Historical Loss of Flood Plains in the Upper Turtle Creek Watershed

Small streams and local waterways tend to flood on a more frequent basis than larger rivers. The flood plains associated with these small streams and waterways provide storage for excess stormwater runoff for a range of storm events from brief, intense summer showers to multiday storm events. These flood plains are responsible for lessening the impact of regular storm events on the surrounding properties. The loss of flood plains can contribute significantly to the degradation of small streams and local waterways as well as significantly impacting the surrounding properties. This study examines the historic loss of flood plains in a small watershed. The results of the study showed that there has been a substantial loss of flood plain area in the upper Turtle Creek watershed from historic development practices. The development practices not only included residential subdivisions and commercial sites but other land disturbances such as highway construction, railroad construction, and farming. This information can serve as a basis to develop future guidelines to preserve the remaining flood plains and to aid in the restoration and mitigation from the historic loss of flood plain areas.