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Storms, Floods, and Debris Flows in Southern California and Arizona 1978 and 1980,, Overview and Summary of a Symposium, September 17-18, 1980 by Norman H. Brooks Sponsored jointly by: Committee on Natural Disasters Commission on Sociotechnical Systems National Research Council and the Environmental Quality Laboratory California Institute of Technology National Academy Press Washington, D.C. 1982

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Page 1: Storms, Floods, and Debris Flows in Southern California and … 1980 Flood Conference.pdf · 2018. 10. 17. · flood control systems to exchange views on the events of 1978 and 1980

Storms, Floods, and Debris Flows in Southern California and Arizona 1978 and 1980,, Overview and Summary of a Symposium, September 17-18, 1980

by Norman H. Brooks

Sponsored jointly by:

Committee on Natural Disasters Commission on Sociotechnical Systems National Research Council

and the

Environmental Quality Laboratory California Institute of Technology

National Academy Press Washington, D.C. 1982

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NOTICE: The Committee on Natural Disasters project, under which this report was prepared, was approved by the Governing,Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the Committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government. The Council operates in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy under the authority of its conyressional charter of 1863, which establishes the Academy as a private, nonprofit, self-governing membership corporation. The Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in the conduct of their services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. It is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. The National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine were established in 1964 and 1970, respectively, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences.

This study was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PFR-7810631 to the National Academy of Sciences, with a subcontract to the California Institute of Technology. Other sources of support to the Environmental Quality Laboratory are listed in the preface.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this overview and summary are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council, or the author's organization.

Photograph on inside front cover courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.

This overview and summary as well as the entire proceedings are available from:

National Technical Information Service Attention: Document Sales 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22161

Proceedings (including Overview averview and Summary and Summary)

Report No. CSS-CND-019A Price Codes: paper A04, mf A01

Report No. CSS-CND-019 Price Codes: paper A21, mf A01

A limited number of free copies of the overview and summary and of the proceedings are available on request to:

Committee on Natural Disasters or Environmental Quality Laboratory National Academy of Sciences California Institute of Technology 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Mail Code 314-40 Washington, D.C. 20418 Pasadena, California 91125

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PREFACE

On September 17-18, 1980, t h e Committee on Na tu ra l D i s a s t e r s of t h e Nat iona l Research Counci l joined with t h e Environmental Qua l i t y Laboratory o f t h e C a l i f o r n i a I n s t i t u t e of Technology i n sponsoring a symposium on t h e s torms and f l o o d s of 1978 and 1980 i n southern C a l i f o r n i a and Arizona. Th i s symposium provided an oppor tun i ty f o r 300 people i n t e r e s t e d i n s torms and f lood c o n t r o l systems t o exchange views on t h e even t s of 1978 and 1980 and t h e i r e f f e c t s on f u t u r e f l ood hazard m i t i g a t i o n p o l i c i e s .

A volume con ta in ing t h e proceedings of t h e symposium was produced a s a j o i n t e f f o r t o f t h e Committee on Natura l D i s a s t e r s and t h e Environmental Q u a l i t y Laboratory. Th i s overview and summary, h e r e r e p r i n t e d s e p a r a t e l y , appears a s Chapter 1 i n t h e f u l l proceedings volume. Also included i n t h i s s e p a r a t e p u b l i c a t i o n is an Appendix A t h a t provides r e p r i n t s of 2 4 f i g u r e s from t h e proceedings. Appendices B and C l ist t h e members of t h e Committee on Natura l D i s a s t e r s and t h e Nat iona l Research Counci l r e p o r t s of p o s t d i s a s t e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n s , r e spec t ive ly . The e n t i r e proceedings volume is a v a i l a b l e from t h e Committee on Na tu ra l D i s a s t e r s o r t h e Environmental Qua l i t y Laboratory.

The program committee f o r t h e symposium c o n s i s t e d o f :

Norman H. Brooks, D i r e c t o r , Environmental Q u a l i t y Laboratory, C a l i f o r n i a I n s t i t u t e of Technology (Di rec to r )

John F. Kennedy, D i rec to r , Iowa I n s t i t u t e o f Hydraul ic Research, Un ive r s i t y of Iowa, and member of t h e Committee on Natura l D i s a s t e r s , Nat iona l Research Counci l

Jack Coe, Chief , South D i s t r i c t , C a l i f o r n i a Department of Water Resources

Daniel Davis, Sec t ion Head, Erosion Con t ro l Sec t ion , L o s Angeles County Flood Con t ro l District

Robert H a l l , Deputy Chief , Engineering Div is ion , Los Angeles D i s t r i c t , Corps of Engineers

Darwin Knockenmus, S u b d i s t r i c t Chief , Water Resource Div is ion , Laguna Niguel, U.S. Geological Survey

Robert C. Y. Koh, Research Assoc ia te i n Environmental Engineering Science, EQL, Cal tech

Brent D. Taylor , Senior Research Engineer , EQL, Cal tech

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Financial support was provided by:

National Science Foundation (Grant No. PFR-7810631 to National Academy of Sciences, and subgrant No. C5588-80-365 from NAS to Caltech)

California Department of Water Resources (Agreement No. B-53743 with Caltech)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles ~istrict (Contract No. DACW09-08-M-2009 with Caltech)

U.S. Geological Survey (Geologic Division) (Purchase Order No. 119573 to Caltech)

Frank and Elizabeth Gilloon Trust, and others (Gifts to the Environmental Quality Laboratory for discretionary use)

The California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, and many other organizations (shown by the affiliations of the authors) also contributed significantly to the symposium through participation of their staff members.

This overview and summary was prepared by Norman H. Brooks at EQL with secretarial help by Debra Brownlie, Patricia Rankin! and Marcia Nelson. At the NRC the final editing was done by the Committee on Natural Disasters staff: 0. Allen Israelsen, Executive Secretary; Steve Olson, Consultant Editor; Joann Curry and Lally Anne Anderson, Secretaries.

We gratefully acknowledge all of the various contributions of the authors, the staff, and the sponsors who made the symposium possible.

Symposium Co-Chairmen

Paul C. Jennings, Chairman, 1980 Norman H. Brooks, Director Committee on Natural Disasters Environmental Quality Laboratory

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

CONTENTS OF FULL PROCEEDINGS

OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY

Introduction

Hydrologic Perspective

Overview of the 1978 and 1980 Floods

Nonstructural Approaches to Damage Reduction--Were They Useful in the 1980 Floods?

Recommendations for Research

APPENDIX A: SELECTED FIGURES FROM THE FULL PROCEEDINGS

APPENDIX B: COMMITTEE ON NATURAL DISASTERS (1980)

APPENDIX C: NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL REPORTS ON POSTDISASTER INVESTIGATIONS, 1964-82

Page

iii

vii

1

1

3

11

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CONTENTS OF FULL PROCEEDINGS

1. OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY by Norman H. Brooks

2. STORM METEOROLOGY

Meteoro log ic and Oceanographic C o n d i t i o n s f o r t h e Enhancement or Suppress ion o f Winter R a i n s Over C a l i f o r n i a

by Jerome Namias

Damage-Producing Winter Storms o f 1978 and 1980 i n Sou thern C a l i f o r n i a : A S y n o p t i c View

by C a r l o s Garza and C r a i g P e t e r s o n

H i s t o r i c a l Extreme Annual R a i n f a l l Data i n C a l i f o r n i a by James D. Goodr idge

Re turn P e r i o d s of 1977-80 P r e c i p i t a t i o n i n S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a and Ar izona

by C h a r l e s Pyke

3. DOWNSTREAM RIVER FLOODING

Hydrology o f t h e F loods o f March 1978 Through February 1980 i n t h e Phoenix Area, Arizona

by B. N. A l d r i d g e

F l o o d s o f 1978 and 1980 i n C a l i f o r n i a by Kenneth L. Wahl, John R. Cr ippen, and James M. Knot t

O p e r a t i o n and Performance o f Corps o f E n g i n e e r s Flood C o n t r o l P r o j e c t s i n Sou thern C a l i f o r n i a and Ar izona During 1978-80

by J o s e p h B. Evelyn

Floodf lows i n Major S t reams i n Ventura County by Dolores B. Tay lor

A Case Study o f a R e a l - ~ i m e Flood Warning System o n S e s p e Creek, Ventura County, C a l i f o r n i a

by I r a B a r t f e l d and Dolores B. T a y l o r

v i i

Page

1

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The Santa Ana River i n Orange County, C a l i f o r n i a : A Case Study i n Sediment T ranspor t

by Carl R. Nelson

Storm and Flood Events i n San Diego County by Joseph C. H i l l and Carey Stevenson

Comment on Peak Floodflows i n San Diego's Mission Val ley , 1978-80

by P h i l i p R. Pryde

1980 Floods i n t he Sacramento-San Joaquin Del ta by Char les A. ~ c c u l l o u g h

4. UPLAND FLOODS AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT

Sediment Flow Hazards: S p e c i a l Hydrologic Events by John M. Tettemer

The Storms of 1978 and 1980 and Thei r E f f e c t on Sediment Movement i n t h e Eas t e rn San Gabr i e l F ron t

by Wade G. Wells 11

Rare and Unusual P o s t f i r e Flood Events Experienced i n Los Angeles County During 1978 and 1980

by J. Daniel Davis

The Santa Barbara County Flood Experience i n Storms of 1978 and 1980

by James M. Stubchaer

Erosion and Deposi t ion a t a Sand and Gravel Mining Operat ion i n San Juan Creek, Orange County, C a l i f o r n i a

by V i t o A. Vanoni, Robert H. Born, and Hasan M. N o u r i

5. LANDSLIDES

Southern C a l i f o r n i a Landsl ides o f 1978 and 1980 by James E. Slosson and James P. Krohn

Landsl iding and Flooding i n Southern C a l i f o r n i a During the Winter of 1979-80

by F. Harold Weber, Jr .

