Norwich
Project Consultant: GZA
Location:
This project seeks to develop forward looking adaptation strategies with implementable recommendations and specific actions to mitigate the long-term impacts of climate change on the residents of downtown Norwich and the greater Norwich community.
Norwich is an environmental justice community with high social vulnerability. The climate adaptation and resilience opportunity area centered on downtown Norwich includes the entire Main Street corridor from the lower portion of West Main Street to the lower end of East Main Street. Flood risks vary from tidal at the head of the Thames River to riverine along the Yantic River and Shetucket River.
Additional Norwich Resources
Resilience Opportunity Area Map Portfolio
Descripción del Proyecto
Meetings & Documents
Final Report
Situation:
Adaptation options and implementation planning that are identified and carried forward to conceptual design will incorporate the Resilient Connecticut PERSISTS criteria.
Flooding along the Spaulding Pond Brook corridor and in adjacent areas can occur during extreme precipitation events, affecting Chestnut Street, Franklin Street, and Main Street. Numerous regional assets and critical facilities for the city and the entire southeastern Connecticut region are located along and near the Main Street corridor including the wastewater treatment plant and the intermodal transit center (both on Hollyhock Island), City Hall, and the courthouse. Increasing flood risks are a challenge where stormwater and Spaulding Pond Brook can cause flooding.
Extreme heat management is a concern in Norwich. Significant development over several centuries has increased heat exposure and limits opportunities for shade and other methods of heat management. One of the City’s cooling centers is the library which is located on Main Street and can be affected or cut off by flooding from Spaulding Pond Brook. Furthermore, the rear of the library is in the 0.2% (500-year) flood zone associated with the Shetucket River. The Spaulding Pond Brook floodway and the Shetucket River 500-year flood zone are visible in the FIRMette below. If cooling centers are needed during a flood event, roads may be impassable, and people may not be able to reach them. Overall, options for extreme heat management in Norwich may be limited, and the community may wish to consider methods of reducing the causes of heating as well as methods of providing respite from heat.