Thursday, November 1, 2012

River Flooding

What causes rivers to flood ? Explain what dams and levees are and how they relate to flooding? 



75 comments:

Dominique G. said...

It can get cause by a hurricane or lots of heavy rain.

cameron s said...

Concrete dams are often made to seal off deep river valleys and create hydroelectric power. Water will build up behind the barriers, creating artificial lakes known as reservoirs. The deep water created by their construction improves fishing and boating in the area. However, the real purpose is to have the water turn giant turbines and create inexpensive electrical power.

These dams also help control floods. They are built across rivers that have a history of flooding, holding back waters in a man-made lake. The water is then released through floodgates at a regular pace so it doesn’t overflow the rivers below the dams. The idea is for the lakes behind the dams to never overflow. However, this does not always happen.

The Vaiont Dam was a structure built in the Italian Alps in northeastern Italy. A concrete barrier 873 feet above the river valley below, it kept back water from a number of small villages that dotted the waterway. In the fall of 1963, the area experienced much rainfall. The extra water eroded earth and rocks on the mountain slopes surrounding the reservoir. On October 9 of that year, part of 6,000-foot-high Mount Toc fell into the lake. A downpouring of earth, mud, rocks, and trees crashed into the water, causing tons of water to overflow the dam into the valley below.
http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/flooding/concretedams.shtml
The next morning was a scene of chaos. There were almost no buildings left standing in the village of Langarone, only piles of stones. Most of the populations of other small villages had perished.

Eventually, a study showed that the dam was situated in a poor location. If the area had been investigated beforehand, it would have been found that the area experiences frequent earth movements. Once the inquiry ended, the dam was shut down. The nearby villages have since then been rebuilt.

Maddy C. said...

Dams and levees are meant to stop, or reduce flooding. Rivers flood when there is a lot of rain during a short period, or when lots melting happens.

Dominique G. said...

A levee is a land to hold the water in place with a another levee on the other side. It can get cause by a hurricane or lots of heavy rain.

Connor.R said...

they both stop water

Garrett H said...

long and hard rain causes flooding. dams and levees affect flooding because they keep water from passing through a certain point so it could stop the water from flooding an area.

cameron s said...

.thinkquest.org

Aaran H. said...

One thing that the causes a river to over flow is the rain. A dam holds water back and send it through to make electricity. A levee is a dike that is a hill below a road.

Shane.D said...

rivers flood when there is lot over rain and high tide dams are suppose to block flooding but if they brake they flood

Riley O said...

Flooding is an overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Floods can happen during heavy rains, when ocean waves come on shore, when snow melts too fast, or when dams or levees break. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. They can occur quickly or over a long period and may last days, weeks, or longer. Floods are the most common and widespread of all weather-related natural disasters.

Flash floods are the most dangerous kind of floods, because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed and unpredictability. Flash floods occur when excessive water fills normally dry creeks or river beds along with currently flowing creeks and rivers, causing rapid rises of water in a short amount of time. They can happen with little or no warning.


Flooding occurs in every U.S. state and territory, and is a threat experienced anywhere in the world that receives rain. In the U.S. floods kill more people each year than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning.


A dam holds back the water from a river so it can be released in a controlled fashion, ie to create electricity.
A levee is a wall that helps to stop the ocean from washing over a town that sits on a coastline at sea level, especially during a hurricane. It's like a "wave brake". That is the difference between a levee and a dam?

Jordan M said...

Rainfall makes the river overflow which can allow it to overflow.

When dams and levees break it makes it flood.

Zach S. said...

River's flood when there's to much rain,Dams make the water flow through so it doesn't over flow on to the edges and when there's to much rain they open the flood gate's.A levee is a ridge or a parallel wall which regulates water level's .

James D said...

when it rains allot,There are many reasons why floods occur, these can be divided into categories of causes. These are flash floods, storm surge, and dam and levee failures.
Flash Floods
These types of flood occur with little or no warning. Flash floods can be deadly due to the rapid rise in water levels and the high flow-velocities of the water. There are factors which contribute to the occurrence of flash floods: rainfall intensity, duration, surface condition and topography. Urban areas are more susceptible to flash floods due to the lack of natural drainage systems and the high amounts of impervious surfaces (concrete, tarmac). These tend to increase the rate of run off into water systems.

