Mobile Baykeeper’s Post

Several communities want to dredge sand for beachfill from inlet and back-barrier sources that are protected within the Coastal Barrier Resource System. It is important to understand that federal law does not prevent those communities from taking that sand! Federal law prevents the use of federal funds to take that sand. These communities could move that sand themselves if they wished. Why do they care about the cost if federal funds are being used? Because the local communities still have to pay a small cost share. If they went offshore, that cost share would be higher. Simple as that. Many places generate funds locally to pay the full cost of protecting their own investment property. All of them could and should. Also, the idea that all of that sand is simply recycled from beach to inlet and back to the beach is scientifically inaccurate. There are excellent, decades-old studies showing significant offshore transport of beach nourishment sand from Carolina and Wrightsville in particular. #PSDS #beachnourishment https://lnkd.in/e8T2eAFP

Yesterday capped off a few days of site visits that saw me cover over 1000 miles on the road – a Tour de North in the Tees and Eden catchments, capped off with a visit to the upper reaches of the Hampshire Avon. The purpose of this road trip: recceing sites for potential deployments of our novel ditch management and river restoration mitigation approaches. The common feature of all of these sites was a degraded river environment that would benefit from some form of restoration. Without fail, each landowner told me “the river never really flows out onto the floodplain”, even over last winter. These sites have been straightened, overdeepened and are now lacking much by way of habitat diversity. One farmer in the Tees catchment, who has lived on and farmed her land for 40 years, said “I remember when there used to be life in this beck.” Combined, these sites have the potential to deliver: 8000 kg N in the Tees catchment 110 kg P in the Eden catchment 45 kg P in Hampshire Avon catchment This is important not just because of the contribution to mitigation demand the projects could make in each catchment, but also because #nutrientneutrality provides a means to finance environmental restoration. Using these approaches, we can also bring forward this much mitigation for less than the cost of a single large wetland. I completed the draft guidance on drainage ditch management for NN a week ago. This was followed by a call with Natural England colleagues where we got to what should be a workable conceptual position on beaver dam analogues and river restoration. These approaches have the potential to not only alleviate mitigation supply shortages across all catchments, but also to improve degraded river environments, helping to bring life back to our neglected becks.  

"Regional and district councils are responsible under the NPS-FM and NES-F to avoid any further wetland loss; protect natural wetland values; promote restoration; and map wetlands to identify and monitor the values of natural wetlands and natural inland wetlands these terms are defined below." https://lnkd.in/gHBBeJKi

“I remember when there used to be life in this beck.” We have a responsibility to ensure natural habitats are passed on to future habitats in better condition than we found them in. Between BNG and nature-based nutrient schemes, we finally have a mechanism to do this. Creating market-based approaches to environmental protection and improvement is one of the more promising opportunities for us to ensure we don't leave the next generation with an even bigger mess.

From melted asphalt to collapsed bridges, wildfire damage to transportation infrastructure requires a multi-phase approach. Safety, environmental care, and building resilience are 🔑 to restoring and improving our roadways! 🔗 https://loom.ly/aGmMOqs #debriscleanup #worksafetyfirst #excavationcompamany #hurricanerecovery

Is it more cost-effective to try and hold the water back through engineering or just buy out the property owners and admit defeat? #climatechange #flooding #enviromnent #coastalflooding #fortlauderdale #florida #miami #insurance Fort Lauderdale is raising seawalls, upgrading drainage and installing tidal valves in an attempt to reduce coastal flooding, Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman said. But for flood-prone areas where upgrades have not solved the problem, roadway elevation has been proposed as the next potential solution. Another option considered by some coastal cities is what is known as managed retreat, where property owners voluntarily leave flood-prone areas. Municipalities typically rely on planning, zoning and environmental impact assessments to subtly manage retreat, according to a report authored by Gabriella Mickel published last year in the UCLA Journal of Environmental Law Policy. “For example, Punta Gorda limits new development in flood-prone areas and prohibits hard shoreline armoring,” Mickel wrote. “Punta Gorda has also utilized another managed retreat tactic — buyouts. Punta Gorda buys out properties to help people move away from the coastline. It then uses the land to build living shorelines that buffer floods and facilitate the inland migration of coastal habitats.” Fort Lauderdale officials have made no mention of buying out private property owners — not yet, anyway. “How do you tell people it’s not really worth trying to save your street or your home?” Glassman said. “It’s scary. It’s a scary thought. But it might be the reality of the future. But that’s part of a much larger discussion.” https://lnkd.in/eJQGRr64

Florida’s eroding beaches and the weakening federal partnership present challenges for coastal management. Collaborative efforts between state and federal agencies can help address these issues and protect our coastlines. Read about the current state of coastal management and the potential solutions being considered. #CoastalManagement #EnvironmentalPolicy #Florida https://bit.ly/3WFkIYu

💪 Fist bumps, 🎢 funnel cakes, and … all new 🚨 flood hazard zones? 🎯 This week, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection introduced a suite of new coastal development rules aimed at protecting homes, businesses, and infrastructure from the threat of climate change. 🌊 The rules include updated guidelines for elevating buildings in "inundation risk zones" and adjustments to how the state maps out "coastal flood hazard areas." 💰 While some critics of the new rules say they go too far and will raise the price of new development along the Shore, conservationists at the American Littoral Society argue that we're already paying far too much for the impacts of rising seas. 📢 “In New Jersey, we’ve already spent $5.8 billion in federal funding to help rebuild properties that have been lost from flood damage. And then when you factor in the cost of wages lost, business closed and other related losses, we’ve actually spent over $50 billion in the state of New Jersey alone from climate change,” said Lucia Osborne, of the American Littoral Society. 🎉 Kudos to the Society (where I'm proud to serve as a Trustee) and all the many other environmental groups across the Garden State that pushed for these new rules. Big win this week! #coastalresilience #climatechange #sealevelrise #resilience #jerseyshore

Here are some great resources for people thinking about how to better regulate development in floodplains and future floodplains!

20th century solutions can't keep up with climate change! Concrete isn't good for people or our environment. In order to transform our urban environments into resilient communities that benefit people and the planet, we need a lot more green space and a lot less concrete. Thankfully, there's a lot of momentum in the right direction starting with the passage of Measure W (which Los Angeles Waterkeeper helped craft & pass) which created the Safe Clean Water Program. LA is finally starting to see stormwater as an asset, and increasingly critical part of a local water supply, rather than a liability bringing flood risk and pollution. #resilientcommunities #greeninfrastructure #climatechange #water