Raj Bodasu’s Post

Do mangroves really contribute to flood safety? Many claims are made about Mangroves that provide increased flood safety in the tropical regions where they grow. In the WOODY project we will put this to the (Delta Flume) test! Hard proof of the resilience of mangroves under storms is scarce. If we really want to rely on these ecosystems in flood risk reduction, we need solid design criteria. Today the first mangroves were placed in the Delta Flume, in which the trees will be tested under full size extreme storm waves. The trees were grown in a greenhouse for five years. We will monitor the state of the trees, and determine the wave damping by a dedicated experimental arrangement. Based on the results we can better estimate the level of safety that these ecological building blocks can provide. The dedicated WOODY team is working hard to make this happen: Bregje van Wesenbeeck, Tjeerd Bouma, Su Kalloe, Alejandra Gijón Mancheño, Corinne van Starrenburg, Nova Huppes, Suzanna Zwanenburg, Arie van der vlies, Chantal Willems, Sytse Riedstra, john coolegem, Thomas Dunlop, Daan Koetsenruijter, Stefanie Scholtes, Celine van Bijsterveldt, Bart Scheel, Bas Hofland See also our website: https://lnkd.in/eD9EqrFU   WOODY is an NWO-sponsored research programme, led by TU Delft, that looks at both flood safety and ecological value of woody vegetation. It is executed by TU Delft and NIOZ. The mangrove tests are co-sponsored by Deltares, and other partners of the project are Rijkswaterstaat, Van Oord, Boskalis en WNF.

Today, I came across a blog on flood mitigation strategies, and one model stood out: the Dutch approach to flood management. Here’s a brief overview of how the Netherlands handles flooding so effectively: ### Dutch Model for Flood Management **1. Advanced Infrastructure:** - **Delta Works:** A comprehensive series of projects including dams, sluices, locks, and storm surge barriers designed to protect low-lying areas from flooding. - *Example:* The Oosterscheldekering (Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier) features massive gates that can be closed during extreme weather to prevent seawater from inundating land. **2. "Room for the River" Program:** - **Floodplain Redesign:** This program allows rivers to expand naturally by redesigning floodplains and relocating dikes. It helps manage high water levels more effectively. - *Example:* In Nijmegen, a new floodplain was created for the Waal River, including a side channel and relocated dike, which helps reduce flood risks in urban areas. **3. Innovative Urban Planning:** - **Water Squares:** Multifunctional spaces designed to temporarily store rainwater during heavy rainfall and act as public parks during dry periods. - *Example:* Benthemplein Water Square in Rotterdam collects and stores rainwater, aiding urban flood management while providing community space. **4. Natural Solutions:** - **Wetland Restoration:** Creating and restoring wetlands to act as natural buffers that absorb excess water and reduce flood risks. - *Example:* The Marker Wadden project involves artificial islands in Markermeer Lake that enhance water management and biodiversity. **5. Community Involvement and Education:** - **Public Engagement:** Actively involving communities in flood planning and decision-making, complemented by public education campaigns and regular drills to ensure preparedness. The Dutch model provides valuable insights into effective flood management and could offer innovative solutions for our country facing similar challenges. Please feel free to share your thoughts or insights related to environmental issues. #Connections #Environment #Disaster #SaveLife

After extensive planning and preparatory efforts, the Cardiff Coastal Defence Initiative is now underway. The past week our site team placed boots on the ground and began the essential task of clearing vegetation in preparation for construction—carefully timed to minimise disrupting the bird nesting season. This critical project, entrusted to us by Cardiff Council, aims to provide flood protection to homes in Tremorfa and adjacent areas. Spanning 1.5 km along the Cardiff Foreshore, from Tidefields Road to the River Rhymney Estuary, this project will introduce a new era of rock armour protection against coastal erosion and flooding. But our approach doesn't stop at the shoreline. We're enhancing flood defences along the River Rhymney as well, incorporating elevated flood bunds and a robust sheet pile wall and pile cap designed to fortify against rising floodwaters more effectively than before. Once completed, the Cardiff Coastal Defence Scheme will significantly mitigate, and in some instances entirely eliminate, the risk of fluvial and coastal flooding for around 2,800 residences, 150 businesses, and a range of critical infrastructure assets, including DCWW pumping stations, electrical substations, and sections of the Wales National Coastal Path. This initiative significantly contributes to about 10% of the Welsh Government's overarching goal to reduce flood risk throughout Wales, as outlined in their comprehensive flood risk strategy. Scheduled to run through Spring 2027, the Cardiff Coastal Defence Project represents a partnership between Knights Brown Construction, Cardiff Council, and the local community. #CoastalDefence #CommunitySafety #CivilEngineering #KnightsBrown #ResilientCommunities

🌊 Incredibly proud of the Flüssig Engineers team for securing approval for a detailed flood hazard assessment for HA Development Australia’s project at 150-152 Channel Highway, Taroona! 🌊 Our complex report evaluated the 1% AEP + climate change flood scenario, covering pre- and post-development risks to ensure compliance with Kingborough Interim Planning Scheme 2015 (KIPS 2015) standards. The proposed three-storey mixed-use development sits in a flood-prone area, so our team’s comprehensive analysis and tailored mitigation measures were essential to meet stringent performance criteria. A huge thanks to our skilled team for their commitment to resilient, data-driven flood management solutions that continue to set high standards. #FlussigEngineers #FloodAssessment #Tasmania #Australia #KingboroughCouncil #HydraulicEngineering #ClimateResilience #FloodMitigation #EngineeringExcellence #1PercentAEP #SustainableDevelopment #FloodHazard #UrbanResilience #CivilEngineering #DevelopmentApproval #WaterManagement #Infrastructure #EngineeringTasmania #FutureReady #FloodRisk #BuildingForTomorrow #EnvironmentalSustainability #CommunitySafety #Tasmania #Australia

