Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) Practice Exam

Sheet flow refers to floodwater that spreads out over a large area without defined channels. Option A, overflow, typically refers to water that flows over the top of a container or something that is full to capacity. Option B, floodplain spread, is incorrect because a floodplain is defined as the area of land that is adjacent to a river and is likely to flood during periods of high discharge. Therefore, floodplain spread would refer to the width of the floodplain, not the behavior of the floodwater. Option D, distributed flooding, is incorrect because distributed flooding refers to floodwater that is evenly distributed over a large area and can occur from heavy rainfall or a dam breaking. This is different from sheet flow, which specifically does not have defined channels.