Storm Floods
Storm surges inundate coastal margins due to severe onshore winds, often accompanied by low atmospheric pressure and sometimes high tides. Friction between moving air and the water creates drag. Depending on the distance over which this process occurs (fetch) and the velocity of the wind, water can pile up to depths of over 7 metres. Intense, low-pressure systems and hurricanes (tropical cyclones) often cause storm surges. Nine out of ten tropical cyclone fatalities are caused by the storm surge associated with the storm.

Dam and Levee Failures
Dam and levees may be designed to contain a flood at a location on a water way that has a certain probability of a flood occurring in a specific year, i.e. one in every 250 years. If the flood is larger than the one predicted the structure built to contain it will be overtopped and will fail. This causes a sudden burst of water which causes a flash flood downstream. Failed dams and levees can cause catastrophic floods due to the intensive energy involved in the sudden burst of water.
from natural hazards.com

Bryn W. said...

Floods can be caused by many things, such as heavy rain. Other things the are causes of floods are breaks in dams. Dams are used to separate water and keep it flowing evenly. A break in the dam could cause major flooding.

A levee is a type of dam that runs along the banks of a river or canal. Levees reinforce the banks and help prevent flooding. By confining the flow, levees can also increase the speed of the water.

Levees can be natural or man-made. A natural levee is formed when sediment settles on the river bank, raising the level of the land around the river.

Credit to architecture.about.com.

Timmy Light said...

Floods are most caused from rain because it rains and rains and rains then it could over flow rivers streams ponds swamps then it covers roads witch could lead to alot of crashes and that would be very bad and A levee is a part of land to hold the water if it breaks and it is next to the road it could block people from going places

Lauryn Silva said...

what causes rivers to flood is high amounts of water in the river. Floods are a natural consequence of stream flow in a continually changing environment. A dam is a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise it level.
A levee is an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river. They relate to flooding because they both stop the water that could flood the part of the state or city it is in.

Timmy Light said...

special thanks to me .com JK

Timmy Light said...

and lots of melting ice snow and that can be bad.

Riley O said...

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/floods/

Aja A. said...

Long and hard rain causes flooding.
Dams and levees are meant to stop, or reduce flooding.

A levee is a type of dam that runs along the banks of a river or canal. Levees reinforce the banks and help prevent flooding. By confining the flow, levees can also increase the speed of the water.

Levees can be natural or man-made. A natural levee is formed when sediment settles on the river bank, raising the level of the land around the river.

Credit to architecture.about.com. Maddy C. and Garrett H

Anonymous said...

Flooding is an overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Floods can happen during heavy rains, when ocean waves come on shore, when snow melts too fast, or when dams or levees break. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. They can occur quickly or over a long period and may last days, weeks, or longer. Floods are the most common and widespread of all weather-related natural disasters.

Flash floods are the most dangerous kind of floods, because they combine the destructive power of a flood with incredible speed and unpredictability. Flash floods occur when excessive water fills normally dry creeks or river beds along with currently flowing creeks and rivers, causing rapid rises of water in a short amount of time. They can happen with little or no warning.


Flooding occurs in every U.S. state and territory, and is a threat experienced anywhere in the world that receives rain. In the U.S. floods kill more people each year than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning.


A dam holds back the water from a river so it can be released in a controlled fashion, ie to create electricity.
A levee is a wall that helps to stop the ocean from washing over a town that sits on a coastline at sea level, especially during a hurricane. It's like a "wave brake". That is the difference between a levee and a dam? http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/floods/

EmilyB said...

Floods can be caused by many things, such as heavy rain. Other things the are causes of floods are breaks in dams. Dams are used to separate water and keep it flowing evenly. A break in the dam could cause major flooding.

A levee is a type of dam that runs along the banks of a river or canal. Levees reinforce the banks and help prevent flooding. By confining the flow, levees can also increase the speed of the water.

Levees can be natural or man-made. A natural levee is formed when sediment settles on the river bank, raising the level of the land around the river.

Credit to architecture.about.com.

AlexisD said...

Heavy rains a lot heavy rains.Levies are to hold back water like a dam.

