Dynamic slowdown: A flood mitigation strategy complying with the integrated management concept – implementation in a small mountainous catchment

Abstract

The “Dynamic SlowDown” concept (noted hereafter “DSD") promotes flood mitigation by slowing down, using transverse obstacles or temporary storage works distributed throughout the catchment. In accordance with Sustainable Development, it aims at reducing the use of the flood defence structures that damage riverine ecosystems. DSD hydraulic projects must be planned at catchment scale and must take all the problems into account, including ecological issues. Cemagref and Cracow Institute of Water Engineering carried out a DSD feasibility study in a small mountainous catchment in Poland, the Isepnica catchment. To deal with flood and erosion problems, they proposed small storage works on hillslopes and a dry reservoir. To assess their impact on design floods, they developed two simple distributed hydrologic models, and linked them with a hydraulic model built for the main torrent. They concluded that the proposed strategy was efficient. In a further stage, it is envisaged to build and monitor pilot structures, in order to check their behaviour, better calibrate the models, and issue maintenance requirements.