thumbnail

Flood hazards in the Seattle-Tacoma urban complex and adjacent areas, Washington

Open-File Report
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/70039092

Links

Abstract

Floods are natural hazards that have complicated man's land-use planning for as long as we have had a history. Although flood hzards are a continuing danger, the year-to-year threat cannot be accurately predicted. Also, on any one stream, the time since the last destructive flood might be so long that most people now living near the stream have not experienced such a flood. Because of the unpredictability and common infrequency of disastrous flooding, or out of ignorance about the danger, or perhaps because of an urge to gamble, man tends to focus his attention on only the advantages of the flood-prone areas, rather than the risk due to the occasional major flood. The purposes of this report are to: (1) briefly describe flood hazards in this region, including some that may be unique to the Puget Sound basin, (2) indicate the parts of the area for which flood-hazard data are available, and (3) list the main sources of hydrologic information that is useful for flood-hazard analysis in conjuction with long-range planning. This map-type report is one of a series being prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey to present basic environmental information and interpretations to assist land-use planning in the Puget Sound region.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Unnumbered Series
Title Flood hazards in the Seattle-Tacoma urban complex and adjacent areas, Washington
Series title Open-File Report
DOI 10.3133/70039092
Year Published 1975
Language English
Publisher U.S. Government Printing Office
Publisher location Washington, D.C.
Description 1 Map: 96 x 84 cm.
Country United States
State Washington
City Seattle;Tacoma
Other Geospatial Carbon River;Mowich River;Nisqually River;Puyallup River;Skykomish River;White River
Scale 250000
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details