Expert system outline for the classification of sustainable flood retention basins (SFRBs)

The aim of this paper is to recommend a rapid classification system for sustainable flood retention basins (SFRBs) to control runoff in a temperate climate. The system should improve communication among engineers and scientists, and was developed with a general database (approximately 660 basins) and a very detailed database (56 basins), using the River Rhine catchment in the South of Baden (Germany) as a case study. The classification system can be used by civil engineers, environmental scientists and planners to determine the following types of SFRBs: hydraulic flood retention basin, traditional sustainable flood retention basin, sustainable flood retention wetland, aesthetic flood retention wetland, integrated flood retention wetland and natural flood retention wetland. The most important system variables were rainfall, dam height, flood water volume, elevation, dam length, flotsam, floodplain elevation, forest and animal passage. However, 34 variables were applied to determine the different types of SFRBs, which were predominantly used for hydraulic purposes.