good idea. They do a lot of work that these different water companies have to do. If a dam gets washed out, the beavers put it back overnight. They do a 12-hour shift every day of the year. They don’t take holidays.”
23 Not everyone shares Morgan’s enthusiasm. Scottish farmers complain about losing farmland to flooding and the costs of clearing ditches blocked by their new co-habitants. Wildlife managers believe most of the issues can be resolved through a combination of compensation and engineering fixes to circumvent the beavers’ handiwork. In extreme situations, they acknowledge, relocation may be the best option. Importantly, the wildlife managers and beaver advocacy organizations argue that killing should not be used as a management method. While the beavers may not collect a paycheck, the formal program does have costs. In addition to the potential cost of compensating neighbors for beaver-created losses, there are costs to ensuring the animals remain in appropriate locations. For now, those locations are plentiful, but beavers are territorial, and increased populations would require increased range. Further, without fencing or other barriers, beavers will naturally search for more desirable sites. Putting Beavers to the Test Beyond Europe, other countries have tried similar programs. In Canada, where the beaver serves as the official emblem, the government has sought to repopulate the once plentiful mammal. A study of Beavers in Riding Mountain National Park has returned positive results. That study found that beavers produced significant benefits for biodiversity, water quality, wetland habitat for other species, and water storage during droughts. As in Devon, the beavers also helped reduce downstream flooding. Still to be studied are the potential impacts on local landowners and neighboring conservation districts if beaver dams break and cause flooding as well as ways to identify and mitigate these risks. Concerns about dam failure may be misplaced. An 1868 map commissioned by anthropologist and railroad director Lewis Henry Morgan showed that of 64 beaver dams and ponds across roughly 48 square miles near the city of Ishpeming, Michigan, three-quarters are still standing. A 2012 study conducted on behalf of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Institute for Historical Ecology, found a beaver dam in Plumas County, California, that was first built around 580 AD, with evidence of repairs around 1730 and in the mid-1800s. It appeared the beavers abandoned the site after the dam suffered a breach around 1850 (coincidently around the time Europeans began settling in the area). Most engineers would be happy to claim a dam still standing more than a millennium after its initial construction.
Other studies of the efficacy of beaver dams for flood control have been less definitive. In a 2019 study, a team of German researchers found benefits similar to those described by others, but “no remarkable effect could be observed for flood events with return periods of more than 2 years.” They concluded beaver dams can affect runoff flows but “cannot be counted as a flood mitigation measure.” Back in the United Kingdom, researchers O. Bokhove, M. A. Kelmanson, and T. Kent reported right in the title of their 2020 paper that “upscaling beaver dams for protection against extreme floods proves unrealistic.” They modeled flood-excess volume (FEV) for four rivers during five extreme floods over the past two decades. Reducing FEV by 10% using beaver colonies and beaver dams would require “hundreds of such colonies per river catchment.” Given the number of beaver colonies and dams needed, they concluded that “serious flood mitigation by massive introduction of beaver colonies is completely unrealistic.” Still other peer-reviewed studies, as well as multiple anecdotal case studies, throughout the United States and Canada suggest that how effectively beavers’ activities are able to control flooding may depend on the physical characteristics of their habitat. In some reviews, one key to success was adjacency to floodplains. So, in answer to the question, Is it time to add a beaver to your flood management team? the answer is, Maybe. There is broad consensus about the ecosystem benefits of beaver colonies, and in many cases they appear to offer at least some degree of flood protection. Regardless, the benefits of beavers as a nature-based flood management option are place dependent. Before bringing them on board, managers will need to weigh benefits against potential human conflicts and ongoing programing costs. Meanwhile, they are always an option if you are looking for a team mascot. Lisa Beutler (lisa.beutler@stantec.com), an AWRA past president, started her career as a state park ranger and has always loved the intersection between land and water management. These days she is an executive facilitator at Stantec working on an extensive water management portfolio.
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FLOOD MEMORIES AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE Lisa Beutler
Reprinted from IMPACT magazine from AWRA physical, social, and biological scientists, who contributed technical and institutional knowledge on how to reduce flood damage and manage river basin ecosystems. A Call to Action Issued . . .
