The City of Crisfield, Maryland has been selected for over $36 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to assist in protecting the City from flooding. The City worked with a team from FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) to create this application. The resulting project that has been developed to protect the City from flooding includes the work of many hours by the BRIC DTA team including engineers and coastal scientists.
Crisfield’s Mayor Taylor says of the BRIC DTA team and project partners “Their support has been nothing short of amazing….your professionalism, attention to detail, and technical expertise is unmatched.”
The project is also informed by the study conducted by The Nature Conservancy with partners George Mason University (GMU), the University of Maryland’s Environmental Finance Center (EFC), and the EPA Office of Research and Development (EPA ORD). The design being presented is still in a concept phase. Community members will have many opportunities for input on these projects over the year prior to any construction beginning.
The Southern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project will combine strategies to greatly reduce the tide and flood water entering the City and assist in getting the water out quickly if it does enter, such as during a storm or rain event.
The Southern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project will assist in protecting the south side of the City to the 3.5 foot level of flooding. This fall, the City will apply for the Northern Crisfield Flood Mitigation Project to assist in protecting the north part of the City to the 5-foot flood level. The completed projects will protect both the north and the south parts of the City to the 5-foot flood level. The next step is grant approval followed by the design phase, which will include public input, followed by permitting and construction. Construction is not estimated to start until 2026.
A conceptual layout of the project consists of the following components:
- A continuous tidal flood protection barrier completely surrounding the project area, composed of elevated roadways, restored or capped bulkheads, and earthen berms.
- An internal drainage system composed of new storm sewers, swales, improved ditches, pump stations, storage facilities, and restored/constructed wetlands.
- Tide gates designed to keep high tidal waters out of the drainage system while maintaining intertidal flows during average tides to support wetland health.
Of the successful application, Mayor Taylor says “The notification of our Southern Crisfield Flood Mitigation project award is nothing short of phenomenal!! I am still processing this wonderful accomplishment. Believing this was possible and having it come to fruition is simply amazing. This is when the real work begins…”
More information on this and other flood mitigation projects is available at CrisfieldFloodMitigation.com. If you are a part of a Crisfield organization that would like to receive a presentation about this project, please contact jmerritt@crisfieldcityhall.com.
