Flash floods and muddy floods in Wallonia: recent temporal trends, spatial distribution and reconstruction of the hydrosedimentological fluxes using flood marks and sediment deposits

Abstract

Flash floods and muddy floods may cause severe human and material damage despite their small spatial extent and low occurrence. In late May 2008, a major event has affected the area of Liège. This paper describes the methodology used to reconstruct the hydrosedimentological parameters of the flood from the geomorphological evidences observed in the field. Bed load and suspended load transport rates estimated during this extreme event were compared to the average values observed in other Walloon rivers and more specifically in the Ardennes Massif. The spatial distribution and the temporal evolution of the flash flood and muddy flood events are then analysed across Wallonia based on several works compiling press archives since the early twentieth century. The biases associated with this type of historical sources and the consequences of flash floods and muddy floods on the vulnerability and the risk of flooding in Wallonia are finally addressed.

Keywords

• flash flood
• muddy flood
• flood marks
• discharge reconstruction
• flood risk management