Venice, City Of Water, Faces Rising Floods

Highest Water Levels In 20 Years Flood Historic Center Of Italian City

(CBS/AP)  Water in Venice rose to its highest level in more than 20 years Monday, flooding much of the Italian city and forcing residents and tourists to wade through knee-high water.

City officials said the sea level topped 61 inches on Monday, well past the 40-inch flood mark, following heavy rains. Alarms went off to alert citizens in the morning.

"There are very few streets that are water-free," said a city spokesman, Enzo Bon.

Among the spots affected was St. Mark's Square, the landmark piazza that is the lowest point in the city.

Flooding has become the norm for Venice during winter, as water splashes over the quays and bubbles up through the sewers in St. Mark's Square during high tide, writes CBS News producer Mimi Spillane.

The city has taken to constructing temporary elevated walkways so its estimated 20 million annual visitors can get around, though workers were unable to install the walkways during the latest flooding because the water rose too high and too quickly under heavy rains.

The floods forced many of the water taxis to suspend service, Bon said.

TV footage showed people rolling up their pants or wearing rubber boots as they walked through the water. Some had plastic wrapped around their legs, while some tourists in St. Mark's walked on chairs left in the piazza.

The last time Venice registered such high waters was in 1986, city officials said. The all-time record was 76 inches in 1966.

[dnamj]

I should get over there I guess. I want to see it while it''s still above the water.

[vittoria1]

Sonov, both subsidence and increased sea level, attributed by many to global warming, are responsible for the "acqua alta," the incidence of which really has increased over the past century. A combination of certain atmospheric and meteorological conditions worsens the situation when present, which is why the acqua alta doesn''t occur constantly.

The city has taken a variety of measures to combat the problem, and a more drastic, permanent solution is on the drawing board, though there are environmental concerns about it.

[sonov]

Is the flooding caused by a rising sea level trend or a land subsidence issue from groundwater pumping, or a little of both?

[au_fait]

If GW is changing the level of the sea, shouldn''t there be a noticeable change each year and not one in 1966, 1986 and 2008?

[legacyabq]

Venice, in 1000 years, will be the new atlantis, relegated to legendary status, at this rate!

[matrixrx2003]

I saw a special on Discovery Channel and it showed how sea levels have been slowly going up for the last 200+ years. They showed a stair way in Venice that has been marked like every 20 or so years and sea levels have been slowly going up.

Venice is Doomed in the Long Run and so is New Orleans.