The Malibu S l i d e by Raymond A. Forsy th and Marvin L. McCauley

Geotechnical Or ig in and Repair of t h e Bluebird Canyon Landsl ide, Laguna Beach, C a l i f o r n i a

by F. Beach Leighton

v i i i

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6. CASE STUDIES OF ENGINEERING PROBLEMS

F a i l u r e o f t h e San J a c i n t o River Levees near San J a c i n t o , C a l i f o r n i a , from t h e Floods o f February 1980

by Kenneth L. Edwards

Levee F a i l u r e s and Distress, San J a c i n t o River Levee and B a u t i s t a Creek Channel, R ive r s ide County, Santa Ana River Basin, C a l i f o r n i a

by Joe Sciandrone, Ted Albrecht , Jr., Richard Davidson, Jacob Douma, Dave Hammer, Cha r l e s Hooppaw, and A 1 Robles, J r . 3 57

Lake E l s i n o r e Flood Di sas t e r of March 1980 by Char l e s R. White

Flood Con t ro l Works on t h e S a l t River i n Phoenix, Arizona by Ramsey M. McDermid, George J. Ge i se r , Daryl B. Simons, and Ruh-Ming L i

7. EFFECTS ON THE SHORELINE

Coas t a l Winter Storm Damage, Malibu, Los Angeles County, Winter 1977-78

by George A. Armstrong

C o a s t a l Response of Leadbet ter Beach, Santa Barbara, t o Southern C a l i f o r n i a Storms of February 16-21, 1980

by Martha J. Shaw

8. POLICIES FOR FLOOD CONTROL AND HAZARD MITIGATION

P r e s i d e n t i a l l y Declared Major Disaster f o r Seven Southern C a l i f o r n i a Counties: The January , February, and March 1980 Storms

by Jacob Angel

New Approaches t o Flood Hazard Mi t iga t ion by Ronald B. Robie

Hazard Mi t iga t ion : The Enforcement Tool by Dale R. Pe te rson

Thoughts on t h e Flooding Disaster of 1980 by Donald 2. Tillman

Flood Ass i s t ance on P r i v a t e Property: P r i v a t e Response t o a Government Respons ib i l i t y?

by Andrew Lipkis , Sherna Hough, and L i s a N. Ge l l e r

Closing Comments on Debris and Sediment by John M. Tetterner

i x

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On burned wate r sheds d e b r i s p r o d u c t i o n d u r i n g f l o o d s i n c r e a s e s dramat- i c a l l y . I n La Crescenda a mudflow from S h i e l d s Canyon on March 4 , 1978, c a r r i e d c a r s a l o n g w i t h l a r g e b o u l d e r s down a s t reet i n t o t h i s house; j u s t t h e roof is showing. (See t h e paper by D a n i e l Davis i n S e c t i o n 4 o f t h e f u l l p roceed ings . )

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OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY

by Norman H. Brooks

INTRODUCTION

Following the floods of 1978 and 1980 in southern California and Arizona a symposium was convened at the California Institute of Technology in September 1980 to document the significant events of these floods and to exchange information and evaluations. The symposium laid the groundwork for a volume of proceedings, which serves as a compact permanent source of information on these floods for not only local readers but national readers as well.

Special attention is given in the proceedings to documenting problems--some engineering, some institutional--and to drawing conclusions and making recommendations for research. The papers included are not intended to be research papers or to replace the much more detailed reports of individual agencies. The emphasis was on preparing and presenting the papers soon after the event in such a way as to emphasize the regional nature of floods and flood control problems.

The proceedings are organized into several sections, with 35 papers altogether. Following the overview and summary, Section 2, STORM METEOROLOGY, which consists of four papers, describes the long-range weather patterns that affect the southwestern United States; the relationship of these patterns to sea surface temperatures in the North Pacific Ocean; the short-term synoptic meteorology of the storms under consideration, showing the importance of multiple storm sequences; and statistical analyses of return periods, based on historical data, for precipitation at a point.

Section 3, DOWNSTREAM RIVER FLOODING, consisting of nine papers, gives an overview of the floods on the larger rivers, how the flood control works responded, and what damages occurred. Section 4, UPLAND FLOODS AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT (five papers), focuses on the unique aspects of sedimentation in regional floods. Section 5, LANDSLIDES, with four papers, explains the problems of landslides, both large and small, that were triggered by the prolonged periods of heavy rainfall.

Norman Brooks is Director of the Environmental Quality Laboratory and James Irvine Professor of Environmental and Civil Engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.

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Sect ion 6, CASE STUDIES OF ENGINEERING PROBLEMS ( four p a p e r s ) , g i v e s d e t a i l e d ana lyses o f t h r e e p a r t i c u l a r engineer ing problems: t h e f a i l u r e o f l evees on t h e San J a c i n t o River , t h e uncont ro l led f i l l i n g of Lake E l s ino re t o damaging s t a g e s , and t h e seve re streambed scour t h rea t en ing t o undermine t h e I n t e r s t a t e 10 highway b r idge over t h e S a l t River a t Phoenix, Arizona. The exper iences and ana lyses desc r ibed i n t h e s e papers should be u s e f u l t o engineers who d e a l with s i m i l a r s t r u c t u r e s and s i t u a t i o n s i n t h e f u t u r e .

Sec t ion 7 , EFFECTS ON THE SHORELINE, c o n s i s t i n g o f two papers , i l l u s t r a t e s t he damaging e f f e c t s of t h e high s torm waves and high t i d e s t h a t occurred i n 1978 and 1980. Beach p r o f i l e s s h i f t e d very r a p i d l y , wi th sand being moved temporar i ly o f f sho re , which exposed many s h o r e l i n e s t r u c t u r e s t o d i r e c t wave a t t a c k , caus ing seve re damages.

Sec t ion 8, POLICIES FOR FLOOD CONTROL AND HAZARD MITIGATION ( s i x pape r s ) , focuses on i n s t i t u t i o n a l i s sues . Four of t hese papers advocate a s t rong new emphasis on hazard m i t i g a t i o n , better f lood warning systems, and o t h e r n o n s t r u c t u r a l approaches a s p a r t of t h e mix of s o c i e t y ' s a c t i v i t i e s t o d e a l with f loods .

About 300 people p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e symposium, and many con t r ibu ted t o t h e ques t ions and d i scuss ion . I n t h e c l o s i n g s e s s i o n t h e r e was a panel d i scuss ion by Russe l l Campbell, Engineering Geologis t wi th t h e U.S. Geological Survey; John F. Kennedy, D i rec to r of t h e Iowa I n s t i t u t e on Hydraulic ~ e s e a r c h a t t h e Un ive r s i t y of Iowa and member of t h e Committee on Natura l D i s a s t e r s of t h e Nat iona l Research Council; Dale Pe terson , D i rec to r of Community Se rv i ces with t h e Federa l Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) i n San Francisco; and Richard Wainer, Los Angeles C i t y Engineer ' s Of f i ce i n Van Nuys. The w r i t e r served a s moderator. Since it was n o t f e a s i b l e t o d i g e s t and record a l l o f t hese d i scuss ions , I am a t tempt ing i n t h i s summary t o cap tu re t h e main c snc lus ions and i ssues .* Nonetheless, t h e fo l lowing conclus ions and recommendations a r e s o l e l y t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of t h e au thor and do no t neces sa r i l y r ep re sen t a consensus by t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s a t t h e symposium.

For t h e record it should be noted t h a t t h e fol lowing papers included i n the proceedings were n o t presented a t t h e symposium: "Geotechnical Or ig in and Repair of t h e Bluebird Canyon Landsl ide, Laguna Beach, C a l i f o r n i a " by Beach Leighton and "Levee F a i l u r e s and Distress, San J a c i n t o River Levee and B a u t i s t a Creek Channel, Rivers ide County, Santa Ana River Basin, C a l i f o r n i a " by Joe Sciandrone, Ted Albrecht , Jr., Richard Davidson, Jacob Douma, Dave Bamer , Cha r l e s Hooppaw, and A 1 Robles, Jr. The l a t t e r paper is a shortened ve r s ion of t h e o f f i c i a l Corps of Engineers r e p o r t on t h e San J a c i n t o River levee f a i l u r e , which was n o t a v a i l a b l e i n time f o r p r e s e n t a t i o n a t t h e csnf e r ence .

Numerous b r i e f d i s c u s s i o n s a t t h e symposium a r e g r a t e f u l l y acknowledged, a l though very few a r e included i n t h e proceedings.

*The e n t i r e symposium was recorded on 1 0 audio c a s s e t t e t apes , which a r e a v a i l a b l e from t h e ~ n v i r o n m e n t a l Q u a l i t y Laboratory f o r t h e c o s t of dup l i ca t ing .

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HYDROLOGIC PERSPECTIVE

This section gives some general background on the flood hydrology of southern California and Arizona for those who may be unfamiliar with the area. An overview of the 1978 and 1980 floods is then presented in the next section, followed by discussion of nonstructural approaches and recommendations for research.

