Sustainable floodplain management for flood prevention and water quality improvement

Abstract

Although it is not possible to completely eliminate flooding in an era of climate change and intensification of extreme weather events, effective flood prevention and management in river floodplains may make a significant contribution. The land use characteristics of a catchment and river valley determine, to a great extent, the functioning of a river floodplain, as well as the quantity and size of the flood pulses in the river. The paper is focused on the role played by ecohydrology in flood risk management and water quality. From the ecohydrological perspective, river floodplains are extremely important and capacious ecosystems which, being periodically flooded, absorb flood and pollutant peaks and may minimise the danger of flooding. Increased natural water retention capacity in floodplain areas and the whole basin in the face of progressive climate change is possible through three routes: the modelling of the hydrological budget of the catchment towards the sustainable ecohydrological management of floodplains, the optimal use of existing hydrotechnical infrastructure and the implementation of ecohydrological biotechnologies. Furthermore, with such a holistic perspective, the role of river floodplains is one that also enhances the resilience of the river basin against climate and anthropogenic change, as well as increasing flood safety, improving water quality and increasing its ecosystem services for society.

The Role of Hydrology in the Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p -dioxin and Dibenzofuran Distributions in a Lowland River

“…As the climate warms, the risk of significant floods as a result of anthropogenic changes in the water cycle in catchments grows (Milly et al, 2002; Zalewski, 2011; Kiedrzyńska et al, 2015). A good example is provided by climate scenarios for the South Baltic Sea catchment, which includes Poland.…”

“…Closer to the river, a floodplain can be used as a tool to reduce the excess load of such micropollutants (Lair et al, 2009) because it can absorb and retain sediment and micropollutants such as PCDDs and PCDFs during stable and high‐flow conditions (Kiedrzyńska et al, 2015; Skłodowski et al, 2014). Because the largest pollutant loads are usually transported by rivers during the rising water stages of floods, their redirection to floodplain areas during the initial stages of a flood would diminish the load transported along the river.…”

“…These processes were investigated further in a previous study (Skołodowski et al, 2014) as well as in the present study (see above). Hence, wetlands and floodplains can be considered tools for reducing the concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs transported along the river continuum (Kiedrzyńska et al, 2008a, 2008b; Urbaniak et al, 2012a; Skłodowski et al, 2014; Kiedrzyńska et al, 2014b, 2015).…”

From Disaster to Sustainability: Breaking the Cycle of Floods in Houston, Texas

“…From an urban planning viewpoint, moreover, the vigorous growth experienced by the region in the last decades, associated with the unique ways the city has chosen to approach development regulation may have intensified the flood-prone characteristics of the place. The connection between the absence of zoning regulations and past flood events has been object of great debate, exacerbated after deforested and sealed areas that should otherwise be absorbing stormwater, and caused imbalance and transformation in their natural function as storage and conveyance system for water, nutrients and sediments [7]. purpose by impounding water during heavy rainfalls and flood events, but do not store water year-round as it is typical of lake-forming reservoirs [10].…”

Prediction and uncertainty analysis of a parsimonious floodplain surface water‐groundwater interaction model

“…Floodplains offer a wide range of hydrological and ecological functions. The basic functions of floodplains include the promotion of natural regulation and retention during hydrological extremes [ Sophocleous , ; Krause and Bronstert , ], as well as the exchange of organic matter, nutrients, and pollution between the river and the terrestrial ecosystem [ Tockner et al ., ; Kiedrzyńska et al ., ]. The driving factor for the ecohydrological functions is the interaction of the surface water of the connected river, the surface water in the floodplain, and the shallow groundwater [ Hayashi and Rosenberry , ; Krause et al ., ].…”