High Tide for Change:

A Comprehensive Argument Essay on the Positive and Negative Effects of the Implementation of Stormwater Management Systems

I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts that nature can have on the life of this planet. In our attempt to divert the destructive effects of nature, we have forgotten our place in the grand scheme of the environment, making matters much worse in many places. Natural disasters have long caused death and destruction to mankind, and have only become more devastating as the human population increases in size. There are no ways to prevent these; however, we are not completely at the mercy of natures destructive force. The consequences of flooding can be mitigated and many lives saved if preparations are made in advance in the form of a Stormwater Management Plan, which needs to include a more effective and timely approach to manage stormwater runoff, such as constructing natural drainage filters, and must be applied so as to account for future development, changes and failures in order to prepare ourselves for future disaster when and where it strikes. Narrative Introduction Though located beside a small stream, flooding at my home was never a concern. The stream flowed peacefully beside my driveway until it disappeared under the road in front of my house. That is, until hurricane Katrina occurred. It was a late August afternoon; the year was 2005, one of the worst hurricane seasons on record. I had been keeping up with them that year as they made the transition from tropical storm to hurricane. The case with Katrina was no different. The news reports that had just come in from New Orleans were horrific, the devastation: inconceivable. The flooding was extensive and there were billions of dollars in damage. The weather experts expected the storm to lose most of its ferocity after making landfall, so naturally it was not of much concern when it started to get close to Western Pennsylvania.

I was walking back from school that day; it was slightly overcast and drizzling, though the rain had been falling all day. My house is one of the biggest and oldest on the street and, being built in 1905, has been in the family ever since. A small stream flows peacefully alongside the house, and then runs through a drainage pipe underground and perpendicular to the road. Located on a somewhat steep hill, our driveway extends up from the road that curves around the house, leaving a good fifty feet or so between the actual house and the road. A row of hedges lining the edge of the front yard sits above the road I was walking down, so most of the yard is not visible from the street. As I started to my driveway, I noticed that the runoff flowing down on to the road was heavier than usual, and as I climbed up the rest of the driveway, I realized why. The usually calm flowing stream was barely contained within its banks; the excess was flowing down the edge of the driveway at the mouth of the pipe running under the road. Most of what happened next was a blur. Barely having time to think, I rushed to the front of the house, threw my backpack down and acted on my first instinct to clear everything of value off the porch that was in my assessment of the damage area. For approximately ten minutes I was moving items off of the porch and to higher ground on the other side of the stream, using a pathway between the stream and the road where the stream was flowing underground until the log that was apparently holding the water back from the driveway gave way, sending a rushing wall of water straight my way. It wasnt until I reached the other side that I realized what exactly was happening. After the log broke free, the stream had found that the driveway was its path of least resistance. Then it started to rain, much harder now than before. The stream, while mainly flowing down the driveway and onto the road, had also started to breach it banks farther up as well, sending a

shallow, but steady wave of water flowing through the front yard, then over the bank onto the road. The entire front yard was soon under several inches of water, and the driveway had become a near impassible rush of raging water. The hours after my parents had arrived home were spent clearing items from our yard, digging ditches in our driveway and sidewalk to channel the water away from the rest of the house, and frantically locating and pumping out approximately five feet of water that had accumulated into our basement. The damage was severe, and mostly everything needed to be replaced. Eventually, the borough adjacent to us came to help because the water was flowing from our yard down the hill and into a Ford Dealership parking lot into the town borough, and our own township wasnt lifting a finger to help. At the end of the day we had a basement full of water and debris, a six foot deep channel in place of our driveway, and a small pond for a yard. Over time we eventually replaced and repaired everything, so when hurricane Ivan struck the east coast, we were prepared. When the stream flooded again with the downpour that Ivan brought, we were able to divert the flood water away from the house entirely by using sheets of plywood that we had on hand from Katrina, and were able to avoid much of the previous damage. It wasnt until this second time that our house, as well as the adjacent town borough was again flooded that our own township decided to do something about it, having received pressure from the municipal authorities and Ford dealership to fix the problem that was affecting their property. The outstanding problem was that the pipe draining the stream running under the road was too small, and failed to even meet municipal standards. They finally came a few months later to fix the pipe and install a new, standard size one, along with a spill drain in which it could

