A NEIGHBORHOOD IN TROUBLE: DRAINAGE BASIN ANALYSIS IN CLARKSVILLE, TN

The city of Clarksville has experienced a 13% increase in population during the past five years, establishing itself as Tennessee’s fifth-largest city. Due to this explosive growth, increased urbanization of formerly rural areas, and increased rainfall as a result of climate change, neighborhoods are struggling with flooding events. Concerned homeowners of a 50 year-old subdivision contacted Austin Peay State University’s Department of Geosciences for assistance in understanding why this is happening and what, if anything, can be done to prevent future flooding. Preliminary analyses of topographic maps from 1984 and 2016 indicate the area of the drainage basin that surrounds this subdivision has increased approximately 11%. Further examination of the 1984 topographic map revealed that the at-risk subdivision was the only established one in the basin at that time; by 2016, the entire area was bustling with residential and commercial activity. Initial analyses utilizing the Rational Equation indicate peak discharge for the drainage basin increased from 1984 to 2016, likely due to urbanization and landscape changes. Potential solutions will be examined following further analyses.