Minden workshop to discuss Valley floodplain control

A draft regional floodplain management plan prepared by the Carson Water Subconservancy District and the Carson River Coalition River Corridor Working Group is the topic of a workshop 6-8 p.m. April 9 at the CVIC Hall in Minden.

Floods have caused a greater loss of life and property and have devastated more families and communities across the United States than all other natural hazards combined, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Carson River Coalition and subconcervancy Water Shed Coordinator Genie Azad said past efforts to reduce flood losses usually relied on trying to control floodwaters with costly flood control infrastructure instead of encouraging people to avoid flood hazard areas.

"Despite the expenditure of billions of dollars to construct flood control structures such as dams, levees, and stream channelization, flood losses continue to rise," Azad said. "In addition, this structural approach frequently has adverse impacts on the natural resources and ecological integrity of our rivers and floodplains."

Azad said the Carson River watershed is experiencing development pressures at an unprecedented rate. Much of the development is aimed at areas within the floodplain, river corridor, and on alluvial fans.

"History shows repeated incidents of flooding with 33 documented flooding events in the watershed since 1852, on an average of every five years," he said. "At least 17 of these events have caused major flooding and extensive damage. Since there is extremely limited reservoir storage capability in the upper watershed, large flows occur downstream and will continue in the future. During major flood events valley floors are inundated and over-bank flows can reach a depth of many feet."

Continued development within critical floodplain areas and the river corridor will intensify future flooding events and cause areas to flood that were not previously prone to flooding, Azad said.

"It is also predicted that the western states will experience more extreme events of flooding, making it even more important to plan well now," he said. "We are fortunate in this watershed that we still have open floodplain lands and have an opportunity to protect these lands and thus protect ourselves."

Each county along the Carson River (Alpine, Douglas, Carson City, Lyon and Churchill) have floodplain management ordinances and plans that adhere to federal requirements. At a regional floodplain management conference held in 2004, attendees requested that a regional floodplain management plan be developed for the Carson River watershed that would provide strategies to reduce flood hazards, provide a tool box for protecting floodplain lands, enhance and strengthen existing county plans, and provide watershed-wide consistency in our planning efforts. Working with stakeholders throughout the five counties, the that includes suggested actions to address these issues.

For more information contact the CWSD at 887-7450.