The City of Newport News selected a team led by GKY to provide professional and technical services for the development of three separate, but interrelated master plans: a Stormwater Management Master Plan, a Floodplain Management Plan, and a Climate Change and Resilience Master Plan.

A three-year, $6.3M contract was awarded to the GKY team, which is comprised of GKY, Dewberry, ATCS, Cornwell Engineering Group, and The Miles Agency. Since beginning work on the contract, GKY has assisted the City in securing a $4.9M Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF) grant – the largest CFPF grant award in 2021. This grant will fund more than 75% of this master planning effort.

Located on Virginia’s southernmost penninsula, Newport News sits on a coastal plain within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and has elevations ranging from 0 to 70 feet above sea level. The trend towards increasingly intense storms in the City and the projected rise in surrounding sea levels are expected to affect many of its local communities. In response, the City issued a Request for Proposals to engage a consultant to provide services to manage and mitigate flooding.

The contract encompassses multiple tasks and activities, including :

  • Creation of a stormwater master plan that incorporates watershed management; a system condition assessment; development of an enhanced inspection and maintenance management system; stream restoration; stormwater management facility retrofits and best management practices; stormwater modeling; impervious area analysis; recommendations for future development planning; and creation of a community outreach and education program.
  • Completion of a floodplain management plan, including hazard identification and analysis; repetitive loss mitigation plan development in accordance with FEMA CRS section 510b; identification of beneficial / coastal conservation areas; coastal erosion and natural channel protection investigation, mapping, and policy recommendations; and completion of a vulnerability assessment to estimate the types and numbers of structures at risk to flooding.
  • Development of a climate change and resilience master plan, entailing assessment of the risk to key infrastructure, coastal resources, and populations posed by sea level rise, flooding, and other effects of climate change; evaluation of sea level rise scenarios, impacts, and effects of relevant state legislation; storm data analysis and recommendations; storm surge data and model analysis; identification of critical assets vulnerable to rising sea levels; evaluation and recommendation of green and resilient programs and design requirements; modeling of future conditions; and development of public information materials and programs.
  • Other activities including community outreach and stakeholder advisory committee development, social justice strategies, ordinance review/revision, stormwater utility rate analysis, and identification of funding sources.

To learn more about GKY’s engineering, policy & planning, and environmental solutions, contact us today.

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