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13 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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100 year flood
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A higher than usual stream discharge that has a 1 percent probability of occurring in any given year. The water level of this flood has been arbitrarily selected to define the regulatory flood plain for the U.S. National Flood Insurance Program.
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channel pattern
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The shape of a flowing stream as viewed from above ("bird's-eye view"); the three most common shapes or patterns are straight, meandering, and braided.
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channel restoration
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The process of returning a stream and adjacent areas to a more natural state.
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channelization
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Engineering technique to straighten, widen, deepen, or otherwise modify a natural stream channel.
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discharge
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Quantity of water flowing past a particular point on a stream, usually measured in cubic feet per second (cfs) or cubic meters per second (cms).
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drainage basin
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Area that contributes surface water to a particular stream network.
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flash flood
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Overbank flow that results from a rapid increase in stream discharge; commonly occurs in the upstream part of a drainage basin and in small tributaries downstream.
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flooding
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From a hazards perspective, high water levels in a stream, lake, or ocean that may damage human facilities. As a natural process, overbank flow that may construct a floodplain adjacent to a stream channel or a highter-than-normal water level along a coast that extends inland beyond the beach.
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floodplain
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Flat topography adjacent to a stream produced by overbank flow and by lateral migration of the channel and associated sand or gravel bars.
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floodplain regulation
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Governmental restriction of land use in an area likely to be inundated by a stream's overbank flow that could damage buildings and infrastructure.
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levee
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A mound or embankment parallel to a stream channel; it may consist of fine sediment deposited from overbank flow during a flood or be an earthen embankment constructed by humans to protect adjacent land from flooding.
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recurrence interval
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The time between natural events, such as floods or earthquakes. Commonly given as the average recurrence interval, which is determined by averaging a series of intervals between events.
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river
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A large, natural stream that carries a considerable volume of flowing surface water.
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