Reconnecting Floodplains to Rivers

Reconnecting Floodplains to Rivers

Reconnecting Floodplains to Rivers

Gerry Galloway
Gerry Galloway

In the next issue of Science, scientists and engineers including Gerry Galloway, Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, recommend converting certain areas, now protected from low-level flooding, into natural flood dissipation areas. This will prevent flooding disasters that are normally the result of levee-breaks and other failures of existing flood-prevention infrastructure, the researchers say.

This floodplain reconnection will help alleviate the consequences of flooding when it occurs by encouraging flood-tolerant land uses in the floodplain areas and by providing more areas for water to go when rivers crest. In the article, the researchers suggest methods for negotiating the political and economic roadblocks that must be overcome to implement their plan and provide a case study of a successful floodplain reconnection: California's Yolo Bypass of the Sacramento River.

"Sustainable Floodplains through Large-Scale Reconnection to Rivers" is available in the December 11, 2009, issue of the publication. Subscribers can read the article online.

Related Articles:
"Could We Have Been Better Prepared?"
Galloway Contributes to Report on Disaster Resilience
Galloway Tapped for International Position

December 10, 2009


Prev   Next

Current Headlines

Senta Kapnick Promoted to Associate Research Scientist

Rudolph Awarded Women in Defense Scholarship

Edward Eisenstein Elected President of American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Why 'Thinking More' Isn't Always Making Generative AI Smarter

BIOE Professor Publishes Global Consensus on Brillouin Microscopy in Nature Photonics

Researchers Develop Autonomous Materials Discovery Engine Using AI

UMD Team Led by Yu Named Best Paper Award Finalists at DAC 2025

ECE Professor and Former Chair Pat O'Shea Named Vice President for Research for UMD's Joint Research Enterprise

News Resources

Return to Newsroom

Search News

Archived News

Events Resources

Events Calendar