be managed and cleared of any debris in the event that it happens in the future. If this would have been done previously, the flooding both Katrina and Ivan brought would probably have gone much unnoted in my familys history book. Poor management, unpreparedness, and inactivity on the part of municipal authorities all over the country cause residents and homeowners more damage than any natural disaster. Issues of the people need to be addressed first and foremost, and many local governments do a poor job of managing their townships municipal affairs so that money saved in the short run by neglecting known issues becomes bigger problems that we, as taxpayers, have to make up and answer for in the long run. Naturally Occurring Disasters The number of natural disasters has not necessarily increased by a huge margin since a time when the world population began expanding rapidly. As the population expands outward into the surrounding area, more and more people are affected by disasters, such as flooding and earthquakes. The more serious disasters are well known to be unavoidable, but events such as flooding have long been sought to keep under control. Human infrastructures, such as dams, canals, bridges and drainage pipes were all invented relatively late in human history as attempts to control Mother Nature, whereas in ancient times, such areas that were prone to such events were simply avoided. As the amount of livable area became less and less, people started having less of a choice on where to settle, or chose to stay for benefits such as good farm land or access to transportation waterways. As technology increases, so then does the variety of control mechanisms. Areas once settled in for the fertile soil now become commercial agriculture

centers, and dams are built upstream to prevent flooding and loss of farmland. This, however, may very well have had the opposite effect than it was intended for a long term period of time. As flooding becomes more and more controlled, the flood waters that once brought a replenishing source of nutrients have been eliminated or reduced, and the soil soon begins to lose nutrient content. In addition to this, as human development increases and forests are cut down to make way for new populations, the environment that had become accustomed to flooding now becomes a center for excess stormwater runoff and an increased risk of future hazards (Turk 407). By removing the aspects of the environment that naturally controlled the flood waters, the risk of future 10 and 50 year floods becoming more devastating increases, as does the build-up of the controlled annual floods each year. As we begin to understand the negative effects of over-development and the human impact on the environment, the need for additional control systems becomes evident. As cities grow, more and more stormwater is draining off of impervious surfaces, such as concrete and blacktop, instead of being absorbed into the surrounding area as it would naturally. This leads to the development of stormdrain, which funnels the excess run-off into nearby waterways, therefore increasing the amount of water that is being carried downstream. In response, to prevent flooding downstream, a dam is built to protect other cities along that riparian corridor. As development and expansion occurs in the cities, more stormwater run-off is deposited into the waterways and the stream increases its average flow as well as velocity. If the dam is not properly maintained downstream, all of the water that is being deposited into the waterway upstream becomes too much for the dam to contain, therefore causing massive flooding downstream that would normally have never occurred.

Historical Evidence An historical example of this is in Pennsylvania is the Johnstown Flood of 1889. A poorly maintained dam was built to create a recreational lake that was owned by the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club and located 14 miles upstream from Johnstown on the Conemaugh River. Due to the collapse of this dam because of extensive rainfall and stormwater run-off, the morning of May 31, 1889 saw a disaster the likes of which were unheard of. According to the Johnstown Flood Museum, 2,209 people died, including 99 entire families and 396 children (Johnstown Area Historical Association). The Theory of Games is described by Chorley as a human attempt to conquer nature (148) in his book Introduction to Geographcial Hydrology and employs an it cant happen to us mentality (282). This describes the disaster at Johnstown in the perfect sense as well displaying the a common lack of responsibility for the cause of the event, as the South Forks Fishing and Hunting Club was disbanded immediately after the flood and none of its members, which included Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick (Johnstown Area Historical Association), would claim liability or responsibility for the disaster. The Johnstown Flood of 1889 is one of the best examples of neglect and the resulting devastation displays just the sort of disaster that was previously thought controllable. By looking at disasters such as the Johnstown flood of 1889, it is evident that something needed to change to prevent a repeat of events such as this in the future. Disasters like this show us that stormwater management cannot be performed by just anyone, and has to be regulated to ensure that the proper steps are taken and maintenance is performed correctly, and ultimately

cannot be left up to the property owners to manage on their own. Without proper guidelines and instructions that can be followed and enforced, negligence can be just as destructive a force, if not more so, as anything nature has to throw at us. Proper standards and guidelines that are composed in a comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan, as it became to be called, offer a way for us to protect ourselves from others who are inexperienced in such matters. Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. The attitude that these words by Alexander Graham Bell, the famed scientist who invented the first practical telephone, inspire is exactly the frame of mind that is needed while composing a Stormwater Management Plan, as with any sort of regulation or idea that is intended to prepare ourselves for the future. This must take into consideration not only the impacts of future developments, buildings and projects, but also the effects that current and past decisions inflict on the environment as well. Modern Implications and Studies A report published by Faisal Hossain from the Tennessee Technological University suggests that current dams and reservoirs might be triggering more frequent outbursts of violent weather (Williamson). Consequently, more violent weather produces more precipitation, which increases the likelihood of flooding and excess stormwater runoff. Flooding has become an increasing problem in some areas; to the point where structures are failing and severe 25 to 50 year massive floods are becoming more commonly seen at shorter intervals - every 15 to 30 years. Older structures as well, such as certain dams and reservoirs, are aging poorly to the point where many are being removed due to the potential dangers that it poses to the surrounding area by non-profit organizations such as American Rivers and the Hydropower Reform Coalition.

