Cordon approach to rivers

Abstract

Chapter 9 presents the Cordon approach, describing its methods, reviewing its spread across the world, and analyzing its consequences. It discusses the general relationship between river channels and their floodplains and explains the nurturing functions that regular river inundations perform. The chapter then outlines the instruments of the Cordon approach, such as embankments, floodwalls, channelization, and canalization. It goes on to explain the relationship between the Cordon and the Polder approaches and offers a classification of cordons into different types. The chapter reviews the consequences of the Cordon approach, distinguishing between those for river channels and for floodplains. It provides an overview of the experience of the Cordon approach in different parts of the world, focusing on the United States, Europe, and India. It also presents two case studies of the Cordon approach: the Mississippi levee system in the United States and the Huang He River embankments in China.