May 4, 2017

FEMA’s Mitigation Support for Resiliency: Innovative Drought and Flood Mitigation Projects

Jordan Williams, CFM

Eric Kenney, PE, CFM

Hazard Mitigation

Purpose: Research climate resilient project options and identify activities that

provide risk reduction benefits for flood and drought

Develop requirements and guidance document to inform FEMA mitigation planning and funding decisions

Step 1: Summarized potential impacts of climate change and associated risk factors Flooding from storm severity, sea level rise,

and tidal surge

Changes in precipitation patterns

Droughts

Erosion

Ecosystem and water quality impacts

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Sustained action to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life and

property from hazards.

The only phase of emergency management specifically dedicated to

breaking the cycle of damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage.

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Program

HMA programs reduce community vulnerability to disasters and their effects, promote individual and community safety and resilience, and promote community vitality after an incident

Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Provides funds for hazard mitigation planning and projects on an annual

basis.

Available annually and nationally competitive

Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Provides funds for flood hazard mitigation projects as well as plan

development on an annual basis.

Priority to Repetitive Flood Claims, Severe Repetitive Loss, and NFIP properties Available annually and nationally competitive

Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Assists in implementing long-term hazard mitigation measures following a

major disaster.

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Common HMA Projects

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Step-by-Step Development of Innovative Mitigation Activities

Purpose: Research project options and identify activities that provide risk

reduction benefits for flood and drought

Develop requirements and guidance document to inform FEMA mitigation planning and funding decisions

Step 1: Summarized potential impacts of hazards and risks Flooding from storm severity, sea level rise,

and tidal surge

Changes in precipitation patterns

Droughts

Erosion

Ecosystem and water quality impacts

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Regional Impacts

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Sourc

e: M

elil

lo e

t al

., 2

01

4;

CD

M S

mit

h,

2010

Risk Factors by U.S. Region

7

Sou

rce:

Mel

illo

et

al.,

2014

Regional Impacts

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• Drought and increased warming foster wildfires and increased competition for scarce water resources for people and ecosystems

Regional Impacts

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• Longer growing seasons and rising carbon dioxide levels increase yields of some crops although these benefits may have already been offset in some instances by occurrence of extreme events such as heat waves, droughts, and floods

Step-by-Step Development of Innovative Mitigation Activities (cont.)

Step 2: Researched mitigation activities that reduce risk and address additional considerations related to: Water supply

Water quality and ecosystem services/benefits

Flood control

Step 3: Screened initial list of project types from 70 to 14 in collaboration with FEMA

Step 4: Evaluated project types on:Program eligibility Technical Feasibility

Cost-effectiveness Environmental Compliance

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ProjectSnapshot Guide

Overview of implementation considerations, costs, and benefits

Snapshot created for each project type

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Summary of Project Snapshots

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Step-by-Step Development of Innovative Mitigation Activities (cont.)

Step 5: Recommended four innovative drought and flood mitigation projects for further study

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Aquifer Storage and Recovery

Flood Diversion and Storage

Floodplain and Stream Restoration

Green Infrastructure

High performance related to feasibility and cost effectiveness

Meet programmatic funding requirements consistent with HMA guidance

Address flooding and drought conditions

Can provide additional water quality and ecosystem service benefits

Expanded Study of the Four Innovative Drought and Flood Mitigation Activities

Identified timeframe, costs, benefits, and technical considerations for implementation

Considered Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) requirements

Listed federal agencies for potentialcoordination to leverage resourcesand funds

Provided implementation success storieswith project sizes up to $1M to $5M range

Geographic diversity

Ranges of scale and cost

Implemented within a 3-year periodof performance

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Locations of Implementation Success Stories

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Note: Climate Regions as defined in the 2014 U.S. National Climate Assessment (Melillo et al., 2014.)

Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)

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• Can supplement water supplies and mitigateeffects of drought

• Additional benefits: flood reduction, water quality, wetland/springs enhancement

Capture water when abundant, store in aquifer, and recover when needed (referred to as a cycle)

• Raw and finished groundwater

• Untreated, partially treated, and finished surface water

• Reclaimed water

Potential supply sources:

ASR Well Operation - Injection

Mixing

Zone

Mixing

Zone

WATER QUALITY(<250 mg/L Cl)

ASR Well Operation - Recovery

MixingZone

Mixing

Zone

WATER QUALITY(<250 mg/L Cl)

Operational ASR Sites in the US

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Sou

rce:

Blo

etsc

her

et

al. 2

014.

