North Central Region One Water Action Forum

1. Examining Local Infrastructure Issues along Waterways
in a Watershed Context
Siavash Beik, PE, CFM, D.WRE
2018 OneWater Action Forum
December 12, 2018
Indianapolis, IN

2. Typical Local Water Infrastructure Issues Along Waterways
• Flooding of water/wastewater facilities built in floodplain
• Stormwater/CSO backup due to high tailwater
• Sediment build up in water supply reservoirs
• Exposed pipes due to eroded channel banks or bed incision
 In many cases, these issues are caused or exacerbated by
watershed-driven stressors

3. City of Kokomo 2013 Flooding Case Example

4. Kokomo, IN April 2013

5. Kokomo, IN April 2013

6. Kokomo, IN April 2013

7. Flood Resilience Strategies along Wildcat Creek in Kokomo
Watershed

8. Wildcat Creek Watershed Area
Jerome
Gage
Kokomo
Gage

9.  80% to 90% of Peak Discharge at Kokomo is already present in Jerome!

10.  Trendline indicates an alarming increase in Peak Discharges over the years!

11. Implications on Local Infrastructure Issues
• Higher, more frequent high flows mean:
 More streambank erosion and channel bank incision
 Increase in exposed/undermined water and sewer pipes
 Increase in outfall structure failures
 Increase in sedimentation behind dams in water supply reservoirs
 More frequent and higher water levels in the stream
 More CSO back ups
 More chances of flooding of infrastructure placed in floodplains

12. Summary
• Addressing local water/wastewater infrastructure issues along waterways would
require implementing resilience measures in the community as well as
undertaking projects outside of community in the watershed
 At the local level:
 Implementing resilience strategies appropriate for each flood resilience planning zone
 At the watershed level
 Promoting soil health practices (such as cover crops) in the upstream watershed agricultural
areas
 Preserving remaining floodplain storage in the watershed
 Creating additional flood storage within the watershed
 Creating and enforcing No-Adverse-Impact ordinance and standards to control runoff and to
limit disturbance within floodways and fluvial erosional corridors

13. QUESTIONS?
Siavash Beik, PE, CFM, D.WRE
Vice President, Principal Engineer
Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LLC
115 West Washington Street, Suite 1368 South
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Ph: 317.266.8000
Email: sbeik@cbbel-in.com