Non-Profit organization
Warwick’s Belmont Park a flood-prevention success story
In July 1982, about a month after a flood forced the evacuation of hundreds of Belmont Park residents, the Army Corps of Engineers finally approved a $3.7-million plan that called for the demolition of 59 houses and relocation of their occupants. The city, with help from the state, had to come up with 20 percent of the cost, about $700,000. Joseph W. Walsh was mayor at the time, and he pledged to find the money. The last flood a month earlier had reached the first floors of most houses and caused $2 million in damages.
The flooding had gotten increasingly worse because of continued development of floodplains along the river.
It took about four years to complete the flood-control project.
In the end, 61 houses were demolished or removed. Another 19 vacant lots were purchased and utility rooms on 12 houses were raised above ground to avoid floodwaters.
This kind of project still authorized to develop elsewhere on the river. To get started, it needs to receive a request from a community. A $2.3-million plan was announced to restore 115 acres of floodplains along the Pawtuxet, Meshanticut and Pocasset Rivers by removing dikes, restoring stream channels and removing fill.
What is wetland?
Wetlands are areas that are covered by water or have waterlogged soils for long periods during the growing season. Plants growing in wetlands are capable of living in saturated soil conditions for at least part of the growing season. Wetlands such as swamps and marshes are often obvious, but some wetlands are not easily recognized, often because they are dry during part of the year or "they just don't look very wet" from the roadside.
Some of these wetland types include, but are not limited to, many bottomland forests, pocosins, pine savannahs, bogs, wet meadows, potholes, and wet tundra. The information presented here usually will enable you to determine whether you might have a wetland. If you intend to place dredged or fill material in a wetland or in an area that might be a wetland, contact the local Corps District Office for assistance in determining if a permit is required.
How it is important?
Wetlands can reduce the impacts of increased precipitation, storms, glacier melting and even sealevel rise. The water regulating and storage functions of these wetlands are crucial in adapting to a changing climate. Therefore, in order to protect people living close or even far downstream from wetlands and their source of livelihoods, we must conserve and restore wetlands. In this way, they can continue to play their critical role.
How it is value?
There is a discussion on economics of wetland restoration published in American Journal of Agricultural Economics in 2002.
It is challenge to setting priorities is the fact that the value of services from any particular wetland depends not just on conditions at the wetland site but on conditions elsewhere as well. As Boyd and Wainger point out, the marginal value of filtering nutrients for clean water depends on the amount of nearby wetlands and sources of contamination. Similarly, the marginal value of providing habitat from a given wetland depends on whether there is also useable habitat nearby that might be necessary to support a viable population of a species of concern, or whether habitat of this type is common or rare elsewhere. Setting priorities can only be done at a broad scale, but the local details are essential for establishing what services a wetland may provide. Economists will need to collaborate with natural scientists to develop such models.
There is currently great demand for estimates of the value of ecosystem services by various government agencies, including US EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers, and well as others outside the government.
Reference:
http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/technical%20services/Regulatory%20branch/RBwetlands.asp
http://www.projo.com/news/content/Belmont_Park_03-24-10_KNHSK6U_v11.36e5924.html
Company
HydraBarrier, Alternative eco-friendly sandbags.
These easy to use sandbag replacements can be deployed in minutes and can divert water in emergency flash flood situations. They are light weight, industrial strength water tubes, used to protect property in the event river flooding or any other occurrence where flood control measures are required.
Entrepreneur Opportunity
What if we can storage the water when heavy rain happen, then put those water in the flood barrier tube and stack it as flood prevention wall a few hours before the flood reach residential area. The damage will dramatically reduced. It cost less for protection, rather than relief.
