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Overview of Geologic Hazards• From water movement (coastal flooding from
hurricanes, beach erosion, inland flooding, drought)
• From earth movement (earthquakes, mudflows,
landslides, subsidence, expansive soils)
• From dangerous minerals (arsenic, asbestos, radon)
• From contaminated water (groundwater, surface water, distribution system water)
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Magnitude and Frequency
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Living in harm’s way – behind the levee
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Storm moves 30 mph
Wind speed 120 mph
Wind speed 120 mph
Net 150 mph
Net 90 mph
Hurricanes
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Katrina 2005 1836+(Mississippi, Louisiana)
Katrina 2005 $100 billion(Mississippi, Louisiana)
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Property DamageCostliest U.S. Atlantic hurricanes
Cost refers to total estimated property damage
Rank Hurricane Season Damages, $billion
2 Ike 2008 $29.5
1 Katrina 2005 $108
4 Wilma 2005 $21
7 Rita 2005 $12
5 Ivan 2004 $18.8
6 Charley 2004 $15.1
8 Frances 2004 $9.51
10 Jeanne 2004 $7.66
9 Allison 2001 $9
3 Andrew 1992 $26.5
Source: NOAA[2]
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Katrina: Fatalities > 1800
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Levee design and construction inadequate
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Geologic Changes – New Inlet
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Hurricane Magnitude
Saffir-Simpson scaleIntensity Wind speed mph Storm surge ft
Category 1 74-95 4-5
Category 2 96 to 110 6-8
Category 3 111 to 130 9-12
Category 4 131-155 13-18
Category 5 > 155 > 18
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Hurricane Magnitude - Frequency
Saffir-Simpson scaleIntensity Wind speed mph Storm surge ft Number
1850-2005
Category 1 74-95 4-5 109
Category 2 96 to 110 6-8 71
Category 3 111 to 130 9-12 74
Category 4 131-155 13-18 17
Category 5 > 155 > 18 3
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Hurricane Frequency
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Hurricane Frequency
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Hurricane Cyclicity
Long-term trend
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Remediation
1.Building codes
2.Levees
3.Evacuation
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Inland Flooding --Cinti 1937
385 dead,
one million homeless,
$500 million in property damage (= $7.6 billion today)
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Flood intensity – gage height
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Flood Frequency (Cinti)
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Remediation
Flood wallBarrier dam
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Beach Erosion
Longshore drift
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Beach Erosion -- Intensity
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Beach Erosion -- Intensity
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Beach Erosion -- Frequency
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Beach Erosion -- Remediation
Walls
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Beach Erosion -- Remediation
Nourishment
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Earthquake Susceptibility
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Earthquakes-- FrequencyMagnitude Acceleration # per
year
8-9 1
7-8 18
6-7 120
5-6 800
4-5 6200
3-4 50,000
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Remediation
1.Building codes
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Landslide frequency
Cincinnati OH: remediation of landslides on public property
1974-1993 Feet/yr Dollars/yr
Pier walls 442 457,780
Mt Adams 1650 44,489,926
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Remediation
Pier walls - $1000 per lineal foot
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Volcanoes -- Lahars
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Lahars – magnitude (extent)
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Lahars – magnitude (thickness)
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Lahars – frequency
• Mt Rainier recurrence intervals
• Large lahars (reach ocean) – 1000 years• Intermediate (confined to apron
• of the mountain) – 100 years
• Small (confined to slopes) – 10 years
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Dangerous minerals – Pb phosphate
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Occurrence of Arsenic in Groundwater in US
SW Ohio
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Radon – enters home from soil
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Contaminated water
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Water Pollution – Inorganics in Groundwater
GW flow
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Significant solvent contamination has
traveled through the groundwater
outside the plant boundaries at
Pristine.
flowWater flow
Water Pollution – Organics in Groundwater
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Water Pollution – MagnitudeRank Appendix IX Constituent Detectable Events
b
Sites c
No. %
1 Dichloromethane 4558 157 32.82 Trichloroethylene 4001 132 27.63 Tetrachloroethylene 2913 111 23.24 trans 1,2-Dichloroethylene 2357 116 24.25 Chloroform 2137 89 18.66 1,1-Dichloroethane 1706 108 22.57 1,1-Dichloroethylene 1653 75 15.78 1,1,1-Trichloroethylene 1609 101 21.19 Toluene 1430 131 27.3
10 1,2-Dichloroethane 1339 82 17.111 Benzene 1169 120 25.112 Ethylbenzene 733 109 22.813 Phenol 679 79 16.514 Chlorobenzene 662 86 1815 Vinyl chloride 580 79 16.516 Carbon tetrachloride 484 32 6.717 bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate 383 89 18.618 Naphthalene 369 61 12.719 1,1,2-Trichloroethane 270 37 7.720 Chloroethane 269 61 12.7
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Water Pollution -- Surface Water
GCWW intakes
Proposed sewer outfall
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Water Pollution – From the distribution system
Litharge
Cu sulfate
Mn oxide
Plattnerite
Litharge
Cu sulfate
Mn oxide
Plattnerite + Mn oxide
Pb carbonate
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Water Pollution – From the distribution system
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Water Pollution – From the distribution system
Pb islands
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What do we do?
1. Understand the underlying geology
2. Calculate probability of an event
3. Estimate the severity of possible effects
4. Establish risk to populations & environment
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What do we do?
5. Reducing the riskA. Avoidance
B. Building codes
C. Evacuation plans
D. Removal of endangered structures
E. Protective engineering