In the past two decades, the rate of sea level rise has more than doubled in coastal New Jersey. Its Atlantic shoreline is sinking, Greenland’s ice sheets are melting, and the Gulf Stream is shifting northward. Warming waters are driving more intense storms that combine with higher tides to increases the threat of flooding, and the resulting inland saltwater intrusion has turned healthy wooded areas into ghost forests.
These challenges, especially the structural and ecological damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, compelled the state of New Jersey to act on this accelerating issue. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Climate and Flood Resilience Program’s Bureau of Climate Resilience Planning (BCRP) leveraged federal funding to develop a robust suite of resilience strategies, projects and tools entitled Resilient NJ. WSP is partnering with the NJDEP BCRP on the Atlantic County Coastal Region portion of the program.
Rebuild by Design
The 5,600-acre Rebuild By Design projects are an integrated and regional approach to comprehensive flood control in a state that is the lynchpin of the vital environmental and economic corridor of the U.S. eastern seaboard. Using a combination of engineered structures and nature-based solutions to dynamic infrastructure challenges, the program is improving resilience along the lower Hudson and Hackensack Rivers. Our team currently serves as the construction manager for these flood resilience projects, which are currently in design.
Resilient NJ Regional Resilience and Adaption Action Plan
Our team is leading the development of this regional action plan that will serve as a roadmap for New Jersey to adapt to climate-related threats and inform a set of implementable actions. Strategies are based on current and future climate scenarios informed by data collection, asset mapping, risk assessment and economic analysis, and on key evaluation criteria, including risk mitigation effectiveness, populations served, cost effectiveness, funding eligibility and co-benefits generated.
NJ FRAMES
This program synthesizes state-of-the-art science on sea level rise and coastal storm risk for incorporation into resilience plans for consistent response to coastal hazards. The effort is implementing a replicable version of NOAA’s “What Will Adaptation Cost? An Economic Framework for Community Infrastructure,” tailored specifically to New Jersey.
Decision Support System Development (DSS)
The New Jersey coast is an invaluable asset to the state, and yet funding for future resilience projects will be limited. As such, decisions regarding project funding will require robust analysis of available data. The DSS will provide a decision-making framework for the allocation of state dollars to engineering projects along the coast using a synthesis of key criteria such as environmental resources, flood risk reduction, regulatory concerns, economics, community impact and infrastructure. WSP is providing expertise in Geographic Information Systems, benefit-cost analysis and information technology.
Regional Stormwater Infrastructure Toolkit
The toolkit compiles stormwater infrastructure operations and maintenance, asset management and staff training best practices, equipping crews with new insights and proven practices for maintaining critical stormwater management facilities. Benefitting from a robust stakeholder engagement process, this approach includes perspectives of planners and frontline workers across various public works departments and other agencies, creating an unprecedented view of current challenges, emerging risks, and practical solutions on the ground.
These efforts are being undertaken by a coalition of public and private entities, and active community members committed to building a more resilient New Jersey. The innovative program is boosting the state’s ability to plan for, adapt to and recover from adverse environmental conditions, such as flooding, sea-level rise, landslides, and hurricanes.