It was unexpectedly wet that fall. The soil in the upper Midwest was moist and the reservoirs were high. Then as winter turned to spring, the rain began again. Voluminous and relentless, it pounded nine states and 400,000 square miles. By late May 1993 some levees along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers began to fail—and the rain didn’t stop. At some locations National Weather Service records documented flooding lasting for nearly 200 days. The destruction totaled more than anyone at the time could have previously imagined. By count of the United States Geological Service, flooding led to 47 flood deaths, evacuation of 54,000 people from their homes, and inundation of at least 75 whole towns. In terms of dollars, it was the most severe flood in U.S. history. The people who once thought their communities were safe from rivers demanded to know how so much could go wrong. The media focused on the flood and then its aftermath, bombarding the nation with pictures of devastation. Flood and wetlands professionals convened to discuss issues surrounding the flood. All were asking the same basic questions: What was the extent of the flood damage? Why was it so severe and widespread? And what needs to change to keep this from happening again? In response, President Bill Clinton summoned a team of experts to conduct a postmortem and answer the hard questions. Brigadier General Gerald Galloway, a respected former West Point dean with 30 years of experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was tapped to lead the Interagency Floodplain Management Review Committee. The 31-member group included federal engineers and FMA NEWS
The committee delivered its report, Sharing the Challenge: Floodplain Management into the 21st Century, commonly referred to as the Galloway Report, to the White House in 1994. Key recommendations included a call for strict new limits on building in the nation’s floodplains and protection of wetlands, which slow flooding and serve as buffers against storms. Unambiguous, it included 60 separate actions, goals, and recommendations for floodplain management and featured statements such as “rainfall and floods like the 1993 event will continue to occur” and “floods are natural repetitive phenomena.” It was a bold call to action, declaring, “Now is the time to organize a national effort to conduct effective and efficient floodplain management and to share responsibility and accountability for accomplishing floodplain management among all levels of government and with the citizens of the nation.” . . . and Disregarded Fast forward to August 2005. Hurricane Katrina pummeled New Orleans and the surrounding areas, causing more than 1,800 deaths and damage totaling $125 billion. Once again, the levees failed, new flood records were set, and General Galloway was summoned to Congress to discuss what had changed since his 1994 report. By this time, Galloway, in his late sixties, was a professor at the University of Maryland. During the 2006 hearings on Katrina, the general, with the same pragmatism displayed in his namesake 1994 report, replied that the committee’s recommendations ended up in the “government’s ‘too hard’ box … and floated in a bureaucratic malaise over the next years until the memory of the flood faded away.” He continued, “And I will tell you that that’s the challenge, because the half-life of a memory of a flood is very short. And even with something as disastrous as the Mississippi or New Orleans flood, it won’t be long before people have let it slip off their radar screens.”
25 But is it true? Is the half-life memory of floods short? Somewhere in our DNA is a story of a great flood. The stories exist in nearly every culture, and many pre-date biblical accounts of flooding. How do we not remember? What can we learn if we don’t remember?
Measuring the Life Span of Flood Memories In recent years researchers have considered the impact of flood memories on human behavior. Environmental sciences faculty at the Czech University of Life Sciences considered this topic in their 2019 paper "How Long Do Floods throughout the Millennium Remain in the Collective Memory?” They hypothesized that communities possess a collective historical memory of extreme phenomena, such as catastrophic floods, which leads community members to live in safer locations. To test their ideas, the researchers cross-referenced information about 1,293 settlements founded over the course of nine centuries with seven extreme flood events. The historical memory, they found, did not last long: “For a period of one generation after each flood, new settlements appeared in safer places. However, respect for floods waned in the second generation and new settlements were established closer to the water.” They concluded, “Flood memory depends on living witnesses and fades away within two generations. Historical memory is not sufficient to protect human settlements from the consequences of rare catastrophic floods.”