Flood Potential in the Southern California Coastal Region

Climate and Geology

The climate in the southwestern United States is arid, except for the California coastal strip and mountainous areas that receive orographic increases in precipitation. The main focus of this volume is the southern California coastal strip between Point Conception on the north and the Mexican border on the south, extending inland to the drainage divide between the streams flowing to the ocean and those flowing to the desert. The principal drainages are shown in Figure 1, and the identifications and areas are listed in Table 1. The elevation of the highest peak is about 3,500 m (11,500 ft) above sea level, and several are higher than 3,000 m (9,800 ft). The geology of the region, especially in relation to erosion and deposition, has been summarized by Fall (1981) .

The mountain ranges are responsible for giving this strip a semiarid Mediterranean climate with considerably higher rainfall (an annual average of 10 to 25 in. or 250 to 630 mm in the valley areas and up to twice as much in the mountains) than on the desert side of the mountains (with less than 8 in. or 200 mm). The mean annual rainfall distribution for California is shown in Figure 2. The large variation of the annual rainfall at Los Angeles for the period 1879-1980 is shown in Figure 3 of the paper by James Slosson and James Krohn in Section 5. The precipitation falls almost entirely during the winter months, with long dry hot summers that generally inhibit the development of forest cover below about 1,500 m elevation except on some north-facing slopes. Below this level the slopes are covered with chaparral (native brush), a few trees, grasses, or bare soil. The soils in the mountains are quite thin and rapidly erode or slide down the slopes; the underlying rocks decompose fairly rapidly, yielding an overall long-term erosion rate of the order of 1 m per thousand years (Taylor, 1981). The vegetation and soils of the area are described in more detail by Wells and Palmer (1981). A comprehensive summary of a wide range of hydrologic and geologic characteristics for a part of the San Bernardino Mountains has been lucidly presented with excellent maps and graphics by Troxell et al. (1954).

Flood Factors

Several factors make this region susceptible to severe floods and storm damage :

1. Steep slopes in the mountains, with many slopes at the angle of repose (or steeper) for loose material. Landslides and mudflows are common during heavy and prolonged rainfall, and landslides may occur up to a year later.

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5

TABLE 1 Major Drainage Units in the Southern California Coastal Area (as shown in Figure 1)

Principal Basin Map or Group of Small Symbol Basins

Controlled Drainage Area of Principal asi ins^ Area (sq km) (sq krn)

Percent of Area Controlled in Principal Basins

Santa Ynez Mountains group Ventura River basin Ventura group Santa Clara River basin Oxnard group Calleguas Creek basin Santa Monica Mountains group Los Angeles River basin Long Beach group San Gabriel River basin Huntington Beach group Santa Ana River basin Lake Elsinore basin Laguna Hills group Santa Margarita River basin San Luis Rey River basin Escondido Creek group San Dieguito River basin San Clernente Canyon group San Diego River basin San Diego group Sweetwater River basin Otay River basin Tijuana River basin

Totals 17,002 32,524 5 3

a~alculated by adding the drainage areas controlled by the major water retention structures that are farthest downstream in each basin.

%hittier Narrows flood control basin controls both Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers. This estimate assumes that 35 sq km of the drainage area controlled by the Whittier Narrows structure lies within the Los Angeles River drainage basin.

'~xcludes Lake Elsinore basin (MI . d~losed interior basin. Overflow into Santa Ana River basin did not occur between 1916 and 1980.

Source: Brownlie and Taylor (1981) .

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FIGURE 2 Annual precipitation map for California. Source: Califor- nia Department of Water Resources (1980), p. 16.

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2. Intense winter storms, often in groups (such as six in nine days in February 1980), with strong orographic increases in precipitation with elevation.

3. Snowfall generally above 2,000 to 2,500 m, an area that is a minor fraction of the total area. Floods are therefore caused by rapid rain runoff, not by snowmelt,

4. Naturally high erosion rates (or sediment yields), causing very high sediment transprt out of the canyons onto alluvial fans and floodplains.

5. Burned watersheds, producing flood peaks that are several times higher and sediment outflows that are an order of magnitude greater than for unburned watersheds.

The fire-flood sequence is the most devastating and least well controlled of the flood phenomena of southern California and contributed significantly to the damages to the foothill areas in the 1978 and 1980 storms (see the papers by Wade Wells and Daniel Davis in Section 4). The chaparral on the lower slopes burns fiercely when fires start accidentally in the dry weather of late summer or early fall, often whipped by Santa Ana winds from the north off the desert. Many residents of southern California living next to the foothills have luckily escaped the damage of the summer fires only to see their property buried by sediments pouring out of the canyons or sliding down slopes in the winter floods.

The inhabitable land on the coastal strip naturally lies between the mountains and the shoreline. Before human development these lands were largely depositional areas; although the alluvial fans at the mouths of many canyons were the most rapidly aggrading features, many have nonetheless become urbanized areas (such as Altadena, shown in Figure 3). The fans may have slopes of up to 0.08 to 0.1. The main rivers in the valleys still are relatively steep, with slopes of 0.001 to 0.01--large values for major rivers that make them flow at relatively high velocities, often with wavy surfaces. Before human intervention the gravel and coarse sands were all deposited on the alluvial fans and the river valleys, while much of the fine sand, silt, and clay was carried through to the ocean in large uncontrolled floodflows. This flow of sand has been the principal source of nourishment for southern California's extensive beaches (Brownlie and Taylor, 1981).

Flood Control

The early settlers in the coastal areas of southern California quickly discovered how brutal uncontrolled streams and rivers could be. The earliest flood control efforts were accelerated by the formation of the Los Angeles County Flood Control District in 1915, which had as its mission not only flood control but also water conservation. Since that time the district, along with the Corps of Engineers (starting in the 1 9 3 0 ~ ) ~ has built one of the most intensive systems of flood control structures in the world. Outside Los Angeles County the flood control systems are less developed, with more works in the planning stages to protect growing developments.

In the early years the flood control systems in the Los Angeles area focused on major flood control dams and channel improvements, most with

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FIGURE 3 The San G a b r i e l Mountains d r a i n from s t e e p canyons d i r e c t l y o n t o a l l u v i a l f a n s , such a s t h i s l a r g e one u n d e r l y i n g Al tadena and t h e n o r t h e r n p a r t of Pasadena ( n o r t h e a s t of Los A n g e l e s ) . The developed a r e a s on t h i s f a n a r e p r o t e c t e d by d e b r i s b a s i n s a t t h e mouths of t h e canyons ( s e e F i g u r e 4) .

permanent c o n c r e t e l i n i n g s . However, a f t e r t h e N e w Y e a r ' s Day f l o o d i n 1934 it became a p p a r e n t t h a t e x t r a o r d i n a r y measures would be needed to c o n t r o l t h e huge and damaging outpour i r lgs o f sed iment ( o r d e b r i s ) from t h e many s m a l l e r canyons o n t o t h e urban a r e a s i n t h e f o o t h i l l s . A system of 105 d e b r i s b a s i n s was conce ived , and most o f them have now been b u i l t . The l o n g e s t p e r i o d o f o p e r a t i o n i s now o v e r 40 y e a r s , so some s t a t i s t i c s on r a t e s o f f i l l i n g a r e becoming e s t a b l i s h e d ( s e e t h e paper by D a n i e l Davis i n S e c t i o n 4 and Brown and T a y l o r (1981) ) .

A t y p i c a l b a s i n is shown i n F i g u r e 4 , and d e s i g n d e t a i l s are shown i n F i g u r e 1 of t h e paper by John Te t temer i n S e c t i o n 4. A s sed iments accumula te t h e s e b a s i n s a r e supposed t o be excava ted , sometimes even between storms (see t h e paper by D a n i e l Davis i n S e c t i o n 4 ) . They a r e i n t e n d e d o n l y to c a t c h t h e c o a r s e r sed iments , w i t h t h e f i n e r s e d i m e n t s f lowing through t h e o u t l e t tower ( s e e F i g u r e 1 i n t h e paper by John T e t t e m e r ) . They have i n s i g n i f i c a n t water

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FIGURE: 4 P i c k e n s d e b r i s b a s i n i n La Crescents, C a l i f o r n i a , s h o r t l y a f t e r it was c o n s t r u c t e d by t h e L s s Angeles County Flood C o n t r o l D i s - t r i c t i n 1936, Flow e n t e r s from upper r i g h t , and a f t e r c o a r s e s e d i - ments a r e c a p t u r e d t h e o u t f l o w p a s s e s i n t o a l i n e d c h a n n e l ( lower l e f t ) .

s t o r a g e volumes and d o n o t a p p r e c i a b l y change t h e wa te r d i s c h a r g e s . These f l o w s c a n t h e n be c a r r i e d i n l i n e d c o n c r e t e c h a n n e l s w i t h o u t danger o f t h e c h a n n e l s be ing f i l l e d by d e b r i s . E a r l i e r e f f o r t s to convey canyon f l o o d f l o w s a c r o s s a l l u v i a l f a n s w i t h o u t removing t h e d e b r i s m e t w i t h q u i c k and unequivoca l f a i l u r e - - c h a n n e l s s imply f i l l e d r i g h t up w i t h sed iments , a l l o w i n g t h e wa te r t o f low o v e r t h e f a n a s b e f o r e (see t h e photograph i n F i g u r e 5, t a k e n a f t e r t h e 1938 f l o o d ) .

