Comparing floodplain evolution in channelized and unchannelized urban watersheds in Houston, Texas

Comparing floodplain evolution in channelized and unchannelized urban watersheds in Houston, Texas

Juan, Andrew (Rice University)
Gori, Avantika (Rice University)
Sebastian, Antonia (TU Delft Hydraulic Structures and Flood Risk; Rice University)

2020

In this study, we compare the ability of two riverine flood control approaches: channelization and stream preservation/setbacks, to alleviate the adverse impacts of rapid urbanization. To study the effects of structural intervention and urban development on the evolution of the floodplain, we have chosen two neighboring urban watersheds in Houston, TX: Brays Bayou and Buffalo Bayou. While the two watersheds are similar in size, topography, and development level, they have contrasting riverine flood management approaches. Brays Bayou is channelized, whereas Buffalo Bayou remains mostly unchannelized. We use the distributed hydrologic model, Vflo®, and the hydraulic model, HEC-RAS, to analyze channel hydraulics and floodplain extent in the two watersheds under the 10- and 100-year rainfall scenarios at three points in time: 1970s (early development), 2011 (current development), and 2040 (future development). We find that, while floodplain extent in both watersheds increases over time, the relative change in floodplain extent for Brays Bayou (channelized) is substantially larger than that for Buffalo Bayou (unchannelized). The results in this study contribute to a better understanding of the long-term performance of two flood mitigation approaches (channelization and setbacks) on riverine flood risk and provide insight into best management practices for cities experiencing rapid urban growth.

channelization
distributed hydrologic modeling
flood risk management
floodplain
HEC-RAS
land use/land cover change
urbanization
Vflo®

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:b72d8e19-b4b0-4c85-993a-c97d0c4eb892

https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12604

1753-318X

Journal of Flood Risk Management, 13 (2)

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2020 Andrew Juan, Avantika Gori, Antonia Sebastian