Flood control on the Loire

Brives-Charensac is a small town on the Loire River adjacent to Le Puy-en-Velay.  It’s deep in the Massif Central, not far from the river's headwaters.  In 1980, waters from a massive rain storm swept down the river, flooded parts of the town and killed nine people.  Ever since then flood control has been a sensitive issue for the Brivois.

© Zoomdici.fr

A push in the late 1980s to build a dam at Serre-de-la-Fare upstream from the town was in large part justified as a way to prevent a repeat of the 1980 flooding.  But several years of environmental opposition to the dam, including a five-year camp-in on the construction site, finally convinced the government that, technically and environmentally, it made more sense to use land use controls than dams and levees to prevent flooding risks.

In the mid-1990s regulations were adopted to prevent new construction in at-risk zones, business installations were relocated with public assistance, and several projects were carried out to improve the river’s flow through the town.  Last week, the issue of flood control and land-use planning was revived when the government presented new maps with new definitions of at-risk areas in the flood plain.  Generally, the new maps double the lands within Brive defined as having a potential for serious flooding.  The maps are still in draft form for purposes of public discussion.

In large measure the new maps area a response to the "Xynthia" storm in 2010 that hit coastal areas, ripping through levees, destroying property, and killing more than 50 people.  Now, new government rules now place much less faith in levee protection.  If the new maps are finally adopted, Brive, and other towns along the river, will need to substantially revising the zoning rules and place new limits on areas of permissible development.  Understandably they are not happy.  The maps area expected to be finalized by the end of this year.

Flooding in Italy

Two years ago today, heavy mountain rains caused flash flooding in Cinque Terre and other parts of Liguria in Italy. Lynda and I visited the area in 2006 and spent a wonderful day walking the narrow trail above the Tyrrhenian Sea from Riomaggiore to Monterosso. Vernazza (below) was about the mid-point of the 10 km walk.  We never thought of anything like this.  The flood waters rushing down the narrow canyons from the mountains to the ocean directly and indirectly 13 killed people and destroyed homes and businesses.  The area is still getting back on its feet.

Flash flood waters emptying into the harbor at Vernazza. © Tom Wallace

So, along with news about Berlusconi's latest legal problems and the Letta government's new budget proposals, flooding has been on Italian minds lately, at least some Italian minds.

Gian Vito Graziano, president of the National Geologists Council (il Consiglio nazionale dei geologi) warned recently of the likelihood of more such flooding and likely deaths. Everywhere in Italy, he said, misuse of land -- urbanization of agricultural fields, in-fill of wetlands, dikes along rivers -- has reduced its ability to absorb heavy rains like those that hit Liguria.

Unfortunately, the country’s creaky political institutions and sputtering economy (to say the least in both cases) probably mean that heads will be nodded sincerely, but little will change and the flooding risks will remain. (I recognize one could say the much the same thing about this country’s Republican-sabotaged politics and precarious economy and their effects on environmental policies.)