Flood Plains

 A tributary of the lower Chesapeake Bay, the Elizabeth River becomes a significant liability for much the heavily populated Hampton Roads metropolitan region. Already at or near sea level, the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Chesapeake often experience coastal flooding during significant high tides or storm events, with the many branches of the Elizabeth bringing flooding miles inland from the Bay or Atlantic Ocean, permeating . 

With sea level rise threatening to exacerbate flooding challenges locally, several mitigation efforts have been planned, with some already underway. 

One of these proposed strategies is the "Resilient Norfolk" Coastal Storm Risk Management Project, a $2.6B effort consisting of tidal surge barriers, floodwalls/levees, property-specific nonstructural improvements, and nature-based solutions including living shorelines and oyster reefs (Resilient Norfolk, 2024). In theory, this effort would shield most of the city from sea level rise-associated flooding, largely eminating from the main stem and eastern branch of the Elizabeth River.

Figure 1: Projected flood risk for the city of Norfolk by the year 2075, with and without the proposed "Resilient Norfolk" Coastal Storm Risk Management Project (Resilient Norfolk, 2024).

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References

Resilient Norfolk: Home. Resilient Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management. (2024, September 27). https://www.resilientnorfolk.com/