Hazards that these outdated dams cause include events such as an increase in accidents and drownings in recreational areas, as well as an increased likelihood that the dam will collapse and leave nothing but death and destruction in its wake. This is due to a lack of requirements when the dam was constructed as to the removal and/or maintenance responsibilities after its construction. This most often occurs during times of economic downturn, in which case dams are constructed to provide jobs, and then left to the local municipality to handle and end up being ignored as a required expense that the community could not afford, especially in instances of smaller municipal authorities with less of a budget. Stormwater Management Plans Depending on the area, the range of land that a Stormwater Management Plan consists of varies greatly. Most urban areas have several management plans for various districts along with each suburb and township located in the metropolis. Rural areas are much more likely to have a management plan that covers vast acreages that are spread out geographically, and are preserved and implemented by a non-profit conservation group or a state department, such as the DEP for Pennsylvania. However, not all stormwater management options are beneficial to the environment or provide the type of stormwater management that is needed to sustain future development. As was noted previously, one of the most commonly thought of examples of implementing a stormwater management plan is the construction of a dam to prevent flooding downstream. Constructed properly, the main purpose of dam is to block and restrict water flow upstream, categorized as flood abatement. This, however, prevents sediments and nutrients from properly reaching the ecosystems downstream. If not managed properly, the problems start

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small and build as time moves on. With no nutrients downstream, the environment quickly deteriorates (Larinier). Plant life withers away, herbivores must move to another location to find food, which continues on up the food chain. Even properly managed dams still loose riparian land area due to the flood prevention quality of the dam. For life further up the stream banks, depending on the topography of the land, floods are a sustainable and dependable source of nutrients which get deposited when a stream or river floods. Even with the controlled flooding that might possibly occur, an overall decrease in plant species is likely to be observed. A prime example of this is Chinas Three Gorges Dam. Constructed in 1919, this $180 billion dollar project has had huge impacts on both the environmental aspects as well as cultural implications (Yang). A report published in 2007 in Time magazine stated that the project had the potential to cause a huge [environmental] disaster ... if steps are not taken promptly. It goes on to state that nearly 1.4 million residents have been uprooted by the nearly 400 mile long reservoir that was formed behind it, which also flooded several important archaeological sites in the area (Time). Worse still, the article continues, some hydrologists believe that by trapping the silt and sediments in the reservoir upstream, the dam could actually increase the likelihood of downstream riverbanks prone to flooding. Three Gorges Dam is a perfect example of environmental impacts of a poorly implemented management plan, if one existed at all, that even if properly managed can have detrimental effects on the environment both upstream and downstream. In order to prevent this, an updated and more effective means of flood control is required. In order to properly maintain a balance with nature and the natural water cycle, a proper stormwater management plan must include a Biofiltration system. One amazing thing about natural fresh waterways is their ability to automatically filter the water as it flows downstream.

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This can be harnessed and constructed strategically to decrease the amount of stormwater runoff. Some plant species, specifically those in wetlands, are natural water purifiers that automatically filter out harmful contaminants from the stream and allow other minerals to settle naturally and in regulation. This prevents excess runoff and, if constructed properly, requires little to no maintenance (Jurries 26). With our world in its current state, more renewable and sustainable ideologies must be accepted to prevent further destruction to our ecosystems around the world. Unfortunately, not all of the damage that has been caused historically can be repaired, but choosing more natural, sustainable, and environmentally friendly options, such as investing in wetland restoration instead of dam construction, and applying them so as to account for future development, changes and failures, will benefit us all in the long run. Options such as this give us our best chance to prepare ourselves for future disaster when and where it inevitably will strike and will hopefully set a new standard for Stormwater Management.

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Works Cited Chorley, Richard J. ed. Introduction to Geographical Hydrology: Spatial Aspects of the Interactions Between Water Occurrence and Human Activity. 1969. London: Chaucer, 1974. Print. Hossain, Faisal. Large Dams Can Affect Local Climates, says new study. Tennessee: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. 9 Feb. 2009. Print Johnstown Flood Museum: the Compelling Story of the 1889 Disaster. JAHA, 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. Jurries, Dennis. Biofilters for Storm Water Discharge Pollution Removal. Oregon: Department of Environmental Quality, 2003. Print Larinier, Michael. Environmental Issues, Dams and Fish Migration. Toulouse, France: Institute of Fluid Mechanics of Toulouse UMR, 2001. Print. Turk, Amos, et al. Environmental Science. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co, 1974. Print. Williamson, Jamie. Dams Can Trigger More Frequent Fierce Storms. Topnews.in. TopNews. 5 Feb. 2010. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.

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Yang, Lin. Chinas Three Gorges Dam Under Fire. Time.com. Time World, 12 Oct. 2007. Web. 5 Apr. 2012.