Memphis, Tennessee
Allen & Hoshall is providing engineering and surveying services to study the hydrologic and hydraulic characteristics of the 4,000+ acre Sweetbrier Drainage Basin and to develop a series of recommendations to improve drainage conditions throughout the study areas. The project is part of the larger Drainage Master Plan to study, map, and improve the drainage infrastructure across the City of Memphis.
Since the 1800’s, several drainage criteria have been used to develop or improve infrastructure. Although well-intended, the drainage criteria implemented throughout many areas of the City were inadequate to properly characterize the stormwater runoff and flooding potential in Memphis. The result is numerous areas of the City with repetitive flooding problems affecting roadways and structures, particularly in older areas of the City.
A 2012 review of the stormwater program identified 7 major study districts which have been subdivided into numerous smaller study areas. The intent and goal is to complete one drainage study in each of the study districts each year, starting in FY 2014. The smaller study areas will be systematically analyzed at an anticipated rate of one per year per study area based on priority. The eventual goal is to study each drainage basin in the City and undertake projects in each basin to mitigate the impacts of future storm events on the public infrastructure and private property.
