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<br />- 29 - <br /> <br />GLOSSARY <br /> <br />Backwater Effect. The rise in surface elevation of <br />flowing water upstream from and as a result of an obstruc- <br />tion to flow. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />Cloudburst. A sudden and extremely heavy downpour of <br />rain that is small in areal extent; of short duration: and <br />may be accompanied by lightning, thunder, and strong gusts <br />of wind. <br /> <br />. <br />t <br /> <br />Flood. An overflow of water onto lands used or usable <br />by man and not normally covered by water. Floods have two <br />essential characteristics: the temporary inundation of land; <br />and the land is inundated by overflow from a river, stream <br />lake or ocean. Normally a "flood" is considered as any tem- <br />porary rise in streamflow or stage, (but not the ponding <br />of surface water), that results in significant adverse <br />effects in the vicinity. Adverse effects may include damage <br />from overflow and land areas, temporary backwater effects <br />in sewers and local drainage channels, and creation of <br />unsanitary conditions or other unfavorable situations from <br />deposition of materials coincident with increased streamflow. <br /> <br />Flood Peak. The maximum instantaneous discharge of a <br />flood at a given location. It usually occurs at or near the <br />time of the flood crest, the maximum stage or elevation <br />reached by the flood flow. <br /> <br />Flood Plain. <br /> <br />adjoining <br />have been <br /> <br />a river, <br /> <br />The relatively flat area or lowlands <br />stream, watercourse, ocean, or lake, which <br /> <br />or may be covered by flood water. <br /> <br />Flood Profile. A graph showing the relationship of <br />water surface elevation to location, the latter generally <br />expressed as distance above mouth for a stream of water flow- <br />ing in an open channel. It is generally drawn to show surface <br />elevation for the crest of a specific flood, but may be pre- <br />pared for conditions at a given time or stage. <br /> <br />~ Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers, Inc. <br />