A DUAL THREAT: ADDRESSING STORMWATER
AND SEA LEVEL RISE ON THE BAY
The Towns of Chesapeake Beach and North Beach are neighboring communities situated directly on the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County (MD). After experiencing more frequent tidal and stormwater flooding, the towns sought assistance from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) to enhance their capacity to understand, plan, finance, and implement projects to mitigate the current and future impacts of flooding.
 
Phase one began in late 2020 and involved assembling a Flood and Sea Level Rise Action Plan framework that both towns will use to develop parallel, but customized, Action Plans in the second phase of the project. As the towns have a common boundary and face similar challenges, the municipalities worked collaboratively to establish the framework, use the same planning horizons and underlying data (e.g. sea level rise projections), and coordinate strategies and approaches where applicable. The framework was completed in late April and approved by both town Councils.
 
Project partners came together in April 2021 to visit frequently flooded sites. While the site visit was planned to coincide with predicted higher high tides, strong northwest winds over the preceding two days instead resulted in exceptionally low tides. The flooding hot spots were still apparent, however, and both towns’ public works staff provided excellent commentary about the nature of their flooding challenges. In addition to locations where stormwater drainage systems are rendered ineffective due to tidal flooding, the group visited points in North Beach that flood in heavy rain events, and a large park and recreation complex in Chesapeake Beach that is experiencing subsidence.
 
The second phase of the project begins this summer and will result in a Flood and Sea Level Rise Action Plan for each community. The base framework and accompanying Outreach and Engagement Recommendations can now be used as a model in other Maryland communities.
NEW TOOL RELEASED FOR STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
The Community-enabled Lifecycle Analysis of Stormwater Infrastructure Costs (CLASIC) tool was a four-year collaborative effort between EFC and multiple partner institutions. CLASIC utilizes a life cycle cost framework to support the feasibility and planning of stormwater infrastructure. The tool helps stormwater professionals, community planners, and local decision-makers understand and weigh the estimated costs, reductions in runoff and pollutant loads, and co-benefits of various planning scenarios as they consider stormwater management projects. 

The CLASIC tool is fully interfaced with GIS and links with national databases that can be applied at a community level. Users have the option to automatically upload data from national databases (e.g., census, national land cover database, PRISM climate database, digital elevation models, etc.) or to upload their own data sets. The tool allows users to build and compare multiple stormwater infrastructure options and enables simulation of various climate scenarios. Users can select from a variety of green and/or gray stormwater practices, like rain gardens, infiltration trenches, permeable pavement, green roofs, storage vaults, wet ponds, and stormwater harvesting.

CLASIC also allows users to prioritize specific social, environmental, and economic co-benefits, such as building energy efficiency, mental health impacts, or groundwater flow increase. Users can also set targets for variables like pollutant reduction, runoff reduction, or cost. The CLASIC outputs are displayed in an immersive set of charts, graphs, and tables that can be analyzed, printed, and shared.

The creation of this tool was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development through the grant opportunity “National Priorities: Life Cycle Costs of Water Infrastructure Alternatives”. Project contributors and design team members include representatives from The Water Research Foundation, Geosyntec Consultants, One Water Solutions Institute, Water Environment Federation, Wichita State University Environmental Finance Center, Wright Water Engineers Inc., University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center, University of Utah, and representatives from communities across the United States that provided guidance, user input, and beta testing to support the creation of the tool.

For further information about CLASIC, please view the EPA webinar that demonstrates the tool and provides answers to frequently asked questions.
EFC LEADS RESIDENTIAL STORMWATER PROJECT IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
The Environmental Finance Center, in partnership with Maryland Black Mayors, Inc. and the Anacostia Watershed Society, held two virtual workshops entitled Residential Landscaping Projects for Stormwater Management on May 13th and June 8th. Homeowners from Prince George's County municipalities including Brentwood, Cheverly, Colmar Manor, Fairmount Heights, Forest Heights and North Brentwood were invited to hear about the Maryland Black Mayors Advancing Stormwater Management project, which will fund rain barrels, native gardens, and/or trees installed on the property of qualifying homeowners in these six communities. These stormwater management projects will be planned and designed over the next few months, and culminate in 30 projects going into the ground by Summer 2022.
ASSESSING THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF
THE DELAWARE WATERSHED
Over the last century, the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek watersheds, which include the City of Milford and Town of Slaughter Beach (DE), have experienced considerable loss of forests and wetlands. Residents describe the watersheds’ remaining marshes as “pristine” and “unique”. The watersheds contain protected lands, are bordered by National Wildlife Refuges, and include internationally recognized flyways for migrating birds, including the endangered Red Knot. Governmental officials in Milford, Slaughter Beach, and Kent and Sussex counties, along with representatives of nonprofits and state agencies, are working together to protect and enhance the areas’ natural resources, not only for long-term resource management for the citizens of the area, but also for the Delaware Bayshore’s potential to draw recreation and ecotourism to the beauty of the area.

The Pew Charitable Trusts commissioned EFC to develop an economic valuation of critical natural resources that support this unique and pristine area. EFC interviewed key technical and policy experts to identify benefits to residents and visitors, such as significant recreation and leisure activities reliant on the area’s beauty. Benefits valuation provides dollar values of the activities and estimates the monetary values associated with ecosystem services, such as wetlands providing storm protection to local properties. The dollar value of these benefits will help communicate the importance of the community resources and assist in evaluating sustainable ecotourism opportunities.

This project is part of a greater effort by the Resilient and Sustainable Communities League (RASCL) and the Waterways Infrastructure Investment Network funded project under the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's National Coastal Resilience Fund. EFC will work with the project partners to incorporate a benefit-cost of ecotourism options into a management plan that will also include a vulnerability analysis. The management plan will be a blueprint for the communities to protect, restore, enhance and invest in natural resources vital to their local economy.

For more information, contact Jennifer Egan at jegan@umd.edu or 302-540-4546.
FOLLOW EFC ON SOCIAL MEDIA
You can follow EFC and some of our programs on social media: EFC is on Twitter @EFCUMD, Sustainable Maryland is on Facebook, and the Municipal Online Stormwater Center (MOST) is on Twitter @TheMOSTCenter
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