A 2016 paper, "Sustainable Flood Memory: Remembering as Resilience," drew upon research findings on the 2007 floods in the southwest of England. The authors hypothesized that memories of flooding could be used to catalyze action and create resilience in managing for future floods. Through interviews and reviews of official documents, they learned that flood memories were modulated by how the prior flood was perceived—and not all such memories were negative. Furthermore, they found that memories require maintenance: “Flood memory [is] travelling, across settings as well as through time. The vehicles by which it moves (in minds, media or archives) require continued connection and communication.” Local communities, academics, and policy makers, they argue, should work proactively preserve flood memories in productive ways. “The extent to which flooded communities can take ownership of their own flood materialization (from hard engineering to storytelling) may have an important function for resilience. . . . Therefore, the role of the social, creative and cultural plays just as significant a part in remembering as defense systems, barriers and dredging.” Doomed to Repeat? The Galloway Report and others since offered straightforward, proven approaches to preparing for and managing catastrophic flood events. Yet for a variety of reasons, change has been difficult to implement. Looking forward, we may do well to consider Winston Churchill’s words: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” The flood community’s next course of action may need to include processes to keep the memories of floods and the lessons learned alive. Without these memories, decision makers and those living and working in floodplains are likely to misunderstand the risks they face and be unable to undertake truly informed actions. Lisa Beutler (lisa.beutler@stantec.com), an AWRA past president, started her career as a state park ranger and has always loved the intersection between land and water management. These days she is an executive facilitator at Stantec working on an extensive water management portfolio.
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FLOOD HAZARD MAPPING FOR CALIFORNIA Eric Simmons, FEMA Region 9 We’re firmly in the era of big data. Hazard maps are no exception, but what are the differences between various flood products? Five common map types for California are summarized to help clarify their uses. Tsunami hazard area maps are online, cover the state’s populated coastal areas, and are currently being updated. An example around Emma Wood State Park at the mouth of the Ventura River is shown. The California Legislature passed Senate Bill 92 requiring the development of inundation maps for state jurisdictional dams.
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These maps are posted when approved by Division of Safety of Dams. An example based on a reservoir breach is provided around the same area in Ventura, California. Levee flood protection zone maps from the California Department of Water Resources highlight areas behind State-Federal levees. One can view this using a parcel lookup tool. For the entire nation, the National Levee Database, or NLD, includes maps of ‘leveed areas’ as well as a dashboard to search geographically. The NLD is maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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Flood Insurance Rate Maps
Flood Factor
Purpose of Map
Floodplain management and determination structures requiring flood insurance.
Understand current flood hazards and how flood risk changes over time.
Map Source
Federal Emergency Management Agency
First Street Foundation
Types of Flood Riverine, coastal, and alluvial flooding due to Existing conditions and future flooding from rivers, rainDepicted storms, and –in some areas– levee failure. 1% fall and the oceans covering sizes from nuisance floodannual chance event flood zones and, where ing to once-in-a-millennium. available, 0.2% annual chance event. Information on Map
Flood insurance zones, regulatory floodways, 3-meter resolution grids attributed with inundation probcross section and transect locations, base flood ability and flood depths associated with time (year 2020 elevations or depths, hydraulic structures, etc. & 2050).
For active flooding, please consult products issued by the National Weather Service. Future conditions mapping is also available from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Our Coast, Our Future. FEMA maintains a National Risk Index to identify communities most at risk to 18 hazards. Last and not least, MyHazards by California Office of Emergency Services provides information on hazards from tsunamis, earthquakes, fire, and flooding. Tsunami Hazard Area Maps
Dam Inundation Maps
Leveed Areas or Zones
Assist response planning by identifying a community’s tsunami hazard. California Geological Survey
Emergency planning and a tool to develop emergency action plans.
Increase awareness of hazards and risk associated with levees.
Owners of dams
Various
Types of Flood Tsunami – primarily based on Depicted inundation limits corresponding to a 975-year average return period tsunami event.
Dam breach inundation in California for extremely high, high, and significant hazard dams and their appurtenant structures.
Maximum area flooded when a levee fails at maximum capacity that may reasonably be conveyed by flood control system.
Information on Map
Inundation boundary, flood wave arrival times, maximum inundation depths, and maximum water velocities.
Area inundated during overtopping of a levee, drainage problems, or a levee failure.
Purpose of Map Map Source
Area inundated by tsunami; note they are not legal documents and do not meet disclosure requirement for real estate.
