EFFECT OF URBANIZATION ON FLOODS OF DIFFERENT RECURRENCE INTERVAL

Studies have shown that the urbanization of a catchment can drastically change the flood characteristics of a river. Published results are synthesized to show the general relationship between the increase in flood flows following urbanization and both the percentage of the basin paved and the flood recurrence interval. In general, floods with a return period of a year or longer are not affected by a five percent paving of their catchment, small floods may be increased by 10 times by urbanization, floods with a return period of 100 years may be doubled in size by a 30 percent paving of the basin, and the effect of urbanization declines, in relative terms, as flood recurrence intervals increase. /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  American Geophysical Union

  1707 L Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20036
• Authors:
  • Hollis, G E
• Publication Date: 1975-6

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 431-435
• Serial:
  • Water Resources Research
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: American Geophysical Union

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Catenary wires; Floods; Pavement layers; Time intervals; Urbanization
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pavement structure
• Subject Areas: Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00097927
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 18 1975 12:00AM