Stamford Coastal Resilience Plan Technical Advisory Committee Meeting
December 2024
Agenda
● Progress Update: Coastal Resilience Plan
● Existing Conditions Overview
● Progress Update: Cummings Pond Subarea
● Engagement Plan Overview
● Q&A / Feedback
Progress Update
Coastal Resilience Plan
Project Background
The project focuses on identifying and proposing actionable strategies for coastal flooding risks to safeguard life, property, and Stamford’s natural, cultural, and economic assets.
The targeted area for this project includes:
● Southern regions of Stamford up to I95
● Coastal Area Management (CAM) zone
Goals & Objectives
● Establish an updated understanding of current and future coastal flood risk along Stamford's waterfront and coastal neighborhoods
● Develop a roadmap to resilience that includes site-specific recommendations
● Prioritize nature-based and hybrid solutions and other strategies to reduce the risk of coastal flood and provide benefits to local ecology and quality of life
Project Approach
UNDERSTANDING
EXISTING FLOODING
MODELING
EXISTING + FUTURE FLOODING
DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS
ENGAGING WITH STAKEHOLDERS
PREPARING THE PLAN
GET TO PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Existing Conditions Flip Through
Coastal Resilience Plan
REVIEW OF EXISTING PLANS, STUDIES, AND DATA
Plan Review
First step in the planning process started by collecting, reviewing, and mapping data and information from past plans and studies on the existing conditions of Stamford’s coast
UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT
A shoreline shaped by ice, wind and water
Wisconsin Ice Sheet, played a significant role in shaping the coastline of Connecticut.
As the Ice Sheet retreated, it left behind till, which created inlets along the Connecticut coast - resulting in the distinctive “flooded coastline”
A shoreline shaped by ice, wind and water
A strategically located trading post
With the opening of the railroad in 1848, Stamford became accessible to more people. By 1850 the population had grown to 5,000 people and nearly doubled in size by 1880.
A city developed on higher land
In addition to agriculture and fishing, one of Stamford’s key industries was water-based merchandising. Stamford's proximity to New York has consistently been advantageous
STAMFORD TODAY
A Dense Transportation Infrastructure
Stamford serves as a major corridor through CT with Route 1, the Merritt Parkway, I-95, Amtrak, and the MetroNorth Railroad
Many of the major roadways lay within the Coastal Zone Boundary and would be impacted by flood waters
Community Assets & Historic Districts
Stamford offers a wide range of job opportunities across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, technology, and retail
Stamford has multiple Historic Districts within the city and other listings on the Register
A Diverse Population
● Stamford's population: is approximately 136,250 (US Census, 2023)
● The City's racial composition consists of 52% White, 18.6% Black or African American, 7% Asian, and 29.8% Hispanic or Latino.
● Stamford has multiple environmental justice communities (highlighted in purple).
A recreational destination
Network of Coastal Parks
Coastal Park in Stamford
● Edson Park
● Cove Island Park
● Cummings Park
● West Beach Park
● Czescik Park
● Kosciuszko Park
● Boccuzzi Park
Many of the parks are already flood-prone
Shoreline Ecology & Habitat
Stamford is home to a variety of common migrating waterfowl (e.g., Blackduck, Bufflehead, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, and Canada Goose) – in addition to several aquatic species (e.g., Bluefish, Blackfish, Striped Bass, oysters, and northern quahog)
Many State and Federal Listed Species are off the coast of Stamford
Repetitive Loss Areas & Hurricane Sandy
Repetitive loss areas in Stamford are concentrated on the coastal margins of Water Side, Shippan Point, and the Cove/East Side neighborhoods
Hurricane Sandy flooding that exceeded many projections
CIRCA COASTAL FLOOD MODELING
Current Coastal Flood Risk
Project Team consulted with the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) to obtain the latest current and future/projected coastal modeling information
Future Coastal Flood Risk
(20” SLR)
CIRCA models helped visualize areas of vulnerability and critical assets/communities at risk from different coastal flooding scenarios – including scenarios modeling the opening and closing of the Stamford Hurricane Protection Barrier
Future Coastal Flood Risk
(40” SLR)
Ultimately, the aim is to ground truth these modeled results with historical observations made by members of the community
WHAT/WHO IS AT RISK?
Assets at Risk (Present)
Without additional sea level rise, there are still risks with a 1% AEP storm
Many bus routes, stormwater infrastructure networks, community assets and buildings would be impacted by flood water
Community Assets at Risk in the Future
(with 20” SLR)
More key infrastructure and community assets are projected to be impacted by coastal flooding – especially critical municipal infrastructure (e.g., Stamford Water Pollution Control Facility and Transfer Station)
Community Assets at Risk in the Future
(with
40” SLR)
Of all three scenarios, 40” SLR with 1% AEP flood would highly impact bus routes, stormwater infrastructure networks, community assets and buildings across the City
Modeling indicates that the Hurricane Barrier would fail to significantly reduce flood risks
Progress Update
Cummings Pond Subarea
Modeling Update
Cummings Pond Subarea – Gap Analysis
● Tide Gage Deployment
○ Deployed November 13, 2024
○ Minimum of 30-day deployment
○ Collecting salinity and water level
○ Included Surveying of Culverts
● Stormwater and Watershed System Review
● Data Gaps
● Stormwater System Fieldwork
○ Planned for December 16-18, 2024
○ Coupled with recovery of tide gage systems
Tide Gage Deployment
● Three (3) sensors deployed measuring vertically referenced water level, temperature, and salinity
Tide Gage Deployment- CP-1
Tide Gage Deployment- CP-2
Tide Gage Deployment- CP-3
Approximate Drainage Watershed
Data Gaps and Field Work
Outfalls and Culverts
● Surveying of outfalls and culverts, including inverts, diameters, and shoaled elevations
● Circled outfalls only, which are important to stormwater watershed
Data Gaps and Field Work
Pump Station and Connection
● Visit stormwater pump station
● Pull manholes and identify western connections, inverts, and flow direction
Data Gaps and Field Work
Missing Inverts and Flow Direction
● Pull manholes and survey inverts and flow direction
Data Gaps and Field Work
Private Connections and Surface water areas
● The three (3) southernmost area do not have stormwater infrastructure. These areas are surface water direct runoff areas.
● The northernmost box is Chelsea Piers. Plans for this area were provided by the City.
Data Gaps and Field Work
I-95 Drainage
● Integrate DOT I-95 drainage plan into City system
Data Gaps and Field Work
Engagement & Outreach Plan
Overview
Engagement Timeline
Key
Milestones
Role of the Technical Advisory Committee
● Represent a broad cross-section of stakeholders with technical experience or expertise in the project area.
● Act as a sounding board in anticipation of the Community Advisory Committee meetings.
● Inform the design team process and resilience strategies and leverage their expertise to provide technical guidance.
Role of the Community Advisory Committee
● Represent a broad cross section of community members living or working in impacted areas, including environmental justice areas.
● Include representatives from local businesses, local institutions, schools, and community-based organizations
● Provide the project team with critical feedback on the project development, share the needs, wants, and aspirations of the community
Workshop #1
Lunch-Time Virtual Workshop Evening In Person Workshop
Workshop #1 Activities
Lunch-Time Virtual Workshop Evening In Person Workshop
Presentation + Breakouts & Miro
Board Exercise + Breakouts & Interactive Maps
Q&A / Feedback