Riparian Habitat Replacement Within Active Floodplains

Conventional flood control engineering techniques and approaches that have been traditionally been applied are now challenged by the public and no longer readily available as floodplain management tools. Increased awareness and concern regarding environmental degradation has resulted in protection of the riparian and river ecosystems. A variety of drainage related projects are required to provide habitat mitigation as a part of regulatory permit requirements. Natural floodplains typically provide the most appropriate location for constructing habitat replacement since this is a natural riparian ecosystem, especially in semi-arid areas. Incorporating environmental features into an active floodplain requires an understanding of the natural physical processes and stream mechanics, along with commonly encountered failure problems. General planning guidelines and a formalized design process adopt fundamental procedures to enhance the preservation of the natural floodplain characteristics. The recommendations include typical design considerations and site selection techniques addressing many primary concerns. Recent technology utilizing computer graphic visualizations facilitates the design development process and assists in the consensus building process with the community. Applying multi-disciplined planning guidelines to develop habitat mitigation within active floodplains assists in developing an implementable and successful long-term floodplain management project which addresses flood protection as well as providing environmental opportunities.