Siting and Design of Impoundments for Flood Control in the Red River Basin - Technical Paper No. 4

Impoundments are projects that store flood water. There are many possible variations in the design of impoundments and each site presents a unique set of problems and opportunities. As with any project, the goals are to maximize the positive and minimize the negative impacts. In addition to flood control, potential benefits include erosion control, sedimentation, wetland development. stream flow maintenance, water supply, lake improvement, and recreation. In addition to direct cost. potential negative impacts include obstruction of fish migration. interruption of riparian corridors, unnatural stream flow regimes. sediment transport imbalance, loss of base flow. conversion of wetlands, and other vegetative changes. Because of the wide variety of impacts there is a need for a multi-disciplinary approach. Proper site selection and design are critical.