kingston waterfront flooding task force: a case study in community-driven flood adaptation
TRANSCRIPT
Kingston Waterfront Flooding Task Force:
Libby Murphy Gregg Swanzey
Hudson River Estuary Program/Cornell WRI Economic Development, City of Kingston
A case study for community-driven flooding adaptation.
Outline• The Hudson River Estuary Program
• Case Study: Kingston Waterfront Flooding Task Force
•What can you do?
•Municipal perspective from Gregg Swanzey
•Wrap up
• Questions
Hudson River Estuary Program
Core Mission
• Ensure clean water
• Protect and restore fish, wildlife, and
their habitats
• Provide water recreation and river access
• Adapt to climate change
• Conserve world-famous scenery
Climate Change & The Hudson River Estuary Program• Climate Smart Communities• Flooding Task Forces•Watershed Resiliency• Watershed planning• Green infrastructure• Assessing culverts for correct sizing• Assessing dams for removal or repair• Trees for Tribs (stream buffer restoration)
• Biodiversity Resiliency
Kingston Flooding Task ForceCase Study
Current situation
Community-driven process
Flooding Adaptation Strategies
•Fortify
•Accommodate
•Strategically Relocate
Fortify
Levee, New Orleans, LA Seawall, Beacon, NY
Elevated structures with flood gates, Hamburg, Germany
Accommodate
Floodable park concept, NYC
Steelhouse restaurant, Kingston, NY
Local example of accommodation
Strategic Relocation
Natural shoreline with gazebo, Cold Spring
Wetland with walkway concept, Toronto, Canada
Simulations
Kingston waterfront low tide
E Strand in Kingston
Kingston waterfrontSimulation: elevated sea level (4’) at low tide
4’ of Sea Level Rise
Kingston waterfront Simulation: elevated sea level (low tide), armored protection
Example of Fortify
Kingston waterfront Simulation: elevated sea level (low tide), vegetated revetment, floodproofed buildings
Example of Accommodate
Kingston waterfront Simulation: elevated sea level (low tide), strategic retreat
Example of Strategic Relocation
TF uses a variety of tools to reach consensus:•Participatory mapping• Surveys•Dot voting•Vulnerability and risk assessments•Cost Benefit Analysis•CSC planning assessment
Flood risk maps
Participatory Mapping
Scenario: damage from a 100-yr (1%) storm in 2013 with no sea level rise.
Cost benefit tool
Scenario: damage from a 100-yr (1%) storm in 2100 with high sea level rise.
Worse case scenarioYear 2100, With High Sea Level Rise and a 100-year Storm1% Probability of Occurrence in Any Given Year
Total Damage for this Event: $39.9 MillionDamage to Wastewater Treatment Plant: $27.6 Million
• Lost Value Due to Sea Level Rise• Lost Value Due to Sea Level Rise + Storm Surge
Cumulative Expected Damages by 2100With High Sea Level Rise = $126 Million
What can you do?
NYS 2100 Commission Report (2012)
NYS Sea Level Rise Task Force Report (2010)
Responding to Climate Change in NYS / ClimAID (2011)
What else can you do?
• Stay in touch with the Hudson River Estuary Program
• CanVIS free visualization tool by NOAA
• Sea level rise webviewer, Hudson River, by Scenic Hudson (coming soon)
• Check out the new Climate Adaptation page on the DEC website (coming soon)
Sandy and Irene: two different storms
• Irene: extreme rain event
• Sandy: extreme storm surge at height of spring tide
• The Perfect Storm? Irene plus Sandy
Flooding Impacts on the Kingston Waterfront
• Sewage Treatment Plant
• Marinas and other water dependent uses
• Adjacent Businesses
• Residential Areas
• Parks and other amenities
• Structures in the Waterways
What can municipalities do?
•Assess and manage stormwater
•Build community awareness and consensus
•Plan for the future
• Evaluate Zoning and Code
•Work closely with developers and residents
Planning for the future in Kingston
• Kingston Comprehensive Master Plan• Local Waterfront Revitalization Program• Waterfront Development Implementation Plan• Stormwater Management Plan• Tidal Rondout Watershed Management Plan• Brownfield Opportunity Area and 70 acre GEIS• Kingston Waterfront Flooding Task Force• Hazard Mitigation strategies
Funding Mechanisms• Consolidated Funding Application Process• Department of Environmental Conservation• Department of State• Office of Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation• US DOC Economic Development Administration• US DHS FEMA & Hazard Mitigation Funding• USDA• HUD Community Development Block Grants & Low interest loans• Greenway Conservancy• Local Development Corporations & Private Financing
Other important activities
• Kingston Conservation Advisory Council• Climate Smart Community• Climate Action Plan• Natural Resources Inventory• Open Space Plan• Work with Planning Board
Wrap Up
• Hudson River Estuary Program
• Kingston Waterfront Flooding
Task Force
• Municipal perspective
• What you can do