City of Sanford, FL ASR Well

ASR BCA Tool

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Flood Diversion and Storage

• To mitigate flood and erosion damage by reducing peak flows, stages, velocities, and floodplain area

• To mitigate drought impacts by providing water for municipal water supply, irrigation, or power

Purpose

• Can be used to retain water to allow infiltration to ground water supplies. This allows for a controlled baseflow release and tempers peak flows, stages, and velocities to mitigate flooding.

Added Benefits

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Scales of Implementation

Large, regional infrastructure

approach

• Large diversion canals from major rivers

• Large storage areas (reservoirs, regional facilities, multi-government)

• Not considered due to scale/cost constraints for this evaluation

Medium-scale local approach

• Cities, counties, water management and irrigation districts, and communities

• Focus on diverting medium to smaller tributary systems

Site-specific stormwater BMP

approach

• Stormwater runoff diversion and storage in detention basins

• Allows groundwater infiltration and aquifer recharge on-site

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Potential Benefits of Flood Diversion and Storage

Risk Reduction Benefits Flood risk reduction

Attenuation of peak flows and velocities

Redirected flood waters

Expanded capacity

Ecosystem Services Benefits Water and air quality

Restoration of wetland and native habitat

Iinfiltration to re-charge ground water supply.

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Sou

rce:

NO

AA

201

2.

Fisher Slough Restoration Project, Skagit River Delta, Washington

Floodplain and Stream Restoration

US has more than 3.5M miles of rivers and streams

• Flood storage and conveyance

• Erosion and sedimentation control

• Water quality and habitats for fish and wildlife

• Recreation and tourism

Streams and associated floodplains and wetlands provide flood control, economic, social, and environmental value

Alterations to streams and floodplains can lead to flooding, erosion, sedimentation, and stream and habitat degradation

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Floodplain and Stream Restoration (cont.)

Restoration is the re-establishment of the structure and function of floodplains, stream morphology, and ecosystems

Stream and floodplain restoration design incorporates techniques from fluvial geomorphology, engineering, and stream ecology

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Longview Branch Stream Restoration, Raleigh, NC

Green Infrastructure (GI)

GI is a sustainable development and re-development approach to natural landscape preservation and stormwater management

On-site natural features integrated with engineered controls to re-establish pre-development conditions

Used at a wide range of scales in place of, or in addition to, more traditional stormwater control elements

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Sou

rce:

Eco

no

mid

es 2

014.

Green Infrastructure: Regional and Site-level Solutions

Preservation/protection of flood control and environmentally sensitive features: Floodplains and floodways

Riparian buffers

Steep slope areas

High recharge areas

Benefits include: flood control, water quality, aquifer recharge,and public amenity

Green Street in Paso Robles, CA

Benefits of Green Infrastructure

Can be used at a wide range of scales to provide stormwater and flood management

Many additional benefits including:

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Economic Benefits Environmental Benefits Social Benefits

Gray infrastructure deferment/reduction

Water quality regulation compliance

Urban revitalization

Funding partnerships createdGreenhouse gas emission

reductionPublic amenities/green oasis

creation

Grant opportunities expanded Ecosystem habitat expansion Green jobs created

Chemical and energy cost reduction for water and wastewater treatment

Watershed improvements from reduced water supply exports

Heat island impact reduction and improved public health

Resiliency to extreme weather events

Flood managementEducation and public support

provided

Fact Sheets and Guidance

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My 2-cents: How to make your application

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shine

Focus on the flood control benefits and how your project is decreasing damages and increasing your communities resiliency Environmental benefits are important, but secondary

The further developed your design, the better your chances

Make sure you’re meeting FEMA requirements

Don’t include extra information

FEMA wants to fund these projects!

Additional Resources

Communities encouraged to work with State Hazard Mitigation Office on identifying and developing projects

Review Fact Sheets and Job Aids https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/110202

Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Programs https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance

FEMA-HMA-Grants-Policy@fema.dhs.gov

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Questions?