Large f l o o d s t o r a g e dams have a l s o been f i l l i n g up a t a r a p i d rate, and many of them have had t o be c l e a n e d o u t a b o u t once e v e r y 30 to 50 y e a r s . Dispos ing o f a l l o f t h e sed iments from t h e major dams and t h e d e b r i s dams is pos ing an i n c r e a s i n g problem f o r t h e Los Angeles County Flood C o n t r o l Dis t r ic t and o t h e r a g e n c i e s because t h e r e a r e few a v a i l a b l e p l a c e s to s t o r e t h i s m a t e r i a l s a f e l y f o r t h e l o n g run. The h i s t o r i c a l d a t a on c l e a n o u t s of major r e s e r v o i r s , d e b r i s b a s i n s , and c h a n n e l s ( b e f o r e t h e 1978 and 1980 f l o o d s ) have been summarized f o r t h e s o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a c o a s t a l r e g i o n by Kolker (1981) .

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FIGURE 5 Concre te f l o o d c h a n n e l on a n a l l u v i a l f a n i n Monrovia, com- p l e t e l y f i l l e d w i t h sed iment i n t h e 1938 f l o o d ( o n l y a s h o r t l e n g t h o f t h e v e r y t o p s o f t h e c h a n n e l w a l l s is v i s i b l e ) . Without an upstream d e b r i s b a s i n a c h a n n e l l i k e t h i s is u s e l e s s i n a f l o o d .

Flood P o t e n t i a l i n Ar izona

I n Ar izona t h e r a i n f a l l from w i n t e r s t o r m s from t h e P a c i f i c Ocean is g e n e r a l l y l e s s t h a n i n coastal p o r t i o n s o f C a l i f o r n i a . On t h e o t h e r hand, s h o r t - d u r a t i o n i n t e n s e r a i n f a l l from thunders to rms is more f r e q u e n t . O c c a s i o n a l l y , Ar izona is a l s o h i t w i t h i n t e n s e r a i n from t r o p i c a l storms t h a t come from t h e s o u t h o f f t h e Gulf o f C a l i f o r n i a and P a c i f i c Ocean d u r i n g t h e f a l l . The pr imary a r e a o f i n t e r e s t i n t h i s volume is t h e v i c i n i t y o f Phoenix and t h e upstream t r i b u t a r y a r e a s o f t h e G i l a R iver sys tem a s shown i n F i g u r e 1 of t h e paper by B. N. A l d r i d g e , S e c t i o n 3 . I n t h e s e a r e a s , a s w e l l a s i n C a l i f o r n i a , e r o s i o n and sed iment t r a n s p o r t i n c r e a s e t h e f l o o d hazards .

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As urbanization spreads around Phoenix and other areas in the arid Southwest (e.g., Palm Springs, California, or Tucson, Arizona), developers will be looking for choice building sites and will think that many alluvial fans are attractive for development. In his two papers in this volume, John Tettemer describes the urgency of adopting a flood mitigation policy for floodplain zoning in order to keep developments off those alluvial fans that are active, hazardous, and entail exorbitant costs of protection. The development of floodplain hazard maps along with the implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program by FEMA will be very useful in forcing communities to pay more attention to sediment hazards.

OVERVIEW OF THE 1978 AND 1980 FLOODS

The notable flood events of 1978 and 1980 are discussed in the papers that follow. Our job here is to ask "What did we learn?" and "How can we improve our systems for flood control and damage mitigation?" This subject will be discussed in the next several sections; since this is an overview and evaluation, the reader is referred to the papers for detailed information. A discussion of nonstructural approaches and recommendations for research will be presented in later sections.

The Natural Events--How Well Do We Understand Them?

The storms and floods of 1978 and 1980 have each been judged to be of the size that can be expected approximately once in 25 years (although the severity of these events varied considerably with location). Precise frequencies cannot be determined because our data base is too short and different stations and criteria give different answers. Whether the number is 10, 25, or 50 years, these floods were well within the range of frequencies for which the flood control systems have been designed. They were definitely not of disastrous proportions (say, once-in-several-thousand-years frequency) that would exceed the capacity of the control structures. Therefore, without minimizing the loss of life, property damage, and general disruption and psychological impacts that - did occur, it is important to realize that these storms were far from the worst that could occur.

In 1978 the two major storms occurred separately (in February and early March) on watersheds well saturated with previous rainfall. In 1980 the biggest floods were caused primarily by an unusual sequence of six storms in the eight and a half day period February 13-21. Figure 6 shows the hourly distribution of the 19.71 in. (501 mm) of rainfall that fell in that period at Caltech, while Figure 7 shows the accumulative amounts. For short-term durations the amounts were generally far from record-breaking (see the paper by Wade Wells in Section 4), thereby indicating that the main flooding problems in 1980 were not associated with small drainages or culverts but rather with the larger-scale flood control dams and channels of the bigger systems. The exceptions were those watersheds that had been burned within a few years prior to 1980 (see the paper by Daniel Davis in Section 4).

The meteorology of these situations is now much better understood than it was before, both on short and long time scales. Satellite observations help greatly in understanding the sequences of storms (such as occurred in 1980)

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 3

DAY

13 I 14 I

15 1 16 I 17 18 1 3 20 I I 2 1

DATE IN FEBRUARY

FIGURE 6 Hourly r a i n f a l l a t t h e C a l i f o r n i a I n s t i t u t e o f Technology i n Pasadena f o r t h e s i x s t o r m s i n t h e p e r i o d F e b r u a r y 13-21, 1980 ( f rom t h e r e c o r d i n g gage r e c o r d o f S t a t i o n 303F o p e r a t e d by C a l t e c h f o r t h e Los Angeles County Flood C o n t r o l Distr ict) .

and i n p r e d i c t i n g t h e i r a r r i v a l t i m e s and approximate i n t e n s i t i e s . The r e g u l a r " c l e a r wa te r" h y d r a u l i c s o f s t r e a m runof f is w e l l i n hand, e x c e p t f o r t h e s h a r p e r and h i g h e r peaks coming from urban ized a r e a s as more s u r f a c e s g e t paved or roofed (see t h e paper by P h i l i p Pryde i n S e c t i o n 3 ) .

Heavy sediment t r a n s p o r t i n f l o o d s from t h e canyons is a lways e x p e c t e d and is p a r t of t h e long-term g e o l o g i c p r o c e s s t h a t downcuts t h e mountains a t a r a t e o f abou t 1 m p e r thousand y e a r s ( w h i l e t e c t o n i c p r o c e s s e s u p l i f t them a t a r a t e s e v e r a l times h i g h e r ) . I n f a c t , much o f t h e development i n s o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a l i es on a c t i v e or h i s t o r i c a l d e p o s i t i o n a l a r e a s . I n t h e e x t e n s i v e r e c e n t l y burned a r e a s t h e sed iment e r o s i o n rates were i n c r e a s e d a s much as t e n f o l d o v e r unburned a r e a s ( s e e t h e paper by D a n i e l Davis i n S e c t i o n 4 ) ; f l o o d f l o w s were a l s o s h a r p l y i n c r e a s e d due t o bu lk ing ( h i g h sed iment l o a d s ) , less i n f i l t r a t i o n , and f a s t e r f l o w s (Wells, 1981) . P r a c t i c a l l y a l l t h e f l o o d damage i n t h e f o o t h i l l a r e a s i n 1978 and 1980 was a s s o c i a t e d w i t h burned wate r sheds .

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DAYS

13 14 18 19 1 2 0 2 1 I 15 I 16 1 17 I DATE IN FEBRUARY

FIGURE 7 Cumulative rainfall at the California Institute of Techno- logy for February 13-21, 1980.

Fires, which are natural for the southern California mountains, occurred before humans developed the area and recur in spite of our efforts at suppression (see Wells (1981) for a discussion of fires). Available fuel in the chaparral stand builds up between fires so that after several decades with~ut a burn, it is practically impossible to stop a wildfire before it covers tens of square kilometers. In the long-term geologic sense the heavy erosion following fires (which also occurred before man's arrival) may be considered part of the normal process of downcutting. The fire-flood sequence will continue to be a threat to foothill communities, and the risks of these events are probably underestimated by the public.

Although the most spectacular sediment transport by streams is in the mountain canyons, even the downstream rivers can produce staggering rates of transport of suspended sediment. For example, data in Kenneth Wahl's paper in Section 3 for the Santa Clara River, the region's largest, show instantaneous sediment transport rates of over one million tons per day and sediment concentrations ranging up to 32 grams per liter.

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14

Landslides and mudslides are predictable general consequences of wet winters in southern California. Small landslides occur as soon as the ground is saturated, while larger slides do not occur until months later because of the time required for the deep percolation of moisture to the weak shear zones. One example is the Bluebird Canyon landslide in Laguna Beach, which destroyed 25 homes on October 2, 1978, seven months after the end of the rainy season (see the paper by Beach Leighton in Section 5). An even longer delayed response was the large Malibu rock slide that occurred on April 13, 1979, blocking Pacific Coast Highway more than a year after the heavy rains (see the paper by Raymond Forsyth and Marvin McCauley in Section 5). We can identify areas that are prone to landslides and mudflows, but we do not have the ability to predict just when any particular slide might occur. Strict controls on hillside developments, such as the ordinances adopted by the City of Los Angeles (see the paper by James Slosson and James Krohn, Section 51, can significantly mitigate the hazards from these natural phenomena.

