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 Back to Chapter 2:Science-Based Management Articles Lynx inventories under way in the Intermountain Region By Laura Hudson Inventories yield large benefits for Devils Postpile National Monument By Linda Mutch Carl Sandburg Home: Biodiversity in a small park By Anne Ulinski New report on air quality in California Class I national parks By Annie Esperanza and Judy Rocchio Assessing potential social consequences of deer management in Cuyahoga Valley By Kevin L. Skerl “Flightlines”: Developing partnerships for migratory bird conservation in the North Cascades By Robert C. Kuntz II USGS science supports NPS in managing park resources By John Dennis, Sharon Kliwinski, and Lindsay McClelland Other Developments Effects of snowmobiles on wildlife MGM2: Economic analysis for park-community planning Process emerges for park vital signs water quality monitoring Award-winner profiles - Weber and Finley honored for science-based management efforts Ungulate management - Tule elk at Point Reyes Technology in monitoring - Knowing where the falcons go |
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 USGS science helps protect Congaree Swamp In 1999, a massive $1 billion development was proposed on 4,600 acres along the Congaree River near Columbia, South Carolina. To permit building on the site, the developer proposed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) a redesignation of floodplain zones. FEMA flood maps predict where the highest and fastest floodwater is expected to flow during a 100-year flood and generally do not allow development in a floodway. The National Park Service was concerned about the proposal because Congaree Swamp National Monument is located on the river about 30 miles downstream and hydrology is the most important factor integrating the natural, physical, and biological components of the monument. The National Park Service, along with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and others, was concerned that the proposed flood map was not based on credible, scientific information. The National Park Service asked the USGS to review the hydrologic and hydraulic modeling components of the flood map proposal for technical adequacy. The USGS review of these complex modeling efforts greatly contributed to scientifically defensible information required to manage the Congaree River floodplain. In August 2001, after a long process, FEMA released its final flood maps for the Congaree River. The final map located about 70% of the development property in the floodway, where development is severely restricted. This put the fate of the development in the hands of local governments because they must approve any request to improve existing levees to prevent flooding of new development. |
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This material is from Natural Resource Year in Review--2001, published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, in May 2001 (publication D-2255) /YearInReview/yir/yir2001/02_management/02_od1_COSW.html Last Updated: |