Early Adopters of Stormwater Resilience Strategies

Making our stormwater systems resilient requires that infrastructure not only accommodate today’s storms but also the expected conditions and impacts of tomorrow. Incorporating climate information into stormwater management requires explicitly considering changes in precipitation patterns as well as how these fluctuations affect our landscapes. This has been a challenge for many communities because of uncertainty, data gaps, and accessibility of scientific research results.

The Center for Watershed Protection's National Watershed Research Network has compiled a collection of 12 case studies of “early adopter” communities who are forging ahead with adaptive implementation of stormwater resilience strategies. These local case studies can help stormwater managers in cities and towns across the country by providing concrete examples, practical details, and advice to inspire action and innovation.

The case studies, listed below, can be accessed on the project storymap.

Blaine County, Idaho
Collaborating on Forest Enhancement for Climate Resilience
Bluffton, South Carolina
Adopting Local Policy Protections for Wetlands to Strengthen Coastal Flood Resilience
Boston, Massachusetts
Modeling and Visualizing Compound Flood Impacts and Solutions
Broward County, Florida
From Planning to Practice: Adopting Future Condition Maps to Guide Development and Redevelopment
Crisfield, Maryland
Small Town, Big Partnerships: Leveraging Resources to put Comprehensive Flood Adaptation Within Reach
Hampton Roads, Virginia
Regional Leadership for Resilient Stormwater Design in Coastal Virginia
Jacksonville, Florida
Incentivizing Climate-Smart Growth to Reduce Flood Impacts
Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Region
Raising the Bar on Stormwater Design and Management in the Central Midwest
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Integrating Climate Data into Stormwater, Wastewater, and Water Projects
Salem, Massachusetts
Balancing Growth and Future Flood Resilience Using Zoning Overlays
Seattle, Washington
Designing Today’s Sewer Overflow Tunnels for Tomorrow’s Storms
Tucson, Arizona
Using Stormwater as a Resource for Resilient Desert Living

For more information about this project, contact Karen Cappiella at kc@cwp.org.

Established by the Center for Watershed Protection in 2022, the National Watershed Research Network is grounded in a simple idea: we are better together. By pooling resources and expertise, the Network supports communities in advancing clean water and healthy watersