Flooding

Floods are Oregon's most frequently occurring natural disasters. The consequences of flooding have been severe in Oregon, including loss of life, economic loss and property damage.¹ Floods occur at various times throughout the year and occur in almost every Oregon county. The causes of floods are numerous, ranging from large amounts of rainfall to snow melts.

Eugene does not get a lot of snow - snowfall represents only 2 percent of the Eugene’s annual precipitation. The snow does not accumulate but it melts quickly, which can contribute to flooding. The average annual precipitation in Eugene is 46 inches, with 86 percent falling between the months of October and May.²

Floods can have devastating impacts on almost every aspect of the University community, including building and infrastructure damage, and economic loss from business interruption. The university community must be aware of flooding impacts and assess its level of risk to flooding and the corresponding impacts.

With regard to urban flooding, the City of Eugene conducted a storm water assessment, drawing up master plans for storm water management for 6 different basins, including the Amazon Basin and the Willamette River Basin. The main university campus is located within the Willamette Basin, which according to the Eugene Stormwater Management Basin Plan, does not have a "significant problem [for localized flooding] under existing or future land use conditions."⁴

George H. Taylor, Raymond R. Hatton. The Oregon Weather Book, Oregon State University Press, September 2000. p. 77.
City of Eugene, "Stormwater Basin Master Plan: Amazon Basin," August 2002. p.18.
Community Planning Workshop & Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. "Planning for Natural Hazards: Flood TRG," July 2000. p.11
City of Eugene, "Stormwater Basin Master Plan: Willamette Basin." August 2002, p. 7