Post-Wildfire Debris Flow

Wildfires have been posing significant problems for many states in the US in recent years. In addition to the immediate damage and destruction to the natural environment, insurable properties, and public infrastructure, other longer-term risks persist in the post-wildfire condition. The natural diversity of the watersheds and channels can be compromised due to loss of woody material and vegetation, and soil nutrients and cohesion are diminished in areas of particularly high burn intensity, sometimes resulting in hydrophobic soils. The post-wildfire condition susceptibility to debris flows and increased erosional patterns can pose significant risks to transportation infrastructure and lead to increased disruption and cost due to road closures and repair/replacement of pavement, subgrade, culverts, and embankment fill. Although much research has been conducted, and continues to be conducted, on estimating the risks and degree of damage posed by post-wildfire debris flows, the applicability of results is often limited geographically. Results must often be extrapolated to other areas which may not have sufficiently similar characteristics. For example, data collected and calibrated to the foothills of a temperate grasslands environment may be extrapolated to a canyon environment with a flashy, desert hydrologic pattern, resulting in a poor prediction. With the increased frequency of these fires, as well as increased risk to life and property in the paths of these types of events, additional effort is warranted to remediate areas prone to post-wildfire debris flows and to reduce damage from future wildfires. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this proposed pooled-fund project is to address post-wildfire debris-flow issues. Outcomes will be: Tailoring and building upon the existing dynamic GIS-based burned-index map of burned areas correlated with transportation infrastructure that would be impacted by debris flow to meet the needs of pooled-fund member states. Surveying past observed post-wildfire debris activity which affected transportation infrastructure in diverse parts of the Western United States. These surveys will take particular note of the type(s) of precipitation patterns that triggered the debris flows – variables such as rainfall intensity and duration, monsoonal vs. steady seasonal rain; and the topography of the watershed (described with standard variables such as valley slope, channel slope, area, min/max elevations, etc.). Developing a compendium of the tools that are used to predict the potential of debris flow. Developing a compendium of remediation approaches that can be applied to burned areas, depending on the situation. Providing guidelines on the use of the tools and approaches compiled in the above-mentioned compendiums. Addressing some of the existing data gaps in current research on this issue.

• Record URL:
  http://www.pooledfund.org/Details/Study/774

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Programmed
• Funding: $400000
• Contract Numbers:

  TPF-5(541)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  New Mexico Department of Transportation

  1120 Cerrillos Road
  P.O. Box 1149
  Sante Fe, NM  United States  87504-1149

  Washington State Department of Transportation

  Transportation Building
  Olympia, WA  United States  98504

  California Department of Transportation

  1227 O Street
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95814

  Colorado Department of Transportation

  2829 W. Howard Place
  Denver, CO  United States  80204
• Project Managers:

  Tran, Thien

• Start Date: 20240912
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Debris flows; Geographic information systems; Rehabilitation; Restoration ecology; Wildfires
• Geographic Terms: Western States
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01930053
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Contract Numbers: TPF-5(541)
• Files: RIP
• Created Date: Sep 12 2024 5:01PM