From severe coastal storms to heavy inland rainfall, the vulnerability of public infrastructure continues to be a concern for local, state and federal leaders. Significant investments in resiliency projects are cropping up around the country. Designed to reduce vulnerability to floods, storms, extreme heat, and rising sea levels, resiliency projects aim at ensuring infrastructure can both withstand the shock of a weather event and recover quickly. Read on for examples.
Floodwalls, Seawalls, Upgrade Storm Sewers….
Resiliency projects span the gamut of construction efforts aimed at reducing the impact of weather events on communities, and often fall into two categories:
- Coastal/Storm Surge Protection Builds: Aimed at protecting low-lying areas from storm surges and rising sea levels, these projects include floodwalls, seawalls, coastal barriers, and “living shorelines” (using natural elements like marshes and dunes).
- Stormwater Management Builds: Aimed at managing extreme rainfall, prevent urban flooding, and keep water out of critical systems, these projects include “cloudburst hubs,” large underground storage tanks, green infrastructure (rain gardens, bioswales, etc.), and upgraded storm sewers.
With analysis showing that dollars spent on mitigation and resilience ultimately save money by curtailing the need for disaster funding, regions around the country are committing public funds for resiliency projects of all sizes. One noteworthy example, in New York City, is a $68 million dollar allocation to construct the Prospect Park Bluebelt, a system of nature-based solutions, which “includes drainage upgrades, ponds and rain gardens designed to manage intensifying rainfall while easing pressure on the city’s aging sewer system.” At Construction Dive, Robyn Griggs Lawrence further explains this effort to leverage the park in preparation for rising rainfalls:
- The plan calls for upgrading Prospect Park Lake’s drainage infrastructure to lower water levels in less than 36 hours and building new ponds and rain gardens to collect rainwater.
- The Prospect Park Bluebelt is the result of a year-long DEP study of flooding in the Brooklyn communities surrounding the park and how stormwater moves through the park. During intense storms, rainwater often rushes over the ground instead of into the 60-acre lake, which causes flooding…. In addition, the lake’s limited capacity to absorb floodwaters can cause it to overflow and strain the sewer system.
- DEP, NYC’s Department of Parks & Recreation and the Prospect Park Alliance will collaborate on upgrading the lake’s drainage infrastructure, building a new pond and a continuous stretch of rain gardens that will slow and filter rainwater as it drains to the lake and restore a pond…to collect rainwater from Flatbush Avenue.
Good To Know: Nature Based Resiliency?
The plans for Brooklyn’s Prospect Park are not the first Bluebelt system in New York City. That honor goes to Staten Island where a $110 million build completed in 2023 “drains and naturally filters stormwater into catch basins and storm sewers before it is discharged into the lower New York Bay…”. Given the likelihood that a weather disaster of some kind is “just around the bend” in most regions of the country, it’s good news that many cities and states have green-lit infrastructure resilience and preparedness projects. For more examples, check out this sampling of state initiatives aimed at keeping us safe from the next big storm.
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