Visions for a Flood Resilient WaterfrontExamples from the Kingston Flooding Task Force

Libby Murphy

Hudson River Estuary Program/Cornell WRI

NYSFSMA Annual Conference

March 27, 2014

Outline

• The Hudson River Estuary Program

• Kingston Waterfront Flooding Task Force

• What can you do?

• Questions

The Hudson River Estuary Program assists communities with climate resilience

• 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

Current situation

Sea level riseHistoric:

• 15” in NY Harbor in the past 150 years

Future:100-yr coastal flood to 25-yr, by 2100 (SLR alone)•Enhanced storm surge•More severe storms

December 2012: the Mayor appoints a Task Force

TF uses a variety of tools to reach consensus:

• Visioning of key themes

• Participatory mapping

• Selection of planning horizons

• Mapping of vulnerability and risk

• Climate Smart Resiliency Planning tool

• Flood adaptation strategies and simulations

• Cost Benefit Analysis

Key themes• Waterfront history and “sense of place”

•Economy and economic revitalization

•Health and safety

•Natural systems to reduce flood risk

•Secure infrastructure

•Kingston’s Climate Action Plan

Participatory Mapping

The Task Force chose projections for Kingston to plan for:

Year

Sea Level RiseScenario

2060 2100

Low 20 inches 33 inches

High 36 inches 68 inches

Kingston piloted the Climate Smart Resiliency Planning tool for NYS DEC

Community Plan Checklist

Plans, Ordinances, and Codes Yes NoAdoption

YearUpdate

FrequencyNotes

Municipal Master Plan X 1961Kingston is currently working on a new comprehensive plan targeted to 2025. Timeline is not yet set.

Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan X 2009 5 yearsThis plan is for Ulster County and is currently being updated and will be complete in 2014. The existing one implies that Kingston is not tidal.

Floodplain Management Plan XThere is flood hazard overlay district (2009) within city zoning ordinance, sec 405-26.

Evacuation Plan XUlster County has a detour evacuation route plan that mostly covers major highways. It is an annex to the county CEMP.

Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan

X 3 Years Kingston is currently updating this plan.

Continuity of Operations Plan X

Kingston has many strengths in terms of planning

Three areas of opportunities for Kingston to incorporate flood-preparedness

Outreach an collaboration

Zoning, building codes and regulation

Planning

www.kingstoncac.org

Scenario: damage from a 100-yr (1%) storm in 2013 with no sea level rise.

Risk and vulnerability mapping

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

General flood adaptation strategies

• Fortify

•Accommodate

• Strategically Relocate

Fortify

Levee, New Orleans, LA Seawall, Beacon, NY

Elevated structures with flood gates, Hamburg, Germany

Accommodate

Elevate building systems

Steelhouse restaurant and Clearwater boathouse, Kingston, NY

Local examples of accommodation

Strategic Relocation

Natural shoreline with gazebo, Esopus MeadowsStaten Island, NY

Site scale: what NYC is recommending

Regional scale: what NYC is recommending

Simulations

Kingston waterfront low tide

E Strand in Kingston

4’ of Sea Level Rise

Kingston waterfrontSimulation: elevated sea level (4’) at low tide

Example of Fortify

Kingston waterfront Simulation: elevated sea level (low tide), armored protection

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

POTENTIAL ADAPTATION SOLUTIONS

100 Year Storm in 2060

Buildings Damaged by Storm Surge from this Single Event (Height of Bar indicates relative damage amount)Buildings Permanently Inundated due to Sea Level Rise by this Year, if No Action is TakenExtent of Flooding from this Event

COAST: cost benefit tool

BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS OF ADAPTATION STRATEGIES – KINGSTON

Scenario B:

WITH ELEVATION OF EAST STRAND

STREET

TO 11 FEET (NAVD 88)

Scenario C:

WITH ELEVATION OF BULKHEAD/WITH

PATH

TO 11 FEET (NAVD 88)

Scenario D:

PURCHASES OF ROLLING

EASEMENTS, WITH TRANSFER OF

TITLE TO CITY AT 2060 OR WHEN

MHHW REACHES

6.0 FEET (NAVD 88)

Low SLR High SLR Low SLR High SLR Low SLR High SLR

46,400,000 44,100,000 46,400,000 44,100,000 46,400,000 44,100,000

4,900,000 4,700,000 241,000 466,900 36,900,000 39,576,000

41,500,000 39,400,000 46,159,000 43,633,100 9,500,000 4,524,000

9,800,000 6,200,000 22,540,000

4.2 4.0 7.4 7.0 3.7 1.8

Cumulative Damage to East

Strand Study Area With No

Action1

Cumulative Damage with

Adaptation Strategy in Place1

Avoided Damage (Row 1 –

Row 2) or

BENEFIT

Estimated COST of Adaptation

Strategy

BENEFIT/COST Ratio

(The higher the number

above 1, the more favorable

the ratio.)

1Discount Rate of 3.3% applied.2Does not include purchase of easements at five city-owned properties, and sewage treatment plant remains unprotected.

Final recommendations fall into 6 categories:

• City operations, funding and decision-making

• Resilient structures

• Promotion of a waterfront economy and economic revitalization

• Collaboration and public outreach

• Emergency management

• Site-based recommendations

Some highlights from the final recommendations:

• Ensure that zoning designations in the Kingston 2025 Comprehensive Plan consider increasing risk and vulnerability from flooding and sea-level rise.

• Develop a Kingston Waterfront Long-term Resiliency Plan.

• Ensure that all relevant City staff and elected and appointed officials are fully trained in and expected to incorporate impacts of flooding and sea-level rise into their daily work.

Some highlights from the final recommendations:• Reduce stormwater, upland flooding and combined sewer overflows

through green infrastructure and best stormwater management practices.

• Evaluate the use of natural buffers and green shoreline infrastructure to reduce flood risk and erosion and conserve natural resource functions.

• Develop a plan to mitigate both near- and long- term risk to the wastewater treatment facility.

City Council unanimously adopts the final report and recommendations in December 2013

Next Steps

• Buy-in from community and municipal staff

• Comprehensive plan, emergency management

• Funding and financial, hazard mitigation $5M

HREP funded task forces in Catskill, Piermont and Stony Point

What can you do?

See documentation of the entire process in Kingston: www.kingstoncac.org

Get involved with NY’s Climate Smart Communities

116 in NYS

What else can you do?Know your risks:

• Sea level rise webviewer, Hudson River, by Scenic Hudson http://www.scenichudson.org/slr/mapper

Know how to plan:

• Climate Smart Resiliency Planning tool by DEC http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/administration_pdf/csrptool.pdf

• NYCPlanning Urban Waterfront Adaptive Strategies http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/sustainable_communities/sustain_com7.shtml

• View our slides on flood adaptation strategies http://www.slideshare.net/hrepclimate

Know the latest opportunities:

• Sign up for our Climate Resiliency in the Hudson River Estuary Newsletter http://goo.gl/GYvVs2

Questions?

Thank you.Libby Murphy

Hudson River Estuary Program(845) 256-3016

ecmurphy@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS 2100 Commission Report (2012)

NYS Sea Level Rise Task Force Report (2010)

Responding to Climate Change in NYS / ClimAID (2011)

What can municipalities do?

•Green infrastructure to manage stormwater

• § 405-26. Flood Hazard Overlay District

• FEMA Flood Insurance Rates

• FEMA Community Rating System

•Rolling Easements

•Other Land Use Tools

•Build community awareness and consensus

• Evaluate Zoning and Code

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