The shoreline in southern California, especially in the vicinity of Malibu, received heavy wave attacks during the 1978 and 1980 storms. George Armstrong in his paper in Section 7 describes the shore erosion of 1978 as the worst in the past 40 years, but he still calls the 1978 storm season "exceptional but not unusual." As a predictable natural process during winter storms, the large waves caused a major realignment of beach profiles, shifting sand from the beach to the offshore berm and leaving many structures unduly exposed to the breaking of waves. The seasonal coming and going of beaches is a normal phenomenon, as described in the paper by Martha Shaw in Section 7. She observed that during the February 1980 storms over 150 cubic meters of sand per meter of beach were removed in a few days from the nearshore region of Leadbetter Beach at Santa Barbara; this is equivalent to the removal of an area of 150 sq m in the vertical cross section. Again, these are normal well-understood phenomena, but the risks due to shifting beach profiles during storms are probably generally underestimated.

Flood Control Structures--How Well Did They Work?

In California the floods caused 38 deaths in 1978 and 18 deaths in 1980; estimated property damages were $220 million in 1978 and $270 million in 1980 (see the paper by Carlos Garza and Craig Peterson in Section 2 and Jacob Angel's paper in Section 8). However, Joseph Evelyn in his paper in Section 3 estimates that the Corps of Engineers projects alone in the Los Angeles-San Gabriel-Santa Ana River systems in southern California prevented more than $4 billion in damages. In Arizona the flood damages were $70 million in March 1978 and $90 million in December 1978; no estimates were given for 1980 (see the paper by B. N. Aldridge in Section 3).

In general, the main flood control systems in southern California and Arizona performed very well. Yet there were some failures and problems with engineered systems, in spite of the highly favorable operating experience.

Levee Failures

Levee failures on the San Jacinto River flooded the town of San Jacinto; other failures on Calleguas Creek flooded the Point Mugu Naval Air Station.

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At San Jacinto the levee failed due to toe erosion, while at Calleguas Creek the levee was overtopped.

The levee failures on the San Jacinto River are fully described in the papers by Kenneth Edwards and Joe Sciandrone et al. in Section 6. The apparent cause of the failure was undermining of the levee toe due to very deep scour. The location of the scour was associated with the confluence of Bautista Creek and the San Jacinto River, which caused a poor alignment of the main stream of flow with respect to the levee. The peak flow in the channel (25,000 cu ft/s) was only 29 percent of the design flow (86,000 cu ft/s). The median size of the riprap rock that was specified at the time of construction of the levee was 130 lb (12 in.), whereas present Corps of Engineers criteria would have called for 2,000-lb (30-in.) rock (for details see the paper by Joe Sciandrone et al. in Section 6).

These examples illustrate that channels having sand beds with levees may not be as safe as the designers expected. Even grade control structures, such as those in the Santa Ana River in Orange County, may not control degradation in cases where the stream is starved for sediment (see the paper by Carl Nelson in Section 3). The failure of such drop structures can be followed by undermining of levees.

Bridge Piers Undemnined by Channel Scour

The undermining of bridge piers is another recurring engineering problem, as illustrated by several failures in San Diego County, the problems with the Interstate 10 bridge at Phoenix, and near failures on the Santa Ana River in Orange County. During floods, scour may reach considerable depths, often much more than the depth of the water itself. The depth of scour is dependent on the amount of sediment load of sand and gravel sizes entering the channel with the water discharge. Channels with sand beds downstream of storage dams (e.g., the Santa Ana River below Prado Dam; see the paper by Carl Nelson in Section 3) are especially vulnerable to severe degradation because almost all of the sand load is probably deposited in the reservoir. The discharge of water without a sand load attacks the bed as it seeks to establish a new equilibrium rate of transport. Urbanization may also lower the input of sand in valley and hill areas below previous natural rates.

Sediment-control structures like debris basins, which are absolutely essential for preventing severe aggradation on alluvial fans, may create a hazard of severe degradation unless they feed into lined channels or unless the channels have other sources of sediment to keep them in reasonable balance.

Inereased Flood Peaks from Urban Areas

Spreading urbanization is tending to reduce the concentration time (or the time from peak rainfall to peak streamflow) and to increase the peak flood discharge for a given storm (see the paper by Dolores Taylor in Section 3, which indicates that this factor contributed to the overtopping of the Calleguas Creek levee). This effect is reducing the protection of the existing set of improved channels, inasmuch as they will not be able to carry

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floods of lesser frequency than originally thought (see Philip Prydeqs paper in Section 3 ) ,

OverfZow of Debris Basins i n Fire Areas

In Los Angeles County the severe floods and debris transport from burned areas exceeded the capacity of some debris control structures (Daniel Davis gives examples in his paper in Section 4). The present design criterion of 200,000 cubic yards of capacity per square mile (or 59,000 cu 4 4 . 1 klri, which is equivalent to 5.9 cm of depth over the watershed area) appears to be adequate for the storms that occurred, according to Davis, who shows no measured values exceeding 50,000 cu m/sq km. However, some of the debris basins were built with smaller volumes in earlier years and can be expected to overflow more often (e.g., upper Shields Canyon). For watersheds that were not recently burned, the debris basins in the Los AngePes County system proved - to be very sufficient, with no problems during the 1978 and 1980 floods.

Flooding and Sediment Damages in Unprotected Areas

Streams and Canyons

Other flood problems occurred in flood-prone areas unprotected by flood control structures, such as areas upstream of debris basins and dams or houses built in canyons in the Santa Monica Mountains and elsewhere. There the pattern of development of many houses along the canyon bottoms makes flood control impossible. When these streams are aggraded during floods because of heavy sediment loads (later the deposits will be cut out again), flooding of roadways and dwellings is almost inevitable. Here the problem is not with the flood control system but rather with a lack of control of development in areas of extreme flood hazard.

Lake ~Zsinore--Flooding o f DeveZopments Encroaching on the Historical Lake Area

A unique flood event in southern California was the record high level that Lake Elsinore reached in March 1980, which caused extensive flooding and threatened the developments that had gradually encroached on the historical lake area (see the paper by Charles White in Section 6). Lake Elsinore is the sink for the San Jacinto River and has a relatively high overflow channel to the Santa Ana River system. In geological time this channel undoubtedly carried overflows a number of times. However, it had been so long since Lake Elsinore had filled up (not since 1916) that the perception of a flood hazard had all but faded away! Damage prevention would have been easy with proper zoning control of the developments around the lake. Present zoning controls, stringently enforced, will reduce flood damages in the future.

Landslides and Mudflows

Lands Zides

Landslides were widely scattered during and after the storms, threatening loss of life as well as property. There is no practical way to stop a

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landslide once it starts, so all countermeasures must be preventive. During a storm, individual troublesome slopes can be protected from additional rainfall by plastic sheeting or by deflecting concentrated surface runoff away from weak slopes, if possible. But only vigorous zoning and grading ordinances, such as in the City of Los Angeles, can permanently reduce the potential for landslide damage. Hazards can come either from natural slopes or from improperly constructed earth embankments. Structures at both the tops and bottoms of the slopes are in jeopardy.

James Slosson and James Krohn report in their paper in Section 5 that the City of Los Angeles has been keeping detailed statistics of landslide damages within the city and relating these to the ordinances in effect at the time of development. Total damages within the city were estimated to be $50 million in 1978 and $70 million in 1980. Their Table 3 (showing 3,000 failures for 1978) gives a slope failure rate of 7.5 percent for pre-1963 construction (before the modern code) versus only 0.7 percent for post-1963 construction. Damages in 1978 to developments under the new code are estimated to have been reduced 95 percent from what they would have been had the new code not been adopted in 1963.

The essence of the code is to require proper geologic investigations of natural slopes and avoid building where there are significant hazards. For man-made embankments it requires proper soil mechanics engineering regarding materials to be used, choice of slopes, and methods of construction. Furthermore, geologists and soil mechanics engineers must inspect grading projects while they are in progress and certify them upon completion as meeting the safety standards.

While the present codes effectively prevent construction of new possible sources of damage, houses built before 1963 could still be subject to heavy damage in future wet years under the right circumstances. According to Harold Weber, Jr., in his paper in Section 5, shallow slides may be triggered by special sequencing of rainfalls. For instance, over 100 homes were damaged in Monterey Park on February 16, 1980 (the day of heaviest rain--see Figure 6 above), although there had been no previous damage in over 40 years since development of the area started. In other areas damage regularly occurs in any very wet year, and for some areas damage was much worse in 1978 than in 1980.

When a saturated landslide begins to liquefy and flow like a viscous fluid, it is called a mudflow. In the mountains, landslides often fall into streams in the canyon bottoms and may start mudflows, which surge down the natural stream channels. These mudflows have the consistency of wet sloppy concrete, with large boulders and gravel included in the matrix. They stop as soon as they spread out laterally or the grade flattens, and the water and fine sediments drain away from larger sediments as they stop.

Mudflows at the base of hillslopes can flow out with flatter surface slopes than landslides per se. Since the National Flood Insurance Program covers mudflow damage but not landslide damage, there is a difficult problem

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of definitions. Physically, however, a sharp distinction is often not possible--who can say exactly where a landslide turns into a mudflow? Mudflows may also start as a surface or streambed erosion process on very steep slopes during periods of exceptionally heavy rainfall without being triggered by a landslide. A committee of the National Reseach Council has prepared a report for the Federal Emergency Management Agency on methodologies to define and clarify mudflow hazards and distinguish them from landslides for insurance purposes (National Research Council, 1982). For an excellent description and explanation of landslides and mudflows in the Santa Monica Mountains, see Campbell (1975).

