HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Several coastal resiliency projects are underway in Hampton Roads, all to help with our rising tides.
Tuesday, the city of Norfolk and the Army Corps of Engineers provided an update on the work taking place over the next decade to help preserve the region’s coastlines.
The updates outlined a multi-phase approach that includes flood walls, pump stations and the creation of living shorelines. They’re reevaluating part of the project in the Berkley neighborhood.
People in Norfolk know there aren’t many places for water to go after a heavy rain. In addition, the sea level in Norfolk is rising at twice the global average rate.
And, with Norfolk surrounded by water on three sides, where does all that water go? Hence this multi-faceted approach to help address it and preserve our community in the process.
“When we construct these pump stations, we will have the ability to draw down the inundation that’s in some of these sewer sheds ahead of an event in order to make sure that that pipe is as dry as it can be ahead of the downpours,” said Matt Simons, deputy director in the Office of Resilience.
Representatives from the city and the Army Corps provided an update on the first of their four-phase roll-out to counteract coastal flooding, with the city having just wrapped up utility and geotechnical investigations needed ahead of these projects downtown. They also talked about reevaluating the plan for Berkley.
“So what was authorized in the plan was to do non-structural measures in the Southside, Campostella, Berkley residential areas,” said Col. Brian Hallberg of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Norfolk District, “and that area is an underserved community, and so we’re re-looking at it for environmental justice concerns.”
The $2.6 billion project includes storm surge barriers, nine miles of floodwalls, 11 tide gates and 10 pump stations. While structural changes are made, the city hopes to start simultaneous work on living shorelines and non-structural projects.
“Based on funding availability, the non-structural can be done in conjunction with the other phases,” Hallberg said.
The design phase for the project, which extends from West Ghent to Harbor Park, is underway now. However, three more phase for different parts of the city are still to come. The map ultimately shows what the city and Army Corps of Engineers hope to be the long-term effects of these changes.
If you’d like to learn more about it, Resilient Norfolk has a virtual flood strategy open house on its website. You can click through their plans here.