Flood Factor is a free, online tool to learn a property’s current flood risk and how that risk changes over time. Using hazard and property data, one can determine depths of flooding reaching buildings and estimate the costs of associated damage. Tsunami hazard area maps are online, cover the state’s populated coastal areas, and are currently being updated. An example around Emma Wood State Park at the mouth of the Ventura River is shown. Flood Insurance Rate Maps, or FIRMs, are hazard maps supporting the National Flood Insurance Program. They show zones of high flood hazard (for example, Zones A, AE, AH, AO, and VE) as well as medium, low, and unknown flood hazard areas. All FIRMs produced digitally are viewable in a National Flood Hazard Layer.
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HIGHLIGHTS OF AN INTERVIEW WITH GERALD GALLOWAY, THE NATION’S SENIOR FLOOD MANAGEMENT STATESMAN Guest Editors Reprinted from IMPACT magazine from AWRA Brigadier General Gerald E. Galloway has worked to shape U.S. flood management policy for decades. We caught up with Brigadier General Gerald E. Galloway Jr. (retired) in late August, just two days after Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana and on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Now 85, he sported a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Be CIVIL, and Environmental.” As he settled into his office chair, his comfortable demeanor and casual attire belied his stature as one of the world’s top flood-management experts. Galloway was already well known in the water resources field through his distinguished service in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) when President Reagan appointed him to serve on the seven-member Mississippi River Commission in 1988. Later, President Clinton pressed him into service to lead the task force studying the causes of the Great Flood of 1993 along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The findings and recommendations of that study, now referred to as “The Galloway Report,” fundamentally altered the national perspective on flood management. Today Galloway, a former AWRA past president, is professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Maryland. He is still deeply engaged with the Center for Disaster Resilience and continues to influence contemporary thinking about flood management. While his heart remains with the Corps (his sons followed him into this work too), it is clear that he enjoys the freedom of expression afforded to him as an academic. Not all of Galloway’s accomplishments are in the rearview mirror. As recently as 2018, Engineering News-Record named him a top 25 newsmaker for his leadership in water and floodplain management. In July 2021 he addressed the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works about incorporating natural and nature-based features (NNBFs) into flood risk management projects. As he explained in the hearing, “The use of natural systems and NNBF in the development and wise use of our nation’s water resources dates to the earliest inhabitants of this great land.” He continued, “Today they are still important parts of our efforts to ensure the sustainable use our water resources and to prevent disasters and should be seen as significant elements of the nation’s portfolio to deal with these challenges.” FMA NEWS
“It Just Keeps Happening”: Urban Flooding Galloway became deeply engaged in the subject of urban flooding during his joint appointment as a Faculty Fellow in Texas A&M’s Hagler Institute for Advanced Study. In collaboration with researchers at the Galveston campus, Galloway published The Growing Threat of Urban Flooding: A National Challenge in 2018. Urban flood management involves organizing a cityscape so it can handle the water it receives through precipitation and runoff. While this includes stormwater management and flooding from proximity to a floodplain, the central focus of urban flood planning is on how urban populations can manage what the weather dishes out through both their built and natural infrastructure. In Galloway’s view, urban flood management is an issue not just of health and safety but of social equity. As put in the 2018 report, “Urban flooding, which occurs frequently and ubiquitously, is constantly gnawing at the fabric of communities.” Because each event rarely results in major dollar damage, losses may not even be reported, but the economic costs to individual flood victims, Galloway explains, may be catastrophic. People living in basements and high-risk neighborhoods may lose all their belongs, including cars and household goods. These are often the most valuable possessions of vulnerable populations, who are also among the populations least likely to have insurance. To make matters worse, residents may not even know that they are at risk. Many states do not require sellers to tell prospective renters or homebuyers if their property has flooded in the past.
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Detroit, like many cities, has been subject to repeated catastrophic flooding. Urban flooding, argues Galloway, deserves greater attention, major investment, and new approaches that incorporate natural processes. Source: Michigan State Police. Detroit is a poster child for the problem, Galloway says. He recalls August 11, 2014, when four to six inches of rain fell in a four-hour period over a densely populated portion of the city. Roadways filled with 14 feet of water, and 10,000 storm drains failed to drain. As drivers abandoned their cars, Michigan State Police dispatched dive teams to monitor the freeways. Homes, businesses, and infrastructure were inundated, and direct flood damage totaled $1.8 billion. And, Galloway explains, “it just keeps happening.” Before the city had fully recovered, massive rainstorms in July and August 2016 struck again, flooding the homes of 3,000 residents. Since 2016 five major rain-to-flood events have occurred, including one this year. Galloway notes that none of these recent Detroit flood events were caused by overflows of the Detroit River (which is also a risk). The Midwest is not the only place where such floods occur. Indeed, Galloway says that similar events are happening all over the East Coast. No matter where these floods occur, outcomes often depend on socioeconomic status. Affluent neighborhoods can call on officials to assist and implement mitigation measures. Even if a failure occurs, homeowners are insured and can afford repairs. In contrast, less-affluent cities with impervious surfaces, undersized and failed water infrastructure, and ongoing power outages do not recover quickly. Underlying inequities serve to affect the resiliency of people living there even further.