Mudflows should not be confused with heavy sediment transport and deposition by streams during floods. Mudflows are special, distinct episodes and are not continuous like floodflows. The alluvial fans at the mouths of mountain canyons are mainly the result of stream transport and deposition, not of mudflows. Although sediment concentrations in mudflows may be over 1,000 grams per liter, much more sediment transport occurs in alluvial floods (with sediment concentrations only very rarely exceeding 100 grams per liter) because of the latter's high volume. Again, there may be instances where the distinction is unclear.

NONSTRUCTURAL APPROACHES TO DAMAGE REDUCTION--WERE THEY USEFUL IN TIPE 1980 FLOODS?

Risks and Benefits

There is a growing awareness that flood control structures (dams, lined channels, storm drains, pump stations, etc.) are necessary but not sufficient to provide for safety and prevent damage (e.g., see California Department of Water Resources (1980) and the paper by Ronald Robie in Section 8). Nonstructural approaches, which are getting increased attention, will be discussed in this section. There are several compelling reasons for this shift in attitudes toward flood control:

1. Flood control structures can be designed to handle floods only up to a certain size, usually expressed as a flood frequency. For floods exceeding this size the structures may no longer be effective or, in case of failures, the damages can be worse than if there had been no structures at all. For example, a levee designed for a 25-year flood may create confidence that encourages development next to the levee; then if a 50-year flood causes the levee to fail the damage might be extensive. Although spillways of major dams may be designed for very large floods (the maximum possible as determined by hydrometeorological methods), the channels downstream often cannot feasibly be built to carry such extraordinary floods. Acceptance of some risk is inevitable and economically sensible. At some point on the scale of risk reduction, flood insurance and disaster assistance provide a way to share the remaining risk at annual costs to society that are less than the costs of additional structural measures.

2. The cost of public works has increased sharply in the last decade. ~ o t only has the cost of construction increased by a factor of about three

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over the last decade, but the cost of borrowing (expressed as the interest rate paid by government) has also tripled, Therefore the annual cost could have increased between three and nine times, depending on the length of the repayment period. Thus there are strong economic incentives to consider and use other approaches.

3. The environmental impacts of flood control works are being viewed with more sensitivity than they were 15 to 20 years ago.

4. Experience, including that with the floods of 1978 and 1980, is showing that nonstructural methods can be used effectively to save lives and reduce property damage for reasonable costs.

5. Some nonstructural measures, such as better flood forecasting and better flood channel maintenance, enhance the protection afforded by structures already built.

In this section we shall discuss some nonstructural measures of flood control, both as they were used in 1980 and as they might be used effectively as a more significant part of an overall response to floods in the future.

The 1980 Experience with Nonstructural Approaches

Flood Predictions and Warnings

With satellite imagery the National Weather Service was able to make better storm predictions in 1980 than ever before. However, since the intensity of rainfall and small-scale variations are still difficult to predict, it is useful to instrument the key larger watersheds with real-time telemetry to transmit rainfall amounts and stream stages from upstream locations to a central operations center. Using computer simulation, downstream hydrographs can be predicted in time to warn residents and mobilize flood fighting forces. In their paper in Section 3, Ira Bartfeld and Dolores Taylor describe the development of such a system for the unregulated Sespe Creek in Ventura County after the 1978 floods. In 1980 the system was operational and was instrumental in saving Fillmore from a repeat of the damaging flood and the frantic evacuation it experienced in 1978.

Operation of Flood Control Systems

Although all major reservoirs performed well and prevented millions of dollars in damage (see the paper in Section 3 by Joseph Evelyn), there is still need for a more systematic approach to reservoir operations to get the most benefit from the overall system of reservoirs and channels. Although the storms of 1978 and 1980 were not a truly great series of storms, the larger flood control dams and channels were used in many cases to near capacity in 1980. In a system of storms with a return period of approximately 100 or more years, the writer believes that there would be some significant uncontrolled spillway releases, with some downstream channels likely to overflow since they generally have less capacity than do the spillways of large dams.

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With telemetry of flood data to a computer during a flood, the best strategies for releases on multidam systems could be calculated while considering the limitations of the downstream channels.

Flood Fighting

Flood damages can be reduced by carefully patrolling flood channels, levees, debris dams, and other flood control works. In case of trouble, fast responses can often be vital--for example, in removing trash that plugs an outlet or channel. In Santa Barbara County a diligent patrol of levees on the Santa Maria River probably averted a levee failure when deteriorating sections were discovered and emergency reinforcement procedures were instigated immediately (see James Stubchaerls paper in Section 4).

During the floods of 1978 and 1980 local officials received a great many calls for assistance from private property owners with problems of high water, deposition of debris, or erosion. Personnel of flood control agencies and public works organizations generally do not have the authority (or the time during floods) to provide emergency flood protection on private property, a fact that is not generally understood by the public. Since the City of Los Angeles had no way to respond to the numerous requests for help, callers were referred to the TreePeople, a private volunteer organization primarily dedicated to planting trees and other conservation projects (see the paper by Andrew Lipkis, Sherna Hough, and Lisa Geller in Section 8). In a very short time (without any advance planning) the TreePeople established a telephone hotline and mobilized hundreds of volunteers to help people protect their houses and property with sandbags and other small-scale emergency measures. The volunteer organization's response was so successful that it should serve as an example for flood fighting during the next flood and in other areas. Some advance organizational work and training of team leaders would be very useful to make the volunteer work as effective and safe as possible.

Temporary Defensive Measures in Fire Areas

When a watershed burns, the flood and sediment hazards are greatly increased. Flood control agencies can make special efforts to warn property owners of the extra hazards and advise them of temporary precautionary measures to take until vegetation reestablishes itself on the watershed over several years. Temporary public works can be erected to retain sediment, and flood fighting preparations and evacuation plans can be made. A program of this kind was successfully implemented following the Sycamore Canyon fire near Santa Barbara in 1977 (see James Stubchaerls paper in Section 4).

Cleanup and Maintenance

Agencies have learned that good maintenance of flood control facilities between floods is essential to keep the floodflow capacities of the structures up to design values. Such maintenance includes removal of sediment and debris from debris basins, reservoirs, and flood channels; repair of levees and other structures; and upkeep of outlet works and pump stations. Local agencies have the responsibility for maintaining flood channel projects built by the Corps

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of Engineers, but they may not have sufficient funds to do so until federal disaster assistance is received after the great floods.

Sand and Gravel Mining

Mining of sand and gravel from riverbeds must be closely regulated to be sure that the river regime is not unreasonably disturbed (e.g., by headcutting, levee undermining, or severe reduction of sand flux to the beach--see the paper by Vito A. Vanoni, Robert Born, and Hasan Nouri in Section 4 ) . On the other hand, sand and gravel operators can help by removing unwanted sand and gravel from reservoirs and improved flood channels, although it may cost more than digging a large pit in a river bottom. Different institutional arrangements could well be used to encourage operators to use more surplus sediments and fewer riverbed excavations.

Flood Hazard Zoning and Proper HilZside Development Ordinances

Ordinances to control development are certainly worthy preventive measures, but they generally are used much too little. Ordinances to control developments in identified flood hazard areas that incorporate the federal '

requirements of FEMA would prevent or reduce damages from floods up to a 100-year flood.

As discussed above, the City of Los Angeles has adopted successful codes for controlling hillside development to prevent landslides. The National Flood Insurance Program strongly seeks to reduce hazards and discourages rebuilding of washed-out structures in the same hazardous locations. Communities must adopt and enforce meaningful hazard mitigation plans in order for their residents to be eligible for flood insurance (see Dale Peterson's paper in Section 8).

Flood Insurance

Flood insurance, administered by FEMA, provides a sharing of risks and pays for damages. The premiums will be based on the claims experienced over many years. The cost of further structural measures can then be compared with the money saved on insurance premiums (i.e., the benefits). The flood insurance program is growing, but the need to prepare maps of hazard zones, especially involving sediment or mudflow damage, has slowed it down.

Better Coordination o f Local, S tate , and Federal Objectives and A c t i v i t i e s

Coordination among the various levels of government would lead to improved flood control and faster settlement of intergovernmental transactions, such as for federal disaster assistance to local governments (see the papers by Ronald Robie, Dale Peterson, and Donald Tillman in Section 8).

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESEARCH

Although the region avoided a catastrophe of major proportions in the recent flood years, it would be worthwhile to continue research, using these recent flood experiences, on a variety of topics to improve our flood control

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systems and mitigate hazards. Topics for additional research are listed below.

1. Long-range weather forecasting.

2. Occurrence of cells of especially intense rainfall.

3. Effects of urbanization on flood peaks.

4. Computer programs for better real-time numerical flood forecasting for major rivers, using telemetered data.

5. Real-time determination of optimum reservoir release strategies during a flood.

6. Adequacy of the design criteria for levees, especially for scour protection at the toe.

7. Mechanics of landslides and mudflows, including evaluation of hazards for insurance and mitigation programs.

8. Detailed case studies of rainfall, runoff, and debris flow for selected small canyons in the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains in order to understand the responses of small watersheds better and to help assess risks on alluvial fans, manage the watersheds, and operate (or design) debris basins.

9. Controlled burning of small portions of watersheds on a rotating schedule as a means to reduce the severity of wildfires and ensuing floods and debris flows.

10. Techniques to control bed and bank erosion in streams with erodible beds when they are "starved" for sediment.

11. Benefits and costs of various combinations of structural and nonstructural components of an overall system for reducing damage, loss of life, and personal injury and for sharing the residual risks through insurance and disaster relief.

