The final factor in land selection is flooding. Can the site flood, has it flooded and how often? How prone a site is to flooding is a huge issue for agricultural use and engineering.
The mental model runs like this.
None- This location is not going to flood in your lifetime or your children's. Locations are at a higher elevation than creeks and streams.
Occasional- 1 out of 5 years it may get flooded. Sediment evidence is present and is usually a second-order stream watershed. The cost of development is greater and crop risk is more likely.
Frequent- Flooding more than once every five years has occurred. Debris, deposits of sediment may be present. Grazing, timber, or recreation is its best option.
That's the measurement. Look, think, observe. Imagine what may happen in a once-in-100-year situations. Will the road be there? Will your living room house frogs and minnows? Or will your shelter and investments be located in sound positions as most all of our ancestors knew them to be?
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