Projects
The Prescott Hall neighborhood in the City of Newport, RI, experiences flooding due to significant precipitation events and aging infrastructure.
In recent years, aging infrastructure has contributed to flooding events in coastal communities across the Northeastern United States – and The City of Newport, Rhode Island, in the New England region is no exception.
A History of Coastal Flooding in Newport, RI
Newport, Rhode Island, a city steeped in history and known for its Gilded Age mansions, has something else showing its age – its infrastructure.
Like many coastal communities in New England, The City of Newport, Rhode Island, is experiencing flooding due to aging infrastructure unable to withstand recent significant precipitation events due to our changing climate. The city installed its storm drainage system primarily in the 1970s, and the infrastructure is undersized for current standards, no longer providing adequate service.
The neighborhood has a long history of significant street and private property flooding during large precipitation events. Prescott Hall sits in the Elizabeth Brook watershed, a 586-acre area that lies within the 100-year and 500-year (FEMA) Flood Insurance Study (FIS) flood zones. The area is known to flood several times a year, and when Tropical Storm Ida hit in September 2021, many residents reported more than two feet of flooding.
The City of Newport engaged Jacobs to help with a study to analyze past flooding events, develop improvements to mitigate flooding and adapt to the increasing frequency of extreme events associated with our changing climate. Through this study, we’re working with the City of Newport to develop actionable solutions for more resilient and sustainable infrastructure for the future.
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586
Acre Area
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2
Feet of Flooding
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100
Year FEMA flood zones
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Residents and business owners experienced as much as two feet of flooding during Tropical Storm Ida.
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“This project started as a flood study but after the first public meeting, it became a lot more. People living in this neighborhood have experienced repetitive loss, but more importantly, fear for their safety. It was important for the city to keep residents informed throughout the project, to let them know what we were doing, ask for their feedback, share our results and talk them through the next steps. There is no easy fix to the pervasive flooding issues in this neighborhood, but the city is working towards making it better and helping the residents feel safer in their homes.”
Andrea Braga