Hudson River Access Sites Flood Resilience Handbook

More than 100 public access sites along the shores of Hudson River estuary — parks, preserves, boat launches, marinas, fishing access, trails and other public open space — provide opportunities for active recreation, educational programming and enjoyment of one of New York state’s natural wonders.

Climate models, however, project several feet of water level rise by the end of this century, likely leading to increased flooding and greater impacts to these sites and the public they serve, including low income, historically disadvantaged communities. Low-lying sites already experience regular flooding during high tides and periods of intense rainfall, and severe storms have destroyed infrastructure, caused erosion and damaged recreational resources.

To assist river access site owners and managers in adapting to existing and predicted flooding, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) selected WSP to lead an inclusive process in resilient planning and design. The resulting guidebook is the culmination of this year-long effort to study climate trends, engage stakeholders, create case studies, and develop guidance for how to understand, plan and design for flood resilience.

WSP led the engagement of more than 50 municipal, county, state, and non-profit representatives in documenting experiences with flooding, pressing needs and status of recovery and resilience activities. The handbook synthesizes input and information gathered through site visits, mapping of flood and ice risk under future climate scenarios, and input from a stakeholder advisory group, and outlines industry best practices tailored for the Hudson River.

The handbook includes guiding principles for assessing risk and opportunities, a step-based approach for river access site planning and design for resilience, recommendations by site and programming type, details on permitting considerations and potential funding sources, and six case studies, including a hypothetical site where the framework outlined in the handbook is employed. Recognizing the limited resources of municipalities and park agencies, the guidebook recommends an array of resilience techniques, based on site conditions and use:

• Operational, policy and physical
• Structural and nature-based
• At site, building and asset scales
• Using protect, elevate and accommodate approaches