Abstract |
Historical changes in the pattern of land use and the effect of these changes on floods along Peachtree and Nancy Creeks, streams flowing through metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, are analyzed and discussed. Land-use patterns in the watershed were determined at several points in time. Rainfall and runoff data were analyzed to determine the changes in hydrologic characteristics of the watershed effected by the changes in land use. Clearly, urbanization was found to affect the seasonal distribution of runoff. Overall, the study shows that urbanization of the watershed has increased storm runoff in the dry months, decreased base flow in the wet months and significantly increased the peak runoff from summer storms. (Author) |