Second in a series on ChatGPT and Flood-Mitigation Recommendations

Yesterday, I posted ChatGPT’s recommendations on the most effective techniques for flood control. The artificial-intelligence research tool compiled an impressive list, later validated by experts in the field. But they all said the recommendations were high-level. So I conducted another test in which I drilled down into various aspects of the topic.

For instance, I asked ChatGPT…

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ChatGPT Answer to Construction BMP Question

Q. “What are best management practices in construction that help reduce flooding?”

A. “Implementing best management practices (BMPs) in construction can help minimize the impact of construction activities on stormwater runoff and reduce the risk of flooding. Here are some key BMPs commonly used to address stormwater management and flood reduction in construction:

1. Sediment and Erosion Control: Implementing measures to prevent sediment and erosion is crucial in construction sites. This includes installing erosion control devices such as sediment barriers, silt fences, and sediment basins. These structures help contain sediment on-site and prevent it from entering stormwater runoff, which can clog drainage systems and contribute to downstream flooding.
2. Stormwater Management Plans: Developing and following a comprehensive stormwater management plan is essential. It should include strategies for capturing and controlling stormwater runoff during construction activities. This may involve installing sediment traps, using sediment filter socks, or utilizing temporary or permanent stormwater detention ponds to reduce peak flows and prevent flooding downstream.
3. Site Grading and Drainage Design: Proper site grading and drainage design are critical to direct stormwater runoff away from vulnerable areas and into appropriate stormwater management facilities. By creating well-designed swales, channels, and berms, water can be efficiently directed to detention ponds or other retention structures, reducing the risk of localized flooding.
4. Use of Best Construction Practices: Employing construction practices that minimize soil disturbance and protect natural drainage patterns can help prevent excessive runoff and erosion. This includes avoiding excessive clearing, preserving existing vegetation where possible, and using construction techniques that minimize soil compaction.
5. Stabilization of Disturbed Areas: Prompt stabilization of disturbed areas is crucial to minimize erosion and sediment runoff. Implementing erosion control measures such as mulching, revegetation, or the use of erosion control blankets can help stabilize exposed soil and reduce the potential for sediment runoff into stormwater systems.
6. Construction Site Runoff Control: Managing and treating construction site runoff is important to prevent contaminants from entering water bodies and exacerbating flood risks. Utilizing sediment traps, sediment basins, or construction site sediment filters can help remove sediment and pollutants from runoff before it is discharged into waterways.
7. Education and Training: Providing education and training to construction site workers on proper stormwater management practices and BMP implementation is vital. This helps ensure that everyone involved in the construction process understands the importance of controlling runoff and minimizing flood risks.
8. Regular Inspection and Maintenance: Regularly inspecting and maintaining stormwater management structures and erosion control measures is crucial to their effectiveness. Sediment traps, erosion control devices, and stormwater management facilities should be inspected, cleaned, and repaired as necessary to ensure they function properly and continue to reduce flood risks.

By incorporating these best management practices into construction activities, the potential for erosion, sediment runoff, and localized flooding can be significantly reduced. It is important for construction projects to comply with local regulations and guidelines related to stormwater management and flood control to ensure effective implementation of these practices.”

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Experience Shows Value of Recommendations

Wow! It provides a good summary – without days of research of construction regulations in thousands of jurisdictions across the county.

I’ve documented numerous instances of what happens to neighbors when contractors do NOT follow these BMPs.

There was the case of Woodridge Village, the aborted Perry Homes development in Montgomery County at the headwaters of Taylor Gully. Workers there violated virtually every one of those recommendations and up to 600 neighboring families paid the price. They flooded twice in a matter of months. Perry, its subsidiaries and contractors wound up offering a substantial settlement to the flooded families to compensate them for damages.

And just blocks away, a 200+ acre development called Royal Pines made many of the same mistakes. Royal Pines didn’t flood as many neighbors, but it flooded them more often – twice in one month last last year and then again more recently.

Use ChatGPT to Drill Down Quickly

As with yesterday’s post about the “most effective techniques to reduce flooding,” the question about construction BMPs yielded fairly high level results within seconds.

This illustrates one of the most important aspects of using ChatGPT: DRILL DOWN into subjects. Don’t just take the first answer you get.

For instance, ask variations on the original question. Example: When you ask, “What are the consequences for flood control of NOT following construction BMPs,” you find information about:

1. Increased erosion that can clog water bodies and increase the risk of flooding
2. Stormwater runoff pollution that can degrade water quality clog drainage systems
3. Reduced infiltration capacity that increases stormwater runoff and flood risk
4. Inadequate stormwater management leading to inadequate storage and conveyance capacity
5. Legal and financial consequences

Explore Different Aspects of Topic

You can also drill down quickly to explore different aspects of a topic. For instance, when I asked ChatGPT about “the most effective environmental solutions that reduced flooding,” it listed six more recommendations:

1. Natural Water Retention Measures
2. Reforestation and Afforestation
3. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)
4. River and Channel Restoration
5. Floodplain Management and Zoning
6. Climate Change Adaptation

I then drilled down on Sustainable Urban Drainage Design and found eight more recommendations including:

1. Permeable Surfaces
2. Green Roofs
3. Rain Gardens
4. Bioretention Systems
5. Detention and Retention Basins
6. Wetlands and Ponds
7. Water Harvesting: Systems
8. Education and Awareness

ChatGPT gave clear, concise explanations of each of these topics, plus a summary that put them all in perspective. I just didn’t list them here to keep the length of this post manageable.

Tomorrow in Part 3 of this series on ChatGPT, I’ll describe some of the limitations of this impressive research tool: What happens when it makes a mistake?

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/28/2023

2098 Days since Hurricane Harvey