Federal money is coming to fix aging flood control systems – but plans all too often reflect historical patterns and not future risks

• Flooding is the costliest type of natural disaster in the U.S., responsible for about 90% of the damage from natural disasters each year.
• Yet, much of the aging infrastructure meant to protect U.S. communities is in bad shape and, in some cases, failing.
• But there’s a problem: New infrastructure planning frequently relies on historical flood patterns for its benchmarks rather than forecasts of changing risks as the climate warms.
• As federal funding for infrastructure rolls in, communities run the risk of spending millions of dollars on systems that weren’t built to handle the flood risks ahead.

Infrastructure is failing

• Much of the nation’s flood control infrastructure was designed for 20th century storms and flooding.
• And in many cases, stormwater systems, levees and dams are now approaching the end of their useful life, or are already well beyond it.
• The dams’ owner had lost its hydropower license for the Edenville Dam two years earlier, in part for failing to widen its spillway for safety.

Old data won’t protect against future flood risk

• Often, new infrastructure is designed using historical data, such as past high-water marks and storm intensity, to determine future flood risk.
• Many still rely on decades-old data and fail to consider the rising risks from climate change.
• There are alternatives that communities can use to help align their planning with a more likely future.
• Researchers working with the nonprofit First Street Foundation developed some of the first U.S. flood maps that account for future flood risk at the local level.
• With people continuing to build in high-risk areas, the costs and number of people at risk rise even higher.

What can communities do?

• Protecting communities starts with changing the status quo, including incorporating climate change into infrastructure planning and developing innovative policies for better flood management.
• Known as managed retreat, it is gaining interest, particularly in communities at risk from sea level rise, but it’s also controversial.
• But for many communities to remain unchanged, building and maintaining large-scale infrastructure will be necessary.
• Changes won’t happen overnight, but taking proactive measures and supporting innovative solutions will benefit communities in the long run and is the fiscally responsible thing to do.