Sponge Cities and Sediment Diversions One example of a hybrid approach is “sponge cities,” a strategy pioneered by Chinese engineers that Galloway saw firsthand before the onset of the COVID-19 shutdowns. Like many U.S. cities, Chinese urban areas are experiencing extreme flood events and water scarcity in the same years. Kongjian Yu of the University of Peking originated the sponge city concept. “Rather than using concrete to channel away rainwater,” Kongjian Yu explains, “you work with nature to absorb, clean, and use the water. Floods are not enemies.” Sponge city design embraces the integrated urban water management strategies long championed by Galloway. These strategies include designing for microclimates, adapting low-impact development approaches, implementing sustainable drainage systems and rainwater recycling, rehabilitating degraded environments, and constructing multipurpose percolation systems that absorb, purify, and store floodwater. Importantly, sponge cities aim to promote positive interactions across socioeconomic divides to enhance local urban resilience, particularly in the face of ongoing water-related crises. These types of strategies could dramatically improve the future of many U.S. cities, Galloway says. China’s political culture makes these measures easier to implement, Galloway wryly points out: “When the leader says, ‘I want 70% of the water to stay in your city, do you understand?’ the only answer he hears back is ‘Yes sir!’” Continues on next page
Galloway believes this is a critical, urgent situation the water community should rally to address. Without significant investment, changes in design and policies, and a plan to address historic and ongoing injustices, it may be a grim future for climate-impacted urban landscapes. “Green” or nature-based flood management solutions are particularly promising, says Galloway. And such efforts have already proved fruitful from the Netherlands to Philadelphia and beyond. They are most effective when paired with engineered structural features. “You can’t always just fix a problem by giving a river more room to roam,” he explains.
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HIGHLIGHTS OF AN INTERVIEW WITH GERALD GALLOWAY, THE NATION’S SENIOR FLOOD MANAGEMENT STATESMAN [Continued] Guest Editors Reprinted from IMPACT magazine from AWRA Other promising hybrid approaches could benefit U.S. cities, Galloway says. Sediment diversions incorporate structural approaches to allow river water, sediment, and nutrients to flow into degrading wetlands. These diversions mimic the natural processes that restore and replenish wetlands. Galloway spoke with pragmatism about the need for these types of projects. In the late 1800s people began to levee the Mississippi to reduce flooding and ease navigation. These alterations choked off sediment supply, causing marshlands to sink. This practice, combined with significant channelization of wetlands to support a booming oil industry, led to massive losses of the coastland that had once buffered the inland from severe storms. Although Mississippi River diversions are not new, the concept of using them explicitly to transport sediment is. Galloway is at the forefront of such efforts, assisting in the large-scale coastal restoration sediment diversion project currently underway on the Mississippi River. Projects of this kind are highly complex and will take decades to complete. Still, Galloway believes this is a direction that holds promise for mitigating flood risk exacerbated by decades of shortsighted development, alteration, and leveeing. Progress versus Partisanship To prepare for the interview, we did some crowd-sourcing on social media to discover what people wanted to hear from Galloway. Most were curious about his thoughts on progress. So we put the question to Galloway: Over the course of his career, he and his colleagues have made hundreds of recommendations to reduce the risk and impacts of flooding. To what degree have these recommendations been implemented? Galloway is clearly delighted by this line of questioning. His answer? In a few words, “not near enough.” Galloway’s discussion of many of his studies and reports resembles an autopsy as he describes various twists and turns that led some of the impetus for action to peter out. Lack of visibility was one major factor: unlike highways, flood risks go largely unnoticed by most people, who thus do not petition their elected officials to take action. In most cases, however, the cause of a report’s demise was politics. In short, a couple of key factors have hampered progress. One the loss of congressional champions working to advance flood policy and secure funding for flood-related
