Challenges of Low Impact Development

Huge amounts of rainfall in a short period of time is the ideal condition for a flash flood, submerging cities and towns below meters of rainwater. Even in highly-developed countries like the US, flood is commonplace when hurricanes develop. This is made evident in some areas of the state of Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina struck. A flood is an indication that a city or town’s drainage system is either in poor condition or cannot hold vast volumes of water.

Although flood is normally caused by natural calamities like a hurricane or a deluge, its destructive force can be alleviated if not for manmade mishaps such as poor sewer work. The flood basins on the sewers can only hold so much water in a given time. Continuous rain can increase the water level until the suburban areas are half-submerged.

Precipitation is expected to grow stronger with climate change, thus, engineers and urban planners face the challenge of keeping their city or town safe from destructive floods. Even with cleaning the filth from the sewers and enlarging the capacity of the storm drains, they will not be able to tell if these actions will be effective in flood control. They can only do these things and hope for the best that they work.

Low impact development has created effective means of controlling the flow of stormwater from the street back to the body of water. Several distinct innovations have been put into effect in a number of cities and towns, each with its own unique way of controlling the stormwater. These measures can become more effective if there’s also discipline on the part of the citizens as to where they throw their waste.

Situated at the sewers, the storm drain catch basin is the most common means of flood control, proving its effectiveness over the years. Not only do they catch the stormwater coming from the surface, they are also excellent water filters, cleaning the water before returning it to the sea or river.

Only time will tell if the current anti-flood measures in effect will be capable of handling the floods of the future. Technology is constantly evolving, as the world’s storms become more destructive every year. People have learned from some of the world’s deadliest floods. Various technology inspired by low impact development help create the first line of defense against severe flooding in major cities and towns.

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