1.1.19

River Management: Soft Engineering

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Flood Defences - Soft Engineering

Soft engineering strategies aim to reduce the effects of flooding using our knowledge of nature and the natural courses of rivers. Examples of soft engineering strategies include:

Flood warnings

Flood warnings

  • We know that floods are more likely when there has been a lot of rainfall or when river levels are high.
  • Flood warnings are sent out by the Environment Agency and government.
    • Warnings allow people to put out sandbags to protect their homes, minimise the effect of floods or even leave their houses if they need to.
  • Not all people watch the news and may miss flood warnings.
  • Warnings cannot prevent floods.
Flood plain zoning

Flood plain zoning

  • Flood plain zoning creates zones of a flood plain where building cannot happen. This is usually in zones that are at high risk of flooding.
  • If there are fewer impermeable surfaces, surface runoff will be lower and flooding should be less common.
  • However, this involves having smaller towns and cities. This can increase house prices and create housing shortages.
Planting trees

Planting trees

  • Planting trees in river basins will increase the proportion of rain that's intercepted by trees, increasing the lag time between peak rainfall and peak discharge.
    • River discharge, flood risk, and soil erosion are all reduced. Additionally, wildlife can create homes in the newly planted trees.
  • If trees are planted, there is less space available for building housing or farming.
River restoration

River restoration

  • River restoration returns a river to its natural state.
  • This allows a river to swell its banks and flood the flood plain naturally.
  • This does not do much to stop flooding.
  • It feels a bit like a passive approach, a bit similar to managed retreat.
Preparation

Preparation

  • Buildings could be adapted to mitigate floods.
  • Building houses on stilts is an example of this.
  • This should reduce the financial and personal impact of flooding when it does happen.
  • Putting all buildings on stilts can be expensive! However, putting all valuables on the second floor of a house could also count as preparation. So could putting sandbags in front of your door.
Jump to other topics
1

Physical Geography

1.1

River Environments

1.1.1Weathering1.1.2Mass Movement1.1.3Erosion1.1.4Transportation1.1.5Deposition1.1.6River Landforms: Waterfalls & Gorges1.1.7River Landforms: Interlocking Spurs1.1.8River Landforms: Flood Plains1.1.9River Landforms: Point Bars1.1.10River Landforms: Levees1.1.11River Landforms: Meanders1.1.12River Landforms: Oxbow Lakes1.1.13River Landscape Changes: Long Profile1.1.14River Landscape Changes: Cross Profile1.1.15Vertical & Lateral Erosion1.1.16Flood Risk Factors1.1.17Human Activities on Rivers1.1.18River Management: Hard Engineering1.1.19River Management: Soft Engineering1.1.20Case Study: The River Eden - Landforms1.1.21Case Study: The River Eden - Climate1.1.22Case Study: The River Eden - Geology1.1.23Case Study: The River Eden - Management1.1.24Case Study: The River Eden - Human Activity1.1.25End of Topic Test - River Environments
1.2

Coastal Environments

1.2.1Weathering1.2.2Mass Movement1.2.3Erosion1.2.4Deposition1.2.5Longshore Drift1.2.6Sediment Transportation1.2.7Wave Action on Coasts1.2.8Other Factors Influencing Coasts1.2.9Coastal Landforms: Wave-cut Platforms & Cliffs1.2.10Coastal Landforms: Headlands & Bays1.2.11Coastal Landforms: Caves, Arches & Stacks1.2.12Coastal Deposition1.2.13Spits, Bars & Sand Dunes1.2.14Human Activity on Coasts1.2.15Coastal Defences: Hard Engineering1.2.16Coastal Defences: Soft Engineering1.2.17Coastal Defences: Managed Retreat1.2.18Case Study: Holderness Coast Overview1.2.19Case Study: Holderness Coast Management1.2.20Case Study: Holderness Coast Defences1.2.21End of Topic Test - Coastal Environments
1.3

Hazardous Environments - Tropical Cyclones

1.3.1Characteristics of a Tropical Cyclone1.3.2Structure of a Tropical Cyclone1.3.3Physical Hazards of Tropical Cyclones1.3.4The Impacts of Tropical Cyclones1.3.5Responses to Tropical Cyclones1.3.6Vulnerability to Tropical Cyclones1.3.7Preparing for Tropical Cyclones1.3.8Case Study: Katrina1.3.9Case Study: Nargis
1.4

Hazardous Environments - Earthquakes & Volcanoes

1.4.1Earthquakes1.4.2Features of an Earthquake1.4.3Types of Earthquake1.4.4Case Study: L'Aquila1.4.5Case Study: Chile1.4.6Case Study: Japan & Pakistan - Planning1.4.7Volcanoes1.4.8Types of Volcanoes1.4.9Volcanic Eruptions
2

Human Geography

2.1

Economic Activity & Energy

2.1.1Increasing Energy Consumption2.1.2Non-Renewable Energy - Nuclear2.1.3Non-Renewable Energy - Fossil Fuels2.1.4Renewable Energy - Solar2.1.5Renewable Energy - Water & Bio2.1.6Renewable Energy - Hydro2.1.7Energy - Statistical Skills
2.2

Rural Environments

2.2.1Rainforests2.2.2Temperate Forests2.2.3Characteristics of a Temperate Forest2.2.4Goods & Services in Temperate Forests2.2.5Deserts2.2.6Tundra
2.3

Urban Environments

2.3.1Urbanisation in Different Countries2.3.2Causes of Urbanisation2.3.3Consequences of Urbanisation2.3.4Sustainable Urbanisation2.3.5Case Study: Rapid Urbanisation in Mexico City2.3.6End of Topic Test - Urbanisation
3

Global Issues

3.1

Fragile Environments & Climate Change

3.1.1Natural Causes of Climate Change3.1.2Effects of Climate Change on the Environment3.1.3Effects of Climate Change on People3.1.4Impacts of Deforestation3.1.5End of Topic Test - Climate Change3.1.6Increasing Water Supply3.1.7Sustainable Rainforest Management
3.2

Globalisation & Migration

3.2.1Globalisation - Transport3.2.2Globalisation - Communication Networks & Banking3.2.3Push & Pull Factors3.2.4TNCs & Globalisation3.2.5Tourism Landscapes3.2.6The Growth of Tourism3.2.7The Economic Benefits of Tourism3.2.8The Social & Cultural Benefits of Tourism3.2.9The Economic Costs of Tourism3.2.10The Social & Cultural Costs of Tourism3.2.11Managing Tourism - Sustainability3.2.12Managing Tourism - Quotas & Tourism Hubs
3.3

Development & Human Welfare

3.3.1Ways of Defining Development3.3.2Different Ways of Measuring Development3.3.3Environmental Factors Causing Uneven Development3.3.4Historical Factors Causing Uneven Development3.3.5Economic Factors Causing Uneven Development3.3.6Patterns of Development3.3.7How Can we Reduce the Global Development Gap?3.3.8Top-Down & Bottom-Up Development

Practice questions on River Management: Soft Engineering

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Which of the following are soft engineering strategies for flood management?True / false
  2. 2
    What do we call it when building is restricted on parts of a flood plain that are at high risk?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    What does it mean to straighten the river channel?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Suggest which soft river engineering project will reduce the risk of flooding.Multiple choice
  5. 5
    Which hard engineering river management defence will reduce the risk of erosion and flooding downstream from the defence?Multiple choice
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River Management: Hard Engineering

Case Study: The River Eden - Landforms