12. Governmental institutions and regulations needed to reduce hazards and future damages through mapping of areas subject to flooding, debris flows, and landslides and through controlling developments in these areas.

REFERENCES

Brown, William M., and Taylor, Brent D. (1981) "Inland Control Structures," Part Dl of Sediment Management for Southern California Mountains, Coastal Plains and Shorelines, Report 17-Dl, Environmental Quality Laboratory, California Institute of ~echnology, Pasadena, 28 pp.

Brownlie, William R., and Taylor, Brent D. (1981) "Coastal Sediment Delivery by Major Rivers in Southern California," Part C of Sediment Management for

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Southern California Mountains, Coastal Plains and Shoreline, Report 17-C, Environmental Quality Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 314 pp.

California Department of Water Resources (1980) "California Flood Management: An Evaluation of Flood Damage Prevention Programs," Bulletin 199, California Department of Water Resources, Sacramento, 277 pp.

Campbell, R. H. (1975) "Soil Slips, Debris ~lows, and Rainstorms in the Santa Monica Mountains and Vicinity, Southern California," USGS Professional Paper 851, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.

Fall, Edward E. (1981) "Regional Geological History," Part A of Sediment Management for Southern California Mountains, Coastal Plains and Shoreline, Report 17-A, Environmental Quality Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 33 pp. plus 3 maps.

Kolker, 0. (1981) "Inland Artificial Sediment Movements," Part D2 of Sediment Management for Southern California Mountains, Coastal Plains and Shoreline, Report 17-02, Environmental Quality Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 24 pp.

National Research Council (1982) "Selecting a Methodology for Delineating Mudslide Hazard Areas for the National Flood Insurance Program," Advisory Board on the Built Environment, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.

Taylor, Brent D. (1981) "Inland Sediment Movements by Natural Process," Part B of Sediment Management for Southern California Mountains, Coastal Plains and Shoreline, Report 17-B, Environmental Quality Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 88 pp.

Troxell, Harold, et al. (1954) llHydrology of the San Bernardino and Eastern San Gabriel Mountains," Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA1, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.

Wells, Wade G. (1981) "Effects of Fire on Sedimentation Processes," Part D4 of Sediment Management for Southern California Mountains, Coastal Plains and Shoreline, Report 17-D4, Environmental Quality Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 40 pp.

Wells, Wade G., and Palmer, Nancy R. (1981) "Role of Vegetation in Sedimentation Processes of Coastal Southern California," Part D3 of Sediment Management for Southern California Mountains, Coastal Plains and Shoreline, Report 17-D3, Environmental Quality Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 20 pp.

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APPENDIX A:

SELECTED FIGURES FROM THE FULL PROCEEDINGS

FIGURE A l Annual r a i n f a l l i n Los Angeles , 1877-1980. ( F i g u r e 3 , James S l o s s o n and James Krohn, S e c t i o n 5.)

2 5

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FIGURE A2 T o t a l r a i n f a l l i n t h e c o a s t a l r e g i o n o f s o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a f o r t h e storms of February 13-21, 1980. ( F i g u r e 11, C a r l o s Garza and C r a i g P e t e r s o n , S e c t i o n 2.)

FIGURE A3 ~ u r i n g t h e p e r i o d February 13-21, 1980, s i x s e p a r a t e storms c r o s s e d s o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a and Ar izona i n r a p i d success ion . T h i s s a t e l l i t e photograph shows s t o r m s 4 , 5 , and 6 moving eas tward on February 18 , 1980. ( F i g u r e 15 , C a r l o s Garza and C r a i g P e t e r s o n , S e c t i o n 2.)

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FIGURE A 5 Some l i n e d f l o o d c h a n n e l s i n t h e Los Angeles a r e a flowed near t h e i r c a p a c i t i e s , a s shown i n t h e view look ing downstream on t h e Los Angeles River n e a r K e s t e r Avenue (approx imate ly l m i l e downstream of Sepulveda Dam) on February 1 6 , 1980. Note t h e s t a n d i n g wave r e s u l t - i n g from s i d e weir overf low. Photograph c o u r t e s y of Los Angeles County Flood C o n t r o l D i s t r i c t . ( F i g u r e 1 0 , Joseph Evelyn, S e c t i o n 3 . )

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F i g u r e A 6 E'loodzng zn Pllimore due t o o v e r f l o w o f Sespe Creek , March 1978. ( F i g u r e I, I r a B a r t f e l d and Dolores T a y l o r , S e c t i o n 3 . )

FIGURE A 7 R e s i d e n t i a l f l o o d damage i n F i l l m o r e d u e to o v e r f l o w o f SeSpe C r e e k , March 1978. (Figure 2 , I ra B a r t f e l d and Dolores T a y l o r , S e c t i o n 3 . )

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FIGURE A 8 Impingement of Elow on S a n t a Maria River Levee, Damage o r f a i l u r e may s t a r k a t points of a t t a c k l i k e t h i s , ( F i g u r e 5 , James S tubchaer , Section 4 - 1

FIGURE A 9 R o c k be ing dumped on f a c e o f S a n t a Maria River l e v e e j u s t downstream o f Bradley Canyon t o p r e v e n t b reakout and f l o o d i n g of S a n t a Maria d u r i n g 1969 f l o o d . C a r e f u l s u r v e i l l a n c e f o r a r e a s o f damage and emergency r e p a i r s d u r i n g t h e 1978 and 1980 s to rms p reven ted s e r i o u s damage, ( F i g u r e 4 , James S t u b c h a e r , S e c t i o n 4 . )

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FIGURE A I O Qvezfbow of San J a c i n k o River: i n t o tilt C ~ t j of Sam J a c i n t a , ( F i g u r e 4 , Kenneth Edwards, Section 6.4

FIGURE A l l Eroded l e v e e t o e on t h e San J a c i n t o River ( l o o k i n g up- s t r e a m ) . ( F i g u r e 6 , Kenneth Edwards, S e c t i o n 6.)

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FIGURE A13 Scour of the bed of the Santa Ana River under the ~ i f t h Street bridge in Santa Ana exposed the foundation pilings, as a result of the prolonged discharge of moderate flows from Prado Dam following the floods of ~ebruary 1980. (Figure 8, Carl Nelson, Section 3.)

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FIGURE A14 D e b r i s p r o d u c t i o n r a t e s o n s m a l l mountain wa te r sheds d u r i n g 197% and 1980. For t h e wa te r sheds t h a t had been r e c e n t l y burned, t h e p r o d u c t i o n was i n c r e a s e d a b o u t 5 t o 10 t imes above t h a t of s i m i l a r unburned wate r sheds . ( F i g u r e 3 , D a n i e l Davis , S e c t i o n 4 . )

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FIGURE A15 Damage from f l o o d r e s u l t i n g from r a i n on a r e c e n t l y burned wa te r shed , ( F i g u r e 1 0 , James S t u b c h a e r , S e c t i o n 4.)

FIGURE A16 Home n e a r Lake E l s i n o r e under water . Photograph c o u r t e s y of U.S. Army Corps of Eng ineers . ( F i g u r e 6 , C h a r l e s White, S e c t i o n 6 . )

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FIGURE A17 A e r l a l v iew north a c r o s s P a c i f i c Coast Highway i n Mal ibu , Los A n g e l e s County, shows s l o u g h i n g and s l i d i n g t h a t h a s damaged r e s i d e n t i a l p r o p e r t i e s b u i l t too c l o s e t o t h e e d g e o f t h e a n c i e n t sea c l i f f , Rocks a l o n g t h e c o a s r here a r e commonEy h i g h l y f r a c t u r e d and d e e p l y w e a t h e r e d and, h e n c e , v e r y s u s c e p t i b l e t o s l o p e f a i l u r e - P h o t o g r a p h c o u r t e s y of A, L. Parmer , C a l i f o r n i a Depar tment o f Trans- p o r t a t i o n , (E ' i gu re 3 , Harold Weben, S e c t i o n 5 . )

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TABLE A 1 S lope F a i l u r e s i n t h e C i t y o f Lor; Angeles , 1978 Storms (Tah le 3 , James S losson and James Krohn, S e c t i o n 5 . )

- -

D o l l a r Numlner of Number of P e r c e n t Value

D e s c r i p t i o n S i t e s Fa i l -u res F a i l u r e ( m i l l i o n s )

Pre-1963 ( b e f o r e modern code) 37,000 2,790 7 ' 5 40-49

Post-1963 (modern code) 30,000 210 0 - 7 1- 2

Note: The c a t e g o r i e s o f f a i l u r e are (1) s o i l s l i p p a g e and e r o s i o n ( 2 8 p e r c e n t ) ; (2) mudf low and d e b r i s f low (30 p e r c e n t ) ; ( 3 ) s lump/arcuate L a n d s l i d e s ,

pre-1963 and n a t u r a l s l o p e s (22 p e r c e n t ) ; (4 ) r e a c t i v a t i o n of o l d f a i l u r e s , pre-1963 (8 p e r c e n t ) ; (5) new bedrock l a n d s l i d e s , pre-1963 (5 percent) ; (6) s h a l l o w F i l l s l o p e and some n a t u r a l s l o p e f a i l u r e , post -1963 ( 7 p e r c e n t , w i t h t h e modern code promulgated i n A p r i l 1963) .

Source: S l o s s o n and Krohn (1979).

