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<br />Wednesday, May 2010:30 - 11 :45 A1vi Track 3 - Channel Maintenance - Moderator: Bob Davies
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<br />CHANNEL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM FOR HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, TEXAS
<br />Alan 1. Polok, PE, Joe Myers, PB., Jennifer G, Keller, P.E., and Bruce Davidson
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<br />Harris County is one of the most populous areas in the United States, including much of the corporate limits of the City of Houston, The
<br />Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is responsible for maintaining approximately 1,300 open channels throughout Harris County
<br />which total approximately 2,500 miles in length, To date, HCFCD's approach to channel maintenance has been more reactive than
<br />proactive, In order to develop a more proactive approach, the HCFCD opted to implement a channel assessment program (CAP) that will
<br />enable HCFCD to objectively, consistently and quantitatively assess the level of service of each channel in Harris County. The objectives
<br />ofdns proWam are to provide the capability to proactively prioritize maintenance and channel improvement projects, to assist in responding
<br />to citizen service requests, to assist in making decisions related to resource allocation, and to assist in preparing annual budgets and
<br />manpower projections, Twelve main parameters and their defining attributes, such as channel condition, capacity, flooding and economics,
<br />were identified as concerns to HCFCD personnel. A comprehensive and objective channel condition survey fonn was used to collect data
<br />for a 30-mile test area, The data were entered into databases and analyzed by a computer algorithm that applies the system of weights to
<br />the data. The resulting level of service measurements compared favorably with the relative condition of the channels that were evaluated,
<br />The data collection process was then refined by equipping field personnel with portable pen computers loaded with the data entry software,
<br />This software was preprogrammed WIth specific channel reaches which were developed using Geographic Infonnation System. These
<br />computers are cWTently being used by HCFCD personnel to collect data for the program. The Geographic Infonnation System will also
<br />be used to add graphical, mapping, and querying capabilities to the program.
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<br />CHANNEL MAINTENANCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT: SHOTGUN MARRIAGE?
<br />W, Dave Canaan
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<br />AB communities' floodplain management programs continue or expand to include stream channel maintenance activities, they are faced with
<br />envirorunental challenges, The previously accepted, unquestioned practices of routine vegetation removal for flood protection and capital
<br />improvement projects for channel bank stabilization have fallen under Federal, State and local scrutiny. For Mecklenburg County, North
<br />Carolina the two greatest challenges include Section 404/40 1 of the Clean Water Act - permitting and mitigation requirements to accomplish
<br />wetlandslwater quality/stream habitat pr<:servation; and locally adopted environmental policy - policy that stipulates that (1) Jlil Mecklenburg
<br />County surface waters must be suitable for prolonged human contact and the streams be considered a natural resource and (2) the streams
<br />have a secondary use for the purposes of conveying stann water runoff. Mecklenburg County's channel maintenance program was modified
<br />to be consistent to the above challenges before their implementation, However, meeting these challenges can be project-by-project barriers
<br />and can be sometimes vel)' difficult. And with the recently imposed stream bank mitigation requirements, the County has an immediate
<br />need to establish a Stream Bank Mitigation program for public and private purposes, This presentation will discuss how Mecklenburg
<br />County's current and future maintenanc<: activities addresses the above environmental challenges, Also, the presentation will briefly show
<br />how Mecklenbrug County is documenting these activities using GIS and how the data is being made available to County staff, environmental
<br />pennitling agencies, and the public through the Internet/Intranet.
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<br />USING GIS TO RESOLVE DRAINAGE MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS
<br />Steven C. McKinley, PE and Broce R Seigle, PE, PLS
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<br />A watershed based process combined with the GIS technology has changed the way Louisville/Jefferson County approaches management
<br />and capital project scheduling. The City of Louisville and Jefferson County combined sanitary and stonnwater services under one
<br />governmental jurisdiction by giving responsibilities to the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), In the process, MSD inherited approximately
<br />15,000 stonnwater customer complaints from the City and County. This backlog of complaints related to flooding, standing water,
<br />obstructions, and erosion that had not he<:n corrected or communicated to maintenance crews for resolution, MSD needed a plan to integrate
<br />and systematically address, catalog and rc:solve all drainage requests, This was accomplished through a technological project known as the
<br />Drainage Request Action Plan (DRAP). The use of the Louisville and Jefferson County Infonnation Consortium (LOnC) GIS system made
<br />the concept ofDRAP possible by COlUlecting mapping with the unresolved customer service inquiries. AB a resu1~ the DRAP system clearly
<br />communicates the priority, status and schedule to MSD managemen~ Customer Service, maintenance staff, and the customer. MSD has
<br />digitized the local FIRM into the GIS and obtained FEMA approval as the definitive floodplain maps for the county. Cwrently, LOnC
<br />provides an integrated, real-time GIS and database system that gives the customer maximum feedback and MSD instant information to solve
<br />drainage problems, The fully integrated system allows Customer Service personnel to view quickly and easily important customer
<br />infonnation in a graphic (map) fannat. Additionally, queries such as solution quantities, cost per complain~ cost per solution, and the number
<br />of complaints per solution are included in the system data, MSD uses DRAP as an integrated GIS customer service and maintenance
<br />management floodplain tool by segregating each complaint into existing projects and neighborhood areas. This system provides data assess
<br />to more than 50 workstations throughout MSD's Administrative, Engineering, and Maintenance departments,
<br />Wednesday, May 20 10:30 - II :45 AlIiI Track 4 - Watershed Management/GIS - Moderator: Dave Carlton
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<br />INTEGRATING HYJ:lRAULIC MODELING WITH GIS FOR FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT
<br />Tony Melone, Ph.D., PE, Greg Gaasland, PE, Elizabeth Marshall and David Davidson
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