Flood Prevention, Resilience, & Erosion Control Plan

Weston & Sampson and RACE Coastal Engineering are working with the Town of Fairfield and the Fairfield Flood and Erosion Control Board (FERB) to develop a Master Flood Prevention, Climate Resilience, & Erosion Control Plan to address both significant present day and projected coastal flooding inundation and inland flooding during heavy rainfall events.

RACE developed site-specific coastal modeling and analysis, and Weston & Sampson conducted fluvial and pluvial assessments that incorporate future sea level rise and increased storm intensity scenarios for 2050 and 2100. Working closely with the town, we used evaluation criteria, such as critical evacuation routes, to identify priority areas for mitigation strategies, cost-benefit analysis, conceptual design, and cost estimates. The project produced a data viewer and a toolbox for green and gray infrastructure mitigation solutions to assist town officials with conceptual designs for mitigation measures at 15 coastal segments determined to be the highest priority by the town and FERB through modeling and stakeholder engagement. The project will also propose a toolkit of green and gray infrastructure mitigation strategies for 8 priority inland sites.

The final plan will document the methodology, prioritization process, coastal concept designs, and fluvial/pluvial flood mitigation strategies. It will also include a list of elevated houses in the floodplain, as well as a survey and concept plan for low-lying sections of the Pine Creek Bulkhead.