https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12697

Das, A., & Lindenschmidt, K. E. (2021a). Evaluation of the implications of ice-jam flood mitigation measures. Journal of Flood Risk Management, e12697. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12697

Ice-jam flood risk management requires new approaches to reduce flood damages. Although many structural and non-structural measures are implemented to reduce the impacts of ice-jam flooding, there are still many challenges in identifying appropriate strategies to reduce the ice-jam flood risk along northern rivers. The main purpose of this study is to provide a novel methodological framework to assess the feasibility of various ice-jam flood mitigation measures based on risk analysis. A total of three ice-jam flood mitigation measures (artificial breakup, sediment dredging and dike installation) were examined using a stochastic modelling framework for the potential to reduce the ice-jam flood risk along the Athabasca River at Fort McMurray. An ensemble of hundreds of backwater level profiles was used to construct ice-jam flood hazard maps to estimate expected annual damages, using depth-damage curves for structural and content damages, within the downtown area of Fort McMurray. The results show that, while sediment dredging may be able to reduce a certain level of expected annual damages in the town, and artificial breakup and a dike with a crest elevation of 250 m a.s.l. can be the most effective measures to reduce the amount of expected annual damages.

IMPC

https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12697