Event Title

Concurrent Sessions A: Co-Benefits of Barrier Removal: Fish Passage and Public Safety - Economic and Social Costs of Culvert Failures: Examining Tropical Storm Irene Impacts in Vermont

Location

Construction & Engineering Hall, Oregon State University

Start Date

26-6-2013 3:10 PM

End Date

26-6-2013 3:30 PM

Description

During Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011, valley towns in Vermont’s upper White River watershed experienced extensive flood damage, a portion of which was related to road failures caused by undersized or poorly designed road-stream crossings. The USDA Forest Service and its partners conducted a retrospective case study in the watershed to compare the resilience of road-stream crossings designed using traditional hydraulic methods with those designed using the stream simulation method. Undersized culverts may fail catastrophically during large storm events, threatening human safety and destroying public and private property. This presentation will review the costs that Vermont communities incurred from specific culvert failures and demonstrate how stream-simulation can be a cost-effective option, particularly as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of large storms. The survival of two recently constructed stream simulation design crossings and an additional ecologically-beneficial crossing on the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) highlighted the broader benefits of ecologically-beneficial designs, including reduced rates of crossing failure and storm damage to roads and property, reduced costs of road maintenance, and reduced likelihood of adverse impact to communities and businesses caused by flood damage.

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Jun 26th, 3:10 PM Jun 26th, 3:30 PM

Concurrent Sessions A: Co-Benefits of Barrier Removal: Fish Passage and Public Safety - Economic and Social Costs of Culvert Failures: Examining Tropical Storm Irene Impacts in Vermont

Construction & Engineering Hall, Oregon State University

During Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011, valley towns in Vermont’s upper White River watershed experienced extensive flood damage, a portion of which was related to road failures caused by undersized or poorly designed road-stream crossings. The USDA Forest Service and its partners conducted a retrospective case study in the watershed to compare the resilience of road-stream crossings designed using traditional hydraulic methods with those designed using the stream simulation method. Undersized culverts may fail catastrophically during large storm events, threatening human safety and destroying public and private property. This presentation will review the costs that Vermont communities incurred from specific culvert failures and demonstrate how stream-simulation can be a cost-effective option, particularly as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of large storms. The survival of two recently constructed stream simulation design crossings and an additional ecologically-beneficial crossing on the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) highlighted the broader benefits of ecologically-beneficial designs, including reduced rates of crossing failure and storm damage to roads and property, reduced costs of road maintenance, and reduced likelihood of adverse impact to communities and businesses caused by flood damage.