FIGURE A18 Rear y a r d and house o f a pre-1963 s u b d i v i s i o n inunda ted by mudflow o f f a n a t u r a l s l o p e d u r i n g a 1980 s t o r m i n Tarzana , C a l i f o r n i a . ( F i g u r e 4, James S l o s s o n and James Krohn, S e c t i o n 5.)

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FIGURE A19 A e r i a l view of B l u e b i r d Canyon 1ar ldsZ~de immediately follow- i n g t h e October 2, 1 9 7 8 , e v e n t . ( F i g u r e l A , Beach Le igh ton , S e c t i o n 5 . )

F I G U R E A20 T h e B l u e b i r d Canyon l a n d s l i d e ( i n October 1978) damaged o r a f f e c t e d more t h a n 50 honres i n a h i l l s i d e development i n Laguna Beach. ( F i g u r e 1, James S l o s s o n and James Krohn, S e c t i o n 5.)

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4 ANCIENT SLIDE

Scale in Meters SANDSTONE

FIGURE A 2 1 Block diagram showing B l u e b i r d Canyon l a n d s l i d e . (Fig- u r e 3 , Beach Le igh ton , S e c t i o n 5.)

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("L uoyqaas 'fiuo~~smrv af5xoa3 '5 azn6td) 'TTeMeas aya $0 aoq ayq qe aTqyn2 ysos 30 Juau

-a~etd Kauab~awa ayq pue ppayyTnq aya jo do2 ay2 Moraq ucrsoxa y3eaq 30 qJdaLJ a30N "Au0l03 nqJIPW 3Q 09 3QT aeau 7sPus uMQP MaTA ZZV 3Xn3Id

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FIGURE A 2 4 View of damage t o Leadbetter Beach, Santa Barbara, Feb- ruary 2 3 , 1980. Shore Processes Laboratory photograph. (Figure 11, Martha Shaw, Section 7.)

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APPENDIX B:

COMMITTEE ON NATURAL DISASTERS (1980)

Chairman

PAUL C. JENNINGS, D i v i s i o n o f Engineer ing and Appl ied S c i e n c e s , C a l i f o r n i a I n s t i t u t e o f Technology

Members

JACK E. CERMAK, F l u i d Dynamics and D i f f u s i o n L a b o r a t o r y , Department o f C i v i l Eng ineer ing , Colorado S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

ANIL K . CHOPRA, Department o f C i v i l ~ n g i n e e r i n g , U n i v e r s i t y o f C a l i f o r n i a , Berkeley

JAMES 0. JIRSA, Department o f C i v i l E n g i n e e r i n g , U n i v e r s i t y o f Texas a t A u s t i n

JOHN F. KENNEDY, I n s t i t u t e o f Hydrau l ic Research, U n i v e r s i t y o f Iowa EDWIN KESSLER 111, N a t i o n a l Severe Storms Labora to ry , N a t i o n a l Oceanic

and Atmospheric A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , Norman, Oklahoma RICHARD D. MARSHALL, S t r u c t u r a l Engineer ing Group, C e n t e r f o r B u i l d i n g

Technology, N a t i o n a l Bureau o f S t a n d a r d s KISHOR C. MEHTA, I n s t i t u t e f o r is aster Research, Texas Tech U n i v e r s i t y THOMAS SAARINEN, Department o f Geography, U n i v e r s i t y o f Arizona ROBERT V. WHITMAN, Department o f C i v i l E n g i n e e r i n g , Massachuse t t s

I n s t i t u t e o f Technology

S t a f f

0. ALLEN ISRAELSEN, E x e c u t i v e S e c r e t a r y JOANN CURRY, S e c r e t a r y LALLY ANNE ANDERSON, S e c r e t a r y SmVE OLSON, C o n s u l t a n t E d i t o r

L i a i s o n R e p r e s e n t a t i v e

MICHAEL P. GAUS, Program ~ i r e c t o r , Design Research, D i v i s i o n o f C i v i l and Environmental Engineer ing , N a t i o n a l S c i e n c e Foundat ion, Washington, D.C.

43

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APPENDIX C:

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL REPORTS OF POSTDISASTER INVESTIGATIONS, 1964-82

Copies available from sources given in footnotes a, b, and c.

EARTHQUAKES

a ~ h e Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964:

Biology, 0-309-01604-5/1971, 287 pp. Engineering, 0-309-01606-1/1973, 1198 pp. Geology, 0-309-01601-0/1971, 834 pp. Human Ecology, 0-309-01607-X/1970, 510 pp. Hydrology, 0-309-01603-7/1968, 446 pp. Oceanography and Coastal Engineering, 0-309-01605-3/1972, 556 pp. Seismology and Geodesy, 0-309-01602-9/1972, 598 pp. Summary and Recommendations, 0-309-01608-8/1973, 291 pp.

'~n~ineerin~ Report on the Caracas Earthquake of 29 July 1967 (1968) by M. A. Sozen, P. C. Jennings, R. B. Matthiesen, G. W. Housner, and N. M. ~ewmark, 233 pp.

he Western Sicily Earthquake of 1968 (1969) by J. Eugene Haas and Robert S. Ayre, 70 pp.

%he Gediz, Turkey, Earthquake of 1970 (1970) by Joseph Penzien and Robert D. Hanson, 88 pp.

b~estructive Earthquakes in Burdur and Bingo1 Turkey, May 1971 (1975) by W. 0. Keightley, 89 pp.

a~vailable from National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418.

b~vailable from Committee on Natural Disasters, Na tional Academy of Sciences, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418.

C~vailable from National ~echnical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

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4 6

c ~ h e San Fernando Ear thquake o f February 9 , 1 9 7 1 (March 22, 1971) by a J o i n t P a n e l on San Fernando Ear thquake, C l a r e n c e A l l e n , Chairman, 3 1 pp.

he Engineer ing Aspec t s o f t h e QIR Ear thquake o f A p r i l 1 0 , 1972, i n Sou thern I r a n (1973) by R. Razani and K. L. Lee, 160 pp,

C ~ n g i n e e r i n g Repor t on t h e Managua Ear thquake o f 23 December 1972 (1975) by M. A. Sozen and R. B. M a t t h i e s e n , 122 pp.

C ~ h e Honomu, Hawaii , Ear thquake (1977) by N. N i e l s o n , A. Furumoto, W. Lum, and B. M o r r i l , 95 pp.

b ~ n g i n e e r ing Repor t on t h e Muradiye-Caldiran, Turkey, Ear thquake o f 2 4 November 1976 (1978) by P. Gulkan, A. Gurp inar , M. C e l e b i , E. A r p a t , and S. Gencoglu, 67 pp.

b r c ~ a r t h q u a k e i n Romania March 4 , 1977, An Engineer ing Repor t , N a t i o n a l Research C o u n c i l and Ear thquake Engineer ing Research I n s t i t u t e (1980) by Glen V. Berg, Bruce A. B o l t , Mete A. Sozen, and C h r i s t o p h e r Rojahn, 39 pp.

b r c ~ a r t h q u a k e i n Campania-Basi l ica ta , I t a l y , November 2 3 , 1980, A Reconnaissance Report , N a t i o n a l Research C o u n c i l and Ear thquake Engineer ing Research I n s t i t u t e (1981) by James L. S t r a t t a , L u i s E. E s c a l a n t e , E l l i s L, K r i n i t z s k y , and Ugo M o r e l l i , 100 pp.

FLOODS

b ~ l o o d o f J u l y 1976 i n Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado (1978) by D. Simons, J. Nelson, E. R e i t e r , and R. Barkau, 96 pp.

b~torms, F loods , and ~ e b r i s Flows i n Sou thern C a l i f o r n i a and Arizona--1978 and 1980, Proceed ings o f a Symposium, September 17-18, 1980, N a t i o n a l Research Counc i l and C a l i f o r n i a I n s t i t u t e o f Technology (1982) by Norman H. Brooks e t al., 487 pp.

DAM FAILURES

b ~ a i l u r e o f D a m N o . 3 on t h e Middle Fork o f B u f f a l o Creek Near Saunders , West V i r g i n i a , on February 26, 1972 (1972) by R. S e a l s , W. Marr, J r , , and T. W. Larnbe, 33 pp.

b ~ e c o n n a i s s a n c e Repor t on t h e F a i l u r e o f K e l l y Barnes Lake Dam, Toccoa F a l l s , Georgia (1978) by G. Sowers, 22pp.

LANDSLIDES

% a n d s l i d e o f A p r i l 25, 1974, o n t h e Mantaro R i v e r , P e r u (1975) by L. Lee and J. Duncan, 79 pp.

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he Lands l ide a t Tuve, Near Goteborg, Sweden on November 30, 1977 (1980) by J. M. Duncan, G. Lefebvre, and P. Lade, 25 pp.

C ~ u b b o c k Storm of May 11, 1970 (1970) by J. ~ e i l s Thompson, E rnes t W. Kies l ing , Joseph L. Goldman, Kishor C. Mehta, John Wittman, J r . , and ~ r a n k l i n B. Johnson, 8 1 pp.

' ~ n g i n e e r i n g Aspects of t h e Tornadoes of A p r i l 3-4, 1974 (1975) by K. Mehta, J. Minor, J. McDonald, B. Manning, J. Abernathy, and U. Koehler, 124 pp.

b f c ~ h e Kalamazoo Tornado of May 13, 1980 (1981) by Kishor C. Mehta, James R. McDonald, Richard C. Marshal l , James J. Abernathy, and Deryl Boggs, 54 pp.