Project Profile: Rising Water - Managing Floodplains in the Northeast in an Uncertain Future

View of the James River from Drewry's Bluff, Richmond National Battlefield Park.

NPS Photo

Inflation Reduction Act
Resilience | FY23 $500,000

The National Park Service (NPS) will identify and coordinate foundational data and tools for assessing current and future floodplain boundaries and flooding risk, fostering a regional approach to floodplain management on NPS lands in the northeast. In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, the NPS will address vulnerability and adaptation planning needs. The project improves availability of comprehensive, landscape-scale tools and data to support planning and decision-making for parks and enhance the management of cultural and natural resources.

Why? In the northeast, national parks are confronted with the rise in heavy precipitation events due to climate change and the need for tools to anticipate future flooding. In a region marked by climatic variability, with periods of extreme rainfall interspersed with drought, planning and engineering for critical park infrastructure along streams and rivers is challenging.

What Else? Measurable outcomes of this project will encompass a comprehensive evaluation of available datasets and tools, including their alignment with park vulnerability and adaptation planning needs and identifying gaps in data coverage and tool applicability. Pilot applications will be conducted in multiple parks with varying river and stream sizes to demonstrate how these datasets and tools can inform management decisions, such as facility siting, trail placement, culvert and bridge vulnerability assessment, and cultural resource protection.

About the Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act provides the National Park Service with an historic opportunity to address critical ecosystem resilience, restoration, and environmental planning needs. Projects funded in national parks represent broad-scale and impactful resource investments across every corner of our nation—from Alaska to Florida to Maine.