FLOOD04055

• County: Statewide
• Community: State of Colorado
• Stream Name: All
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Systems and Materials to Prevent Floodwaters from Entering Buildings
• Date: 5/1/1985
• Prepared For: US Army Corps of Engineers
• Prepared By: US Army Corps of Engineers
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

PART IV: PROTOTYPE HOUSE TEST, ALLENVILLE, ARIZONA

Background

40. Since tests had been performed to determine the structural integ-

rity of brick and block walls and since materials and systems had been tested

for effectiveness in keeping floodwaters out of houses, the next step was to

test the best waterproofing system on a prototype house. The Corps of Engi-

neers' Los Angeles District was involved in relocating a previously flooded

subdivision in Allenville, Arizona, a few miles west of Phoenix, Arizona. All

of the houses in the subdivision were vacated, and the homeowners were being

relocated to another site. This situation presented a prime opportunity to

select a suitable house on which to test flood-resistant systems.

41. The Los Angeles District was very helpful in acquiring the best

available house and in helping with the test setup. Representatives of WES,

the Lower Mississippi Valley Division (LMVD), and the Los Angeles District met

at Allenville and finished test setup preparations and tested the house.

42. The objective of the prototype test was to (a) determine the prac-

ticality of using vinyl sheeting mechanically attached to the house slab, as a

flood-resistant system, and (b) substantiate earlier tests which determined

acceptable design levels for such systems. Water penetration and uplift under

the house, sewer closure systems, etc., were not studied in this test.

Test Setup

House

43. The floor plan of the house is presented in Figure 25. The garage

of the house (Figure 26) was not included in the testing. A plywood bulkhead

was constructed across the garage along the side of the house, as shown in

Figure 27. An earth berm was constructed around the rest of the house and

tied into the plywood bulkhead (Figure 28). The earth berm and plywood bulk-

head were used to retain a slowly increased water level. A plastic sheet was

placed over the earth embankment and plywood bulkhead and extended downward

and under an aluminum channel (Figures 20 and 29) which was to act as a bottom

seal for the flood-resistant system (Figure 30). The aluminum channel was

attached to the house with screws and plastic inserts. The rest of the

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