Effects of Extreme Precipitation on Hydrologic Design of Road-Stream Crossing Structures and their Vulnerability Assessments on US Forest Service Lands
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The goal of the project is to assess the precipitation intensity duration frequencies (PIDF) and their applications in sizing of road-stream crossing structures, experiencing increased peak-flow magnitudes resulting from the growing intensity of extreme precipitation events on Forest Service lands. Proper sizing of these structures is fundamental to sustainable infrastructure and maintaining properly functioning aquatic ecosystems. This presentation will provide new insights on a) how site-specific PIDFs derived compare to the NOAA ones, b) hydrologic vulnerability (risk of failure due to undersizing) using empirical models with the PIDF estimates for sizing the structures, c) geomorphologic vulnerability (risk of failure due to susceptibility to erosion, scouring, and clogging of structures/crossings), and d) how the PIDFs will be influenced by changing climate on Forest Service headwater watersheds adjacent to National Forest lands located in various ecoregions.
Preliminary results will be presented at SCIENCE X webinar addressing these guiding questions.