Max H said...

rain water causes rivers to flood or melting snow and ice. damn and levees relate to flooding because they prevent floods from happening. or most of the time it does.

MorganD said...

what causes rivers to flood is high amounts of water in the river. Floods are a natural consequence of stream flow in a continually changing environment. A dam is a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise it level.
A levee is an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river. They relate to flooding because they both stop the water that could flood the part of the state or city it is in.

Max H said...

also stuff can flood when a dam breaks

nate.b said...

they block stuff and it over flows

catie .r. said...

i think rivers flood because if it rains to much it can overflow and run over the sides of the river dams and leeves i think are for to keeps the water going to a certain side that they dont want it to and keep it from flooding over onto land were people live.

Katie L. said...

lots of heavy rain causes rivers to flood leeves are used to block water kind of like a dam

ALice M. said...

Levees and dams are meant to reduce flooding, flooding happens when there is a lot of rain in a short period of time,melting snow, or both

Jada M. said...

also stuff can flood when a dam breaks

Emily B. said...

A flood is when water builds up eventually over flowing, this is a flood. A dam or levee is a barrier that hold the water at bay at heavy rain fall.

zack c said...

rain and water make it flood because the water builds up and then it starts to flood.

Jada M. said...

rain water causes rivers to flood or melting snow and ice. damn and levees relate to flooding because they prevent floods from happening. or most of the time it does.

Cassidy m said...

Floods are cause by lots and lots of heavy rain or a hurricane like we just had.
A levee is a type of dam that runs along the banks of a river or canal. Levees reinforce the banks and help prevent flooding. By confining the flow, levees can also increase the speed of the water.

Levees can be natural or man-made. A natural levee is formed when sediment settles on the river bank, raising the level of the land around the river.

Credit to architecture.about.com

casey g said...

A dam holds back the water from a river so it can be released in a controlled fashion to create electricity.
A levee is a wall that helps to stop the ocean from washing over a town that sits on a coastline at sea level, especially during a hurricane. It's like a "wave brake". That is the difference between a levee and a dam?

Jasmine B said...

what causes rivers to flood is probably dam and levee failures,and having a lot of rain at one time where the water just goes over the top of the dam or levee. A dam is A barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level and a levee is an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river. they relate to flooding because there supposed be a thing for flood control.

Aasyhia said...

rain which can overflow the river into a flood
dams is a barrier that takes water
levees is a wall built to prevent overflowed rivers

Cj W. said...

A flood is when water builds up eventually over flowing, this is a flood. A dam or levee is a barrier that hold the water at bay at heavy rain fal

AndrewE said...

Sudden melting of snow or rain for a long period of time. Dams and levees help prevent flooding.

ConnorB said...

When a large amount of water falls, or snow melts suddenly, and dams and leeves hold back large amounts of water. They Help hold back the floods like giant walls.

joe w said...

sudden melting of ice and snow and when it rains

Kaylee C. said...

Rivers flood because of heavy rains or snow melts that fill up the river and a dam/leeve is something that stops the water from flooding into a place.

Kevin S said...

rain can overflow a river causing it to run out of the river bed
dams r a barrier that hold water
levees r a dam on the side of a river that act as a dam

Journey B. said...

Floods are caused by heavy amounts of rain, or hurricanes. Some times they are a result of a mess up in a dam or levee. A dam holds back water and releases it when needed for water supply or electricity. There could possibly be a failure in it, and the water could flood the river it came from. A levee blocks off over flowed rivers, and prevents them from overflowing in the future. They can also stop the river from over flowing into a town. Both are used for flood control.

Matt C said...

a flood is when rain over flows stuff... thats wat leeeveees are for but dumb people jst just dig it like 2 ft deep and it floods. YOU NEED TO DIG IT LIKE 500 FEET DEEP SO THE WATER DOESNT EVEN LIKE LOOK LIKE ITS GUNNA FLOOD!
SORRY CAPS LOCK WAS ON

Maddy P. said...

What causes rivers to flood is probably dam and levee failures. Also having a lot of rain at one time can cause the water to go over the top of the dam of levee. A dam is a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level. A levee is an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river. They both relate to flooding because they are supposed to be a tool for flood control.

katalinaD said...

i think rivers flood because if it rains to much it can overflow and run over the sides of the river dams and leeves i think are for to keeps the water going to a certain side that they dont want it to and keep it from flooding over onto land were people live.

