Flood Hazard Assessment on Alluvial Fans: An Examination of the Methodology

Abstract

The recognition and assessment of the hazard that flash floods can pose to structures located on alluvial fans is seriously deficient relative to the ability of the engineer to assess flood risk to structures located in the vicinity of perennial rivers. With the development of major urban areas and hazardous, radioactive, and mixed waste sites on alluvial fans in the southwestern United States, there is both an increasing need and interest in developing rational and reliable techniques for assessing the hazards floods pose to these developments and facilities.