Using Citizen-Reported Data to Determine Spatiotemporal Trends in Pluvial Flooding in Denver, Colorado
Urban flooding is an increasing threat to city and resident well-being. Flooding in Colorado can be categorized as pluvial or fluvial. Fluvial flooding occurs when stream water overflows the stream bank, whereas pluvial flooding is the result of a precipitation event’s intensity exceeding capacity of the drainage system. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) typically reports losses attributed to fluvial flooding, discounting impacts of pluvial flooding. This study will use municipal service requests reporting on street flooding in Denver, Colorado from 2000-2019 in coordination with Mile High Flood District rain gage data to develop a spatiotemporal database of street flooding occurrence. Connecting the rain gage closest to a municipal service request will inform storm characteristics which lead to street flooding. This database can help direct flood mitigation efforts and stormwater management in the city. Additionally, this work can contribute to longer term studies on drivers of urban flooding.
Graduate student CU Boulder