Gia L said...

Rain can overflow the river. Dams and levees hold the water back.

Cameron T. said...

River's flood when there's to much rain,Dams make the water flow through so it doesn't over flow on to the edges and when there's to much rain they open the flood gate's.A levee is a ridge or a parallel wall which regulates water level's .

Lauren S. said...

Flooding is causes by really heavy rain

Alissa H said...

A flood is when water builds up and overflows. A dam or levee is a barrier that keeps rivers from overflowing

Nathan C. said...

Rivers can flood by the following; runoff, heavy rain, and excess water from other rivers or oceans.

A dam is a large wall on the ocean to prevent water to get to somewhere.

Emily H said...

River's flood when there's to much rain,Dams make the water flow through so it doesn't over flow on to the edges and when there's to much rain they open the flood gate's.A levee is a ridge or a parallel wall which regulates water level's .

Kelsey S. :P said...

Most likely the cause of flooding is dams breaking, and rain like hurricanes when it rains a lot.

Jenny C said...

Rivers flood when there is a lot of rain in a certain amount of time.Dams and levees keep the water from flowing to fast.

Sheila A said...

Rivers can flood because of too much rain, or the melting of ice and snow at the end of winter. Dams and levees help hold the water back from flooding.

Skyler D. said...

the rivers flood because there is a lot of water coming down from the clouds and the rivers collect that.

chanced said...

One thing that the causes a river to over flow is the rain. A dam holds water back and send it through to make electricity. A levee is a dike that is a hill below a road.

Aidan R said...

Flooding could be caused a fair amount of things. A main factor is that it is caused by rain. Another reason is that if a dam breaks. Another reason is if it is spring and snow melts.A dam is a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level. A levee is an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river. They both relate to flooding because they are supposed to be a tool for flood control.

jenn w said...

what it does it it stop watering flooding in to the streets.

DARREN P. said...

they both keep water in from the rain and the more rain the more it will flood.

lau said...

Flooding is caused by really heavy rain.

adam p said...

Dams and levees are meant to stop, or reduce flooding. Rivers flood when there is a lot of rain during a short period, or when lots melting happens.

Mara C. said...

Rivers may flood by runoffs but also heavy rain.

Levee:Elongated naturally occurring ridge.

Dam:A dam is a large wall on the ocean to prevent water to get some place.

Mia W said...

Rivers flood to much when there is like too much rainfall or if a hurricane or a tornado came through than that would cause a lot of rainfall.

Dams make it so that the water cannot go into a certain areas. Also it makes it so water doesn't overflow on the edge and when there is too much rain, the flood gates open. A levee is a type of ridge or also known as a parallel wall which regulates water level.

BruceB said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Zoe D said...

What causes a river to flood is the overflow of water from the rain and snow and ice. Dams are barriers to help keep the water at a normal level so that it doesn't overflow. A levee is something that helps keep water from overflowing. They both relate to flooding because they both prevent it but it doesn't always work either.

Morgan S said...

what causes the rivers the flood? explain what dams and levees are and how they relate to flooding?
river cam be caused by storms and oceans. dams keeping the water from flowing out to much. And I really do not know what levees are.they can relate to flooding because the water can run out into the streets.

david vincent said...

Rain hits a slope and carries sediments down and drops it into rivers and then the water rises b/c of all the sediments.
Dams and levees are used for blocking water from getting on land.

Lauryn R said...

Lauryn R Posted this(;

Anonymous said...

hi kesley

Jacob G said...

River's will flood when it rains a lot and snow melts. Dams make water flow more slowly and calmly. A levee regulates water levels.

Damian P said...

rivers flood when to much rain falls.dams make sure that rivers don't flood when there is to much rain. a levee is a ridge that regulates the waters level

Whitney R said...

What causes rivers to flood is probably dam and levee failures. Also having a lot of rain at one time can cause the water to go over the top of the dam of levee. A dam is a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level. A levee is an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river. They both relate to flooding because they are supposed to be a tool for flood control.