WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $10,801,611.50 in federal funding to improve coastal resilience and combat sea level rise in Norfolk and Virginia’s coastal communities. The funding was awarded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF), which provides funding to restore, increase, and strengthen natural infrastructure to protect coastal communities and enhance habitats for fish and wildlife.

“Severe flooding and sea level rise hurt Virginia communities, businesses, and economies. It’s important that we have the infrastructure in place to protect these communities,” said the senators. “We’re glad this funding will help Norfolk and other coastal communities in Virginia improve resilience and address challenges created by flooding, storms, and sea level rise.”

The funding is distributed as follows:

• $10,000,000 for Norfolk to improve flood management and water quality at St. Paul’s Blue-Greenway, a multipurpose park that will be located in St. Paul’s Redevelopment Project in Tidewater Gardens, one of Norfolk’s largest public housing complexes. The area is susceptible to frequent flooding due to stormwater events and the current stormwater system's ineffective connection to the river through canals and box culverts. The funding will be used to construct a nine-acre stormwater wetland, a shallow area with vegetation that captures stormwater and removes pollutants, which helps mitigate flooding and improves water quality. The wetland will also provide habitats and open spaces to support various species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, bats, and other small mammals and insects.
• $493,702.82 for the Old Dominion Research Foundation to address flooding and sea level rise in Southside Norfolk. The funding will be used to collect data related to flooding, engage the Southside community in designing infrastructure and nature-based solutions to alleviate recurring problems caused by flooding, storms, and sea level rise, and provide training and employment opportunities to community members living in underserved river front neighborhoods.
• $307,908.65 for Anthropocene Alliance to support 10 community-based organizations in the Atlantic Coastal Plain – which includes Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina – to address issues of climate risk, displacement, relocation, and the deployment of nature-based solutions to provide protection from storm surges, high tides, and sea level rise. The project will provide each community-based organization with a detailed road map for community resilience development and implementation of projects that builds off existing priorities and plans for addressing coastal hazards.

Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to build coastal resilience and address sea level rise in Virginia’s coastal communities. Earlier this month, the senators applauded $10 million in federal funding for the development of St. Paul’s Blue-Greenway. They also announced $25 million to protect critical infrastructure from flooding in Virginia Beach.

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