Climate Impacts on Water Management and Ecosystem Protection

The adaptation strategies provided below are intended to inform and assist communities in identifying potential alternatives. They are illustrative and are presented to help communities consider possible ways to address anticipated current and future climate threats to contaminated site management.

• Climate Impacts
  • Sea Level Rise
  • Flooding & Stormwater Management
  • Erosion & Sedimentation
  • Wetland Protection
  • Change in Fish Species
  • Estuaries
• Source Documents
• Disclaimer

Sea Level Rise

Maintain and Restore Wetlands

• Allow coastal wetlands to migrate inland (e.g., through setbacks, density restrictions, land purchases
  • See how Maryland Analyzes Coastal Wetlands Susceptibility to Climate Change
• Establish rolling easements
• Remove hard protection or other barriers to tidal and riverine flow (e.g., riverine and tidal dike removals)

Maintain Water Quality & Availability

• Incorporate sea level rise into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., sewage systems)
  • See how Southeast Florida Compact Analyzes Sea Level Rise Risk

Preserve Coastal Land and Development

• Incorporate consideration of climate change impacts into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., homes, businesses)
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) – using an integrated approach to achieve sustainability
• Land acquisition program – purchase coastal land that is damaged or prone to damage and use it for conservation

Preserve Habitat

• Retreat from, and abandonment of, coastal barriers

Use "Hard" Shoreline Maintenance

• Harden shorelines with breakwaters – structures placed offshore to reduce wave action
• Harden shorelines with bulkheads – anchored, vertical barriers constructed at the shoreline to block erosion
• Harden shorelines with revetments that armor the slope face of the shoreline
• Harden shorelines with seawalls

Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance

• Create dunes along backshore of beach; includes planting dune grasses and sand fencing to induce settling of wind-blown sands
• Increase shoreline setbacks
• Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Redefine riverine flood hazard zones to match projected expansion of flooding frequency and extent
• Remediate Brownfield sites in coastal areas and develop parkland along the waterfront that explicitly accounts for sea-level rise
  • See how San Francisco Cleans Up India Basin Waterfront Brownfield Site as Part of Greenspace Development Effort
• Remove shoreline hardening structures such as bulkheads, dikes, and other engineered structures to allow for shoreline migration
• Replace shoreline armoring with living shorelines – through beach nourishment, planting vegetation, etc
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines
•  

Flooding & Stormwater Management

Maintain Water Quality & Availability

• Design new coastal drainage system
• Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., remove impervious surface, replace undersized culverts)
• Plug drainage canals

Maintain and Restore Wetlands

• Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., promoting natural buffers, adequate culvert sizing)
  • See how Barre City, Vermont Accounts for Climate Change within a Brownfield Redevelopment Plan
• Maintain Sediment Transport
• Trap or add sand through beach nourishment – the addition of sand to a shoreline to enhance or create a beach area

Preserve Coastal Land and Development

• Incorporate consideration of climate change impacts into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., homes, businesses)

Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance

• Redefine riverine flood hazard zones to match projected expansion of flooding frequency and extent

Erosion & Sedimentation

Maintain and Restore Wetlands

• Create a regional sediment management (RSM) plan
• Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., promoting natural buffers, adequate culvert sizing)
  • See how Barre City, Vermont Accounts for Climate Change within a Brownfield Redevelopment Plan
• Maintain Sediment Transport
• Promote wetland accretion by introducing sediment
• Prohibit hard shore protection
• Trap or add sand through beach nourishment – the addition of sand to a shoreline to enhance or create a beach area
• Trap sand through construction of groins – a barrier type structure that traps sand by interrupting longshore transport

Maintain Water Quality & Availability

• Design new coastal drainage system

Use "Hard" Shoreline Maintenance

• Harden shorelines with breakwaters – structures placed offshore to reduce wave action
• Harden shorelines with bulkheads – anchored, vertical barriers constructed at the shoreline to block erosion
• Harden shorelines with revetments that armor the slope face of the shoreline
• Harden shorelines with seawalls

Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance

• Composite systems – incorporate elements of two or more methods (e.g., breakwater, sand fill, and planting vegetation)
• Create dunes along backshore of beach; includes planting dune grasses and sand fencing to induce settling of wind-blown sands
• Increase shoreline setbacks
• Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Redefine riverine flood hazard zones to match projected expansion of flooding frequency and extent
• Remove shoreline hardening structures such as bulkheads, dikes, and other engineered structures to allow for shoreline migration
• Replace shoreline armoring with living shorelines – through beach nourishment, planting vegetation, etc
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Restrict or prohibit development in erosion zones
• Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines

Wetland Protection

Maintain and Restore Wetlands

• Allow coastal wetlands to migrate inland (e.g., through setbacks, density restrictions, land purchases
  • See how Maryland Analyzes Coastal Wetlands Susceptibility to Climate Change
• Design new coastal drainage system
• Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., promoting natural buffers, adequate culvert sizing)
  • See how Barre City, Vermont Accounts for Climate Change within a Brownfield Redevelopment Plan
• Identify and protect ecologically significant ("critical") areas such as nursery grounds, spawning grounds, and areas of high species diversity
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Incorporate wetland protection into infrastructure planning (e.g., transportation planning, sewer utilities)
• Promote wetland accretion by introducing sediment
• Preserve and restore the structural complexity and biodiversity of vegetation in tidal marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangroves
  • See how Southwest Florida Assesses Salt Marsh Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise
• Prevent or limit groundwater extraction from shallow aquifers
• Trap sand through construction of groins – a barrier type structure that traps sand by interrupting longshore transport

Preserve Habitat

• Expand the planning horizons of land use planning to incorporate longer climate predictions

Preserve Coastal Land and Development

• Integrate coastal management into land use planning
  • See how Maryland Analyzes Coastal Wetlands Susceptibility to Climate Change
• Land acquisition program – purchase coastal land that is damaged or prone to damage and use it for conservation
• Land exchange programs – owners exchange property in the floodplain for county-owned land outside of the floodplain

Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance

• Create marsh by planting the appropriate species – typically grasses, sedges, or rushes – in the existing substrate
• Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines

Change in Fish Species

Maintain and Restore Wetlands

• Identify and protect ecologically significant ("critical") areas such as nursery grounds, spawning grounds, and areas of high species diversity
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures

Preserve Habitats

• Adapt protections of important biogeochemical zones and critical habitats as the locations of these areas change with climate
• Connect landscapes with corridors to enable migrations
  • See how Southwest Florida Assesses Salt Marsh Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise
• Design estuaries with dynamic boundaries and buffers
• Replicate habitat types in multiple areas to spread risks associated with climate change
  • See how Pennsylvania Protects Coldwater Fisheries and Water Quality from Climate Change

Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance

• Install rock sills and other artificial breakwaters in front of tidal marshes along energetic estuarine shores
• Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines

Estuaries

Maintain and Restore Wetlands

• Allow coastal wetlands to migrate inland (e.g., through setbacks, density restrictions, land purchases)
  • See how Maryland Analyzes Coastal Wetlands Susceptibility to Climate Change
• Create a regional sediment management (RSM) plan
• Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., promoting natural buffers, adequate culvert sizing)
  • See how Barre City, Vermont Accounts for Climate Change within a Brownfield Redevelopment Plan
• Establish rolling easements
• Identify and protect ecologically significant ("critical") areas such as nursery grounds, spawning grounds, and areas of high species diversity
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Incorporate wetland protection into infrastructure planning (e.g., transportation planning, sewer utilities)
• Maintain Sediment Transport
• Preserve and restore the structural complexity and biodiversity of vegetation in tidal marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangroves
  • See how Southwest Florida Assesses Salt Marsh Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise
• Prohibit hard shore protection
• Promote wetland accretion by introducing sediment
• Remove hard protection or other barriers to tidal and riverine flow (e.g., riverine and tidal dike removals)
• Trap or add sand through beach nourishment – the addition of sand to a shoreline to enhance or create a beach area
• Trap sand through construction of groins – a barrier type structure that traps sand by interrupting longshore transport

