Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of flooding in the Miami Valley, so local government agencies are trying to be prepared for catastrophic rain events.
Last week, the Miami Conservancy District collaborated with Five Rivers MetroParks to practice installing and testing a 200-foot-long temporary floodwall — under clear skies — at RiverScape MetroPark in downtown Dayton.
“When RiverScape was developed, a portion of the levee was intentionally removed to integrate the park with the river,” Ben Casper, Miami Conservancy District field operations manager, said in an emailed press release. “This temporary floodwall is designed to be deployed quickly should the river rise to levels that threaten downtown Dayton. Today’s exercise is about keeping our teams prepared and ensuring that we can respond effectively if ever needed.”
The process of installing the temporary wall requires expertise. It includes removing caps from the park's plaza floor to place steel posts in the ground and then using a crane to position heavy aluminum stop logs.
The conservancy district said in the release that the wall stands three to four feet tall and stretches 160 feet wide when fully deployed. During the exercise, a second 30-foot-wide section was also installed west of the main floodwall to ensure complete coverage in vulnerable areas during a flood.
Today’s exercise is about keeping our teams prepared.Ben Casper, Miami Conservancy District
Miami Conservancy District was created after Dayton's 1913 flood, which happend after 9 to 11 inches of rainfall hit the region in over 72 hours. Casper said flooding like that would require installing the floodwall to protect Dayton.
