DC Flood Task Force Final Report (2023)

In June 2023, the D.C. Flood Task Force published the Flood Task Force Report. This report—the product of over two years of multi-agency collaboration between District agencies and federal and public partners—includes 27 recommended Action Plans to reduce the impacts of floods throughout the District. These Action Plans are only recommendations, and implementation requires further approval, review, and funding. However, by categorizing the complexities of flooding impacts and creating actionable pathways to address them, the Report and the included Action Plans act as a guide for future policy and program development throughout the District.

D.C. faces ongoing challenges from coastal, interior, riverine, and sewer backup floods, especially in historically disadvantaged communities. Led by D.C. Water and the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), the DC Flood Task Force was established in September 2021 by the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) to tackle these complex problems and identify equitable flood adaptation strategies. The guiding focus of the Task Force was to “identify equitable ways to reduce the risk of water damage from coastal, interior, riverine, and sewer backup floods in the District, as well as ways to reduce the financial impacts of flooding on low- and fixed-income homeowners.” After 16 months, 32 meetings, and two public listening sessions, the Task Force finalized the 27 recommended actions, each falling under one or more of the following categories: 

Residential Resilience

  • Insurance 
  • Repairing Flood Damage 
  • Floodproofing
  • Sewer Line Backup Prevention  

Governance & Coordination 

  • Flood Infrastructure 
  • Regulations and Permitting 
  • Mapping and Modeling 
  • Planning and Coordination 
  • Emergency Response

As stated in the Report’s Letter from Deputy Mayor Babers, the Task Force created the Report through a lens of racial equity and social justice. The goal of each Action Plan is ultimately to “remediate vulnerabilities and problems most acutely affecting historically Black neighborhoods and members of historically marginalized groups”. To ensure this focus was maintained throughout the development of the Report, each Action Plan includes a section on equity, explaining how ”equity and residents who are most impacted” are prioritized. 

 

The Report provides a paragraph summary of each Action Plan and includes the full plans in the appendix. Each full Action Plan includes:

  • An overview of the action and implementation strategy; 
  • The impacted District Ward/Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC);
  • The responsible agency; 
  • Background information (impact on overall goals, historical context, etc.); 
  • How the action prioritizes equity;
  • The timeline of implementation; 
  • The budget breakdown over the course of implementation; and
  • Public outreach and input related to the Action Plan. 

For example, Action 2.2, Develop a Local Workforce to Perform Flood Related Repairs, aims to repair flood damage by increasing the number of trained workers available for rapid response post-flood events. The Action Plan designates DC Water as the lead agency for implementation, with DOEE and the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking (DISB) acting as supporting agencies prior to implementation. Through providing career training services for District residents, Action 2.2 intends to address the compounding damage to infrastructure and homes, particularly in low-income communities, when capacity limitations inhibit response times for removing standing water within 48-hours of a flood. 

Many of the actions require funding from outside sources; to help guide funding source identification, the Report includes a summary of potential federal, local, and alternative funds that could be used for future project implementation, including: 

  • Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; 
  • Inflation Reduction Act; 
  • Appropriated Funds; 
  • Public Private Partnerships (P3s); 
  • Tax Increment Financing and PACE;
  • Environmental Taxes; 
  • Stormwater Utility Fees; and
  • Private Philanthropy.

Publication Date: June 2023

Related Organizations:

  • DC Flood Task Force

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Resource Types:

  • Planning guides

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