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Virginia Beach Public Works Design Standards Manual - Sea Level Rise and Precipitation Adjustments for Stormwater Management Design
May 2019
In 2019, the City of Virginia Beach updated its Public Works Design Standards Manual (Manual) to account for climate change impacts in drainage system design requirements that help control stormwater runoff. The Manual provides minimum design standards for all City public works projects within City rights-of-way, easements, and City-owned properties (e. g. , roadway, drainage, and traffic signal design standards). Section 8 of the Manual addresses stormwater management, and unlike most of the rest of the Manual, its standards apply to all private projects as well as City construction projects relating to stormwater management.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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Virginia Executive Order 24 (2018): Increasing Virginia’s Resilience to Sea Level Rise and Natural Hazards
November 2, 2018
Executive Order 24 (2018), issued by Governor Ralph Northam, established a statewide strategy to increase Virginia’s resilience to sea level rise and natural hazards. It clarified the duties of the Chief Resilience Officer, previously appointed as the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security and subsequently formalized in House Bill 1313 (2020).
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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Virginia S 265: Special Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Adaptation and Protection
June 22, 2018
On June 22, 2018, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed Senate Bill 265 creating a new cabinet-level position to address coastal adaptation and protection in Virginia. The bill states that the Special Assistant to the governor will be responsible for leading statewide efforts in response to coastal flooding; working to initiate economic development opportunities associated with adaptation; and fostering coordination throughout the Commonwealth, especially in Hampton Roads, a coastal region of the state that is most vulnerable to sea level rise and land subsidence.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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Patterns and Projections of High Tide Flooding Along the U.S. Coastline Using a Common Impact Threshold
February 2018
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) analyzes "high tide flooding" (also known as "nuisance flooding") in this report, and finds that it is becoming more commonplace due to sea level rise. High tide flooding impacts roads, beaches, parks, and private property, and is generally more disruptive than damaging. However, there are places such as Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California; and the U. S Marshall islands where it is currently a serious problem. Even more, with continued sea level rise, flooding is likely to increase.
Authors or Affiliated Users: William Sweet, Greg Dusek, Jayantha Obeysekera, John Marra
Resource Category: Data and tools
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Building a Better Norfolk: A Zoning Ordinance of the 21st Century - Norfolk, Virginia
January 23, 2018
The City of Norfolk, Virginia adopted a new zoning ordinance in 2018 to enhance flood resilience and direct new more intense development to higher ground. The ordinance establishes a Coastal Resilience Overlay (CRO) zone, where new development and redevelopment will have to comply with new flood resilience requirements, and an Upland Resilience Overlay (URO), designed to encourage new development in areas of the city with lower risk of flooding.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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Adapt Virginia (AdaptVA)
2017
Adapt Virginia ("AdaptVA") is a web portal designed to provide climate information, data, and tools tailored for Virginia users, including local governments, emergency managers, state agencies, and home and business owners, among others. The portal includes data, tools, case studies, example plans, laws and policies to help Virginia decisionmakers adapt to rising seas and other impacts of climate change.
Resource Category: Adaptation Websites
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Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Environmental Justice Toolkit
July 27, 2017
Prepared by the Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), this toolkit provides an overview of environmental justice principles and outlines a series of approaches to better achieve environmental justice goals in the Washington, DC metro area. For each approach, the toolkit lists a number of additional resources that can be used to operationalize the recommendation.
Resource Category: Data and tools
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Flood Protection Pay-Offs: A Local Government Guide to the Community Rating System
March 2017
This comprehensive guide to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is compiled by Wetlands Watch. The NFIP CRS program provides flood insurance discounts, of up to 45%, to constituents within a localities where local governments pursue activities that mitigate flood risks. The guide is meant to help local governments determine which practices may earn credit under the CRS program, what adjustments they may need to make to receive credit, and if funding opportunities are available to assist local governments in meeting credit requirements.
Author or Affiliated User: Mary-Carson Stiff
Resource Category: Solutions
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Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Certification Program
2017
The Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Certification Program is a voluntary credential for professionals who design, install and maintain sustainable landscapes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The goal of the certification program is to certify professionals throughout the watershed who can maintain conservation landscapes that help reduce stormwater runoff, in turn benefiting local residents and ecosystems.
Resource Category: Education and Outreach
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Sea Level Rise Adaptation Guide - Virginia
This comprehensive, web-based guide from Wetlands Watch compiles sea level rise adaptation resources for local governments in coastal Virginia. The guide includes numerous case studies, both from Virginia and other coastal communities of the United States. It also highlights funding opportunities, costs and benefits of different approaches to adaptation, flags adaptation approaches eligible for receiving credit through the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System, and explores means of public engagement.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Mary-Carson Stiff, Ross Weaver
Resource Category: Planning


