If you think it floods a lot in Old Town now, just wait until 2050.
During a City Council meeting earlier this week, Matthew Landes, division chief for project implementation, said current projections estimate a two-foot increase in sea elevation, meaning the city will need to install some type of flood mitigation if it wants to keep Old Town from being consistently underwater.
Landes presented the City Council with flood mitigation plans complete with a bulkhead along the river and pumping stations.
The plan is somewhat scaled down from earlier plans — $100 million doesn’t go quite as far as it used to.
“The budget allocated, $100 million, was determined not to be enough to develop all of the goals of the original plan,” Landes said.
Without any changes, however, Landes said flooding in Old Town will get more frequent.
“Impacts will become more severe with increasing frequency and intensity,” Landes said. “By 2050 we anticipate, at a moderate climate change projection, about a two-foot rise in sea level elevation so our lowest-lying areas will be more frequently affected.”
Terry Suehr, director of the Department of Project Implementation, said the “bathtub” shape of the waterfront necessitates the inclusion of pumping stations.
“I know a lot of people, including myself, wish we didn’t have to use pumps,” Suehr said. “Unfortunately, more and more communities are realizing that for stormwater management we are going to have to use pumps. We have a very low-lying area. The waterfront area is all fill, it’s lower than the natural surrounding area, so it creates a bit of a bathtub there. The only way we we can get it out of the bathtub is to pump.”
Recent Stories
Staff raises and market rate adjustments are a few of the proposed highlights after Alexandria City Public Schools got the green light last week by City Council to add $273.03…
(Updated 3:50 p.m.) The results of the Healthy Home Network survey last fall found that the biggest concern for most residents in Alexandria is pests. The survey was run by…
The final touches are being made on the expansion of Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus. After two years of construction, a certificate of occupancy was issued for the…
Tri Pointe brings Queer Eye interior designer Bobby Berk to Alexandria’s new Eisenhower Pointe. Tri Pointe Homes, one of the nation’s most celebrated names in residential building, introduced the new…
Good news, D.C. area. You can save money on your next home cleaning with Well-Paid Maids. It’s easy!
We offer a discount when you set up recurring cleans — and the discounts just increased this week!
For weekly cleans, get $30 off each cleaning.
Potomac Harmony is Back! Following a gap year of competing, then virtual rehearsals during the pandemic, followed by the well-earned retirement of our long-term director, a year of a director search, Potomac Harmony hit the regional contest stage in Concord, North Carolina in March for the first time since 2018! It was exhilarating, reaffirming, and rewarding!
The chorus hit all of its goals, the biggest of which was to have fun and sing our best on contest stage — we did both! Because we earned a score over 400 points, our new Director, Allison Lynskey, was awarded the Novice Director award, photo above. Additionally, one of our charter members, Jackie Bottash, was nominated for and honored with the Leadership Excellence award. It was a celebratory weekend!
What’s next? So much! We now look forward to upcoming performances, growing our membership, and expanding our musical product with new arrangements and an education component each week. It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-growing ensemble!
Alexandria NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, DPC to hold City Council…
The Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, and The Departmental Progressive Club to hold the City Council Candidate Forum for ALL Candidates in the City of Alexandria Virginia. The event is Free of Charge and Open to The
