Red River Floodway Case Study
Red River Floodway, built between 1962 and 1968 for a cost of $63 million, was one of the most effective and significant flood protection infrastructure in the Province of Manitoba, Canada ("Red river floodway," 2011). Ever since it had been putting in use, it has prevented more than $40 billion (in 2011 dollars) in flood damage in Winnipeg ("Red river floodway," 2011). However, after 1997 "Flood of the Century," the International Joint Commission analyzed the flood protection measures and concluded that, under situations similar to the flood in 1997, there would be a high risk of failure for Winnipeg's flood protection infrastructure ("The need for," ). As a result, the Commission recommended the government to take immediate actions to improve
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The primary and the most significant hazard that the expansion project was aiming to intervene is the intensive riverine flood. The operation rules of Red River Floodway shall be introduced to demonstrate how riverine flood hazards could be intervened. Under normal summer conditions, as shown in Figure 2, Floodway gates divert part of the Red River flow to the east side of Winnipeg through the floodway channel ("Red river floodway," 2011). During flooding time, as the river rises, the water spills over and then flows down the floodway channel; thus, the river water flows through two routes - through the red river in Winnipeg and through the floodway, and the south of floodway inlet would then drop below its natural level ("Red river floodway," 2011). When the floodway gates are raised, as shown in Figure 3, the water level south of the inlet will drop down to its natural level, which allows more water to be spilled into the floodway ("Red river floodway," 2011). If the Red River’s water flows continue to increase, the gates will be further raised due to the water level south of inlet drops below natural ("Red river floodway," 2011). During floods, the floodway operation ensures the river stayed below its natural level at south of Winnipeg ("Red river floodway," 2011). As stated before, historical floods sometimes happen in Manitoba; especially in the recent decades ("History of flooding,"). Under such circumstances, the water flow through Winnipeg is controlled by three spring floodway operating
The primary and the most significant hazard that the expansion project was aiming to intervene is the intensive riverine flood. The operation rules of Red River Floodway shall be introduced to demonstrate how riverine flood hazards could be intervened. Under normal summer conditions, as shown in Figure 2, Floodway gates divert part of the Red River flow to the east side of Winnipeg through the floodway channel ("Red river floodway," 2011). During flooding time, as the river rises, the water spills over and then flows down the floodway channel; thus, the river water flows through two routes - through the red river in Winnipeg and through the floodway, and the south of floodway inlet would then drop below its natural level ("Red river floodway," 2011). When the floodway gates are raised, as shown in Figure 3, the water level south of the inlet will drop down to its natural level, which allows more water to be spilled into the floodway ("Red river floodway," 2011). If the Red River’s water flows continue to increase, the gates will be further raised due to the water level south of inlet drops below natural ("Red river floodway," 2011). During floods, the floodway operation ensures the river stayed below its natural level at south of Winnipeg ("Red river floodway," 2011). As stated before, historical floods sometimes happen in Manitoba; especially in the recent decades ("History of flooding,"). Under such circumstances, the water flow through Winnipeg is controlled by three spring floodway operating