18 Weeks Strong! 💪 We've been busy tackling a variety of projects. Every one of them is a new challenge, and we're embracing them with adaptability and creativity. From flood mitigation to emergency board-ups, we're shaping our company personality one project at a time. #construction #emergencyresponse #adaptability

The City of Renton is using $400k in grant funding to implement a flood reduction project. When looking at this article, what shocked me is just the volume of impervious coverage in that photo and how they only thing they are looking to do in this phase is install a bigger interceptor pipe. Yes, the project has some future waterway improvements being considered, but where is the consideration to substantially reduce impervious coverage and implement minimum green space requirements? #stormwatermanagement #civilengineer

San Francisco’s ambitious $13bn (£10.5bn) programme to defend the city against flooding from inevitable sea rise will involve raising the shoreline and lifting historic buidlings, an engineer on the project has told NCE. Released in January 2024, the Port of San Francisco’s San Francisco Waterfront Flood Study - Draft Plan looks at the options available to defend the city’s 12km shoreline from roughly 1-2m sea level rise expected by 2100. It is the first of its kind from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The plan was put together in a collaboration by the Port of San Francisco, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacobs and Arcadis. It is based on analysis of the coastal flood risk and effects of sea level rise for the waterfront within the Port of San Francisco’s jurisdiction, from Aquatic Park to Heron’s Head Park. It also includes capacity to also build resilience against seismic events that are frequent in the Bay Area of California. Jacobs programme manager for the project Darren Milsom CEng MICE told NCE that, while the project will completely change the way San Francisco is built, doing nothing will inevitably lead to irreparable damage to the communities that inhabit the city. There has to be an acknowledgement that doing nothing would have a much greater impact than doing something,” he said. “So how do we do it in a way that minimises impact? “Not only just that but it’s also important to see it as an opportunity to reimagine what the San Francisco waterfront, this kind of world renowned waterfront, can look like in in 40 years, and how we can make it even better than it is now.” The Embarcadero waterfront contains historic piers, wharves and buildings, including the historic Ferry Building. Milsom pointed out that residents consider these landmarks central to the thriving Port. This section of the waterfront also contains the Embarcadero Promenade that hosts millions of people annually from all over the world and provides flood protection to San Francisco’s Financial District. The plan doesn’t just focus on the Embarcadero area of San Francisco. In Fisherman’s Wharf, the study looks at taking advantage of the existing higher ground and will look to use floodproofing and short floodwalls on piers and wharves to reduce near-term damages to lower-lying buildings and assets. In South Beach, Mission Bay, Islais Creek and the Bayview area, a combination of berms/levees, seawalls, nature-based features such as creek enhancements and closure structures for light rail bridges is proposed. Consultation on the study ended at the end of March this year. The next major milestone for the project will come in March 2026 when a proposal to Congress will recommend for it to make federal investment in the project. Current plans would see Congress pay for 65% of the construction costs, which could amount to up to $8bn (£6.5bn). (New Civil Engineer)

In developing the City’s Flood Mitigation Strategy, the City of Abbotsford had a full post-flooding analysis of Sumas Prairie conducted with a specific view of reducing flood risk for residents, businesses and agricultural properties. The City of Abbotsford has made this report available to ensure that the public can engage in a fulsome understanding of the complexities involved in addressing the serious flooding concerns and extreme climate impacts related to the rivers, waterways and flood infrastructure of Sumas Prairie. https://lnkd.in/g-PYm28y

#Hobart's stormwater infrastructure includes a diverse range of open waterways, litter and sediment traps, culverts, drains and gutters to protect us from flooding events. #Stormwater infrastructure can only hold so much. To protect our vibrant communities from the impacts of #flashflooding and #landslide (debris flow) events during high rainfall, CES-Lab aims to guide and develop near-future solutions for Hobart’s stormwater infrastructure. CES-Lab has obtained #Tasmania State Emergency Service competitive funding (total project value of $251,000) to assess the feasibility and performance of combined stormwater/landslide protection systems for Southern Tasmania.  The work conducted will use state-of-the-art predictive modelling to explore the impacts of various changes to stormwater infrastructure on both hazards. By understanding the interplay between flood water, debris flows, and stormwater infrastructure, this work will quantify the benefits of various structures in protecting against both types of channelised flow.  The funding leverages the ongoing work conducted by CES-Lab under Drs Gholamreza Kefayati, Ali Tolooiyan and Ashley Dyson in combined flood and landslide protection systems.

One of Anchorage’s seven primary urban watersheds, Little Campbell Creek encompasses 24 miles of stream habitat and a diverse group of fish and wildlife species, including Coho salmon and Dolly Varden trout. To maintain this critical habitat while mitigating flood concerns, our team modeled the flood extents to determine the differences between the proposed and effective base flood elevations. To meet flood conveyance requirements, provide a creek channel inside the culvert, and address roadway fill depth requirements, we recommended that the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities use a recently proven clamshell culvert design pioneered by HDR. At the time of design and permitting, these were the longest fish passage culverts in the state. By replacing the previous culverts with the innovative clamshell design, engineers replicated the native fish spawning and rearing habitat of the native riverbed within a concrete culvert, which began to restore the area to a healthy, vibrant watershed. https://lnkd.in/giFqmGq3