Maintain Water Quality & Availability

• Create water markets – transferring land and water from agricultural to community use
• Design new coastal drainage system
• Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., remove impervious surface, replace undersized culverts)
• Establish or broaden "use containment areas" to allocate and cap water withdrawal
• Incorporate sea level rise into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., sewage systems)
  • See how Southeast Florida Compact Analyzes Sea Level Rise Risk
• Integrate climate change scenarios into water supply system
  • See how Southeast Florida Compact Analyzes Sea Level Rise Risk
• Manage water demand (through water reuse, recycling, rainwater harvesting, desalination, etc.)
• Plug drainage canals
• Prevent or limit groundwater extraction from shallow aquifers

Preserve Coastal Land and Development

• Create permitting rules that constrain locations for landfills, hazardous waste dumps, mine tailings, and toxic chemical facilities
• Incorporate consideration of climate change impacts into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., homes, businesses)
• Integrate coastal management into land use planning
  • See how Maryland Analyzes Coastal Wetlands Susceptibility to Climate Change
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) – using an integrated approach to achieve sustainability
• Land acquisition program – purchase coastal land that is damaged or prone to damage and use it for conservation
• Land exchange programs – owners exchange property in the floodplain for county-owned land outside of the floodplain
• Manage realignment and deliberately realign engineering structures affecting rivers, estuaries, and coastlines

Preserve Habitat

• Adapt protections of important biogeochemical zones and critical habitats as the locations of these areas change with climate
• Design estuaries with dynamic boundaries and buffers
• Connect landscapes with corridors to enable migrations
  • See how Southwest Florida Assesses Salt Marsh Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise
• Expand the planning horizons of land use planning to incorporate longer climate predictions
  • See how Maryland Analyzes Coastal Wetlands Susceptibility to Climate Change
• Purchase upland development rights or property rights
• Replicate habitat types in multiple areas to spread risks associated with climate change
  • See how Pennsylvania Protects Coldwater Fisheries and Water Quality from Climate Change
• Retreat from, and abandonment of, coastal barriers

Use "Hard" Shoreline Maintenance

• Fortify dikes
• Harden shorelines with breakwaters – structures placed offshore to reduce wave action
• Harden shorelines with bulkheads – anchored, vertical barriers constructed at the shoreline to block erosion
• Harden shorelines with revetments that armor the slope face of the shoreline
• Harden shorelines with seawalls
• Headland control – reinforce or accentuate an existing geomorphic feature or create an artificial headland (e.g., Geotextile tubes)

Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance

• Composite systems – incorporate elements of two or more methods (e.g., breakwater, sand fill, and planting vegetation)
• Create dunes along backshore of beach; includes planting dune grasses and sand fencing to induce settling of wind-blown sands
• Create marsh by planting the appropriate species – typically grasses, sedges, or rushes – in the existing substrate
• Increase shoreline setbacks
• Install rock sills and other artificial breakwaters in front of tidal marshes along energetic estuarine shores
• Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Redefine riverine flood hazard zones to match projected expansion of flooding frequency and extent
• Remove shoreline hardening structures such as bulkheads, dikes, and other engineered structures to allow for shoreline migration
• Replace shoreline armoring with living shorelines – through beach nourishment, planting vegetation, etc
  • See how San Juan Bay Estuary Program Assesses Vulnerability and Targets Adaptation Measures
• Restrict or prohibit development in erosion zones
• Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines

Source Documents

These strategies are adapted from existing EPA, CDC and other federal resources. Please view these strategies in the context provided by the primary source document:

• Synthesis of Adaptation Options For Coastal Areas

Disclaimer

The adaptation strategies provided are intended to inform and assist communities in identifying potential alternatives. They are illustrative and are presented to help communities consider possible ways to address anticipated current and future climate threats to contaminated site management. Read the full disclaimer.