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projects. An even larger concern for Galloway is the shift in political tenor he identifies as beginning with the ascent of Newt Gingrich to the House speakership and continuing today. He stresses that there is nothing inherently partisan about flood management. Rather, the problems created by hyperpartisanship make it difficult to get anything done that doesn’t advance a significant political interest. Galloway describes decades of projects derailed by partisanship in government. Preparation of the landmark 1994 Galloway Report, for instance, was a whole-ofgovernment effort, and upon its delivery the president told the agencies to get to work. But not long after, the president’s party lost control of Congress, and most of the report’s recommendations were stymied through budget wrangling and other controls. Even so, some good did come from the effort. Many of the lesser recommendations were followed, including important changes to the National Flood Insurance Program. The report was also a catalyst for changes to state and local flood management programs, as well as a call to action for the flood management profession. Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, many wondered how much of the destruction could have been avoided had the recommendations of the Galloway Report been followed. The answer was a lot, Galloway says. In an ironic turn, the federal government sought Galloway’s expertise again. He was called to Congress to share his observations about how earlier recommendations could have helped prevent or mitigate the disaster. He was also asked to join the team looking at ways to avoid future catastrophes. In the end, Galloway claims, Congress continued to demonstrate that managing flood risk is simply not a priority. The Senate would have done more had it been important to them, he says. "His discussion of the fate of many of his studies and task force reports somewhat resembled an autopsy. In most cases the cause of a report’s demise was politics." Still, some changes and improvements recommended after Katrina were implemented. New Orleans adopted a perimeter storm damage risk reduction system as well as interior storm management and pump systems. In the days following Hurricane Ida, it was clear that most of those fixes worked, notwithstanding various other infrastructural problems in the region.
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Galloway believes the key to making New Orleans more resilient in the future is understanding that, under current climate change scenarios, future storms will eventually overtop the levee system. Bigger levees are not enough, he insists. Strategies that anticipate the realities of climate change will be more effective than those that simply react. Sediment diversion projects are an example of such an anticipatory approach. We asked about the Principles, Requirements and Guidelines (PR&G), updated in 2013 under the Obama Administration, that laid out broad principles to guide water investments. While Congress had initially supported these updates, Galloway explains, they later added riders to the legislation that prevented the Corps from implementing them. Galloway is clearly exasperated as he retells these stories. Clearly, he concludes, powerful interests do not want changes to the status quo. He finally throws up his hands, exclaiming, “Give me a break. At this point it’s impossible to even embarrass the Congress.” One Foot in Front of the Other Galloway is frustrated but recovers quickly. It is important, he says, to keep these setbacks in perspective: “You know, a lot of people ask me if I get discouraged after working on this for 60 years and not seeing things get done. I tell them, no, I don’t. A lot of good things have happened.” Indeed, he likes to think of his work as “muddling through,” to borrow a phrase from political scientist Charles Lindblom. For Galloway, flood risk management is an iterative process rather than a linear one. “As much as you want to just keep moving forward, it is more like two steps forward and a quarter back, then two steps forward and then more back.” As a senior statesman, Galloway continues to provide counsel and bring attention the nation’s flood management needs. He also believes he has an obligation to continue “building the bench” and mentoring and coaching flood management professionals. He sees work to be done and, despite the occasional step backward, intends to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
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MEMORIAL SECTION Tom Christensen Memorial Beloved CaDWR and USACE Co-worker, Mentor, Leader and Colleague. October 4, 1941 to September 17, 2021 “A Life Well Lived” Tom Christensen, retired senior engineer at the California Department of Water Resources Floodplain Management Branch and the US Army Corps of Engineers Floodplain Planning Section passed away unexpectedly on September 17, 2021, in Sacramento. Tom was 78 years old and remained very active in supporting his church, community, and family. Tom was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and graduated from Walla Walla University in Washington State with a degree in Civil Engineering. He worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers from 1964 through 2000, mostly at the Sacramento District, with a focus on Flood Risk Reduction, Flood Planning, and Floodplain Management projects. Tom retired from the USACE as chief of the Floodplain Planning Section. Tom then began working with California DWR, retiring in 2014 as a senior engineer in the Floodplain Management Branch. Tom’s USACE and DWR careers, which spanned a total of 50 years, had a special focus on Floodplain Management and mapping. At DWR, Tom was instrumental in formulating interagency agreements to advance floodplain mapping projects and activities within DWR, the USACE, FEMA, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the California Geologic Survey. The pinnacle of Tom’s career was the planning and execution of the DWR led Central Valley Floodplain Evaluation and Delineation Project and the Central Valley Hydrology Study that updated digital elevation models, hydrology, and hydraulic profiles for the major streams in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. The CVFED and CVHS studies supported FEMA mapping, USACE planning and design studies, DWR-led mapping and hydrology, and local agency efforts to improve the urban level of flood protection in the Central Valley. Tom played a key role in managing supportive Engineering
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Contracts with our colleagues in the private sector to deliver the CVFED project “on-time and on-budget” to support the 2012 and 2017 Central Valley Flood Protection Plans. Tom’s accomplishments and impacts on California FPM are too numerous to mention and he will be remembered by his co-workers, colleagues and agency partners, as a high energy engineer who always acted as a mentor and leader and promoted the advancement of DWR’s and the USACE’s efforts to inform and educate local state, and federal agencies and the public regarding flood risks. Prepared by Tom’s friends and colleagues at the California Department of Water Resources who held him in great admiration for his work ethic.
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I-Ming Cheng Memorial
Beloved Ca-DWR Colleague, Friend and FPM Leader. California DWR retired Floodplain Management senior engineer, I-Ming Cheng passed away in early October 2021 at age 79 surrounded by his family. I-Ming was born In Taiwan where he competed his bachelor of science degree in Civil Engineering. I-Ming received his MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research (IIHR) and his doctorate from the University of Utah. I-Ming completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Cornell University in New York. I-Ming worked as a senior engineer at the California Department of Water Resources from 1995 to 2008. With his broad technical experience in both the private and public sector of water resources engineering, I-Ming played a key technical and leadership role in expanding DWR’s floodplain management and floodplain mapping programs after the 1997 Central Valley Flood Event and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. I-Ming led the Senate Bill 4 Floodplain Mapping Program, oversaw development of interagency floodplain mapping agreements, and the selection and management of A and E contractors to support DWR’s FPM mission. I-Ming played a key role in the Feather River Hydrology, Hydraulic and Floodplain Study conducted in support of the Oroville Dam and Powerplant FERC Relicensing effort. I-Ming also laid the groundwork for DWR’s Central Valley Floodplain Evaluation and Delineation Program. In his 13 years at DWR, I-Ming technical knowledge, dedication to mission, and gentle and quiet nature endeared him to his colleagues. I-Ming loved the ocean and for a short time enjoyed traveling the state with his motorhome. The FPM Branch at DWR was blessed to have I-Ming in our presence for 13 years as a technical expert, friend, and colleague. Prepared in loving memory by I--Ming’s colleagues, Maria Lorenzo Lee and Ricardo Pineda.
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MEMORIAL SECTION David Thurman October 1, 1950 - December 13, 2020 Our friend and colleague David Thurman Ford passed away on December 13, 2020. Through his long, distinguished career, Dr. Ford made numerous lasting contributions to the hydrologic sciences. Dr. Ford was an internationally recognized expert in hydrologic, hydraulic, and water resources engineering, planning, and management, and provided consulting services to local, state, and federal governmental agencies throughout the US and internationally. Over the course of his 45year career, he contributed both theoretical and practical advances in flood warning systems, realtime forecasting and decision-making, reservoir operations, flood risk assessment, river hydraulics, and flood system planning.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Ford has served as a consultant to the USACE; National Weather Service; California Department of Water Resources (DWR); many local flood control and water agencies in California, Texas, and other states; agencies in India, Portugal, Indonesia, Romania; and for the United Nations, the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and to engineering firms worldwide.
Dr. Ford earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in civil engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. As a graduate student, Dr. Ford had the good fortune to serve as a research assistant to renowned hydrologic engineer Leo R. Beard, founder of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) in Davis, California. After completing his PhD, Dr. Ford worked for Mr. Beard at HEC for 12 years, bringing operation research methods to reservoir operation decision making. This work led to development of HEC’s HECPRM (Prescriptive Reservoir Model) and other similar applications.
Dr. Ford has trained thousands of engineers and scientists in hydrologic and hydraulic engineering principles. He was a long standing member and supporter of FMA and his wit and charm, as well as his expertise will be sorely missed.
From 1990 to 2018, Dr. Ford was President and Principal Engineer at David Ford Consulting Engineers, a small business in Sacramento specializing in flood and floodplain management, including hydrologic engineering and risk analysis. In 2018, the growth of the firm culminated in an acquisition by HDR, a company of more than 10,000 that provides engineering, architecture, environmental, and construction services to clients worldwide.
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Nationally, Dr. Ford led a team to deploy the Corps Water Management System (CWMS) to various USACE district offices. CWMS is a real-time decision support system that expands and enhances the data and information available to USACE water managers. This includes data and information about the current state of watersheds, likely future state of watersheds, and consequences of management actions. The data and information help water managers make wise operation decisions.
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Bruce Phillips, MS, PE January 27, 1957 – June 8, 2021 Bruce spent 19 years out of his 40-year engineering career with PACE as Senior Vice President and leader of the Stormwater Management Division. Before PACE, Bruce worked at RBF (now Michael Baker) for 21 years. Bruce was widely known as a leader in stormwater management and consulted with many flood/stormwater agencies, numerous cities, and land developers throughout the western US. One of the many special qualities about him was his breadth of expertise in the stormwater management field, including hydrology, hydraulics, floodplain management, urban stormwater management, river engineering, stormwater quality, etc., and particularly in alluvial fan hydraulics and sediment transport. Additionally, Bruce spent over 30 years as an instructor of advanced hydrology, hydraulics, and sediment transport courses at Cal State Long Beach (and previously UC Irvine and UC Riverside), and he led an annual 8-hour PE review course in hydrology and hydraulics well known throughout Southern California. He undoubtedly has impacted thousands of emerging civil engineers. People would frequently approach Bruce at professional industry conferences and events to say he taught a class they had taken. Each time the feedback was very similar; they learned so much from his classes, he gave them practical information that they regularly apply in their jobs, and that his teaching heavily influenced their decisions to enter the H&H engineering field. Bruce’s professional accomplishments are numerous and wide-reaching. An abbreviated list of these accomplishments includes: •
Authored several design manuals for flood control agencies.
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Developed important regional and award-winning stormwater management plans and designs such as the County of Orange Watershed Infiltration Hydromodification Management Plan (WIHMP), the Rancho Mission Viejo Runoff Management Plan (ROMP), and the El Modena Channel (allowing the Tustin Marketplace development to proceed), just to name a few.
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Completed many major flood control projects in the Coachella Valley, overcoming challenging alluvial fan conditions.
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In 2020/21, developed the County of Orange Standard Plans for Stormwater Quality Basins.
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Participated as a question writer and grader for the California Professional Engineer Special Exams (Seismic and Surveying).
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Developed/presented well over 100 technical papers/presentations.
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Completed physical and numerical modeling for the flood sequence in the movie Dante’s Peak, starring Pierce Brosman
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Developed physical models of challenging hydraulic conditions that were too difficult to analyze with computer modeling alone.
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Recognized as Engineer of Merit in the Private Sector by ASCE Orange County in 2017.
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Recognized with the Mentorship Award by the Floodplain Management Association in 2018
If you knew Bruce, you knew that he had an almost unreal work ethic. He was fully committed to his clients, projects, and his teaching. He was in the office every weekend (unless he was out wakeboarding at his home in the desert). If you didn’t see him at the office, you could almost certainly track him down at Los Caballeros Sports Club, where he spent hours each day working out, or at Del Taco picking up one of the many macho-sized iced teas he consumed daily. Nothing Bruce did was anything short of his best effort, and countless people benefited greatly from it. While we mourn the loss of a great leader and mentor, we are also celebrating how lucky we were to have such an inspirational, hard-working, and incredible engineer as a friend and colleague.
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THE HIGH
WATER MARK The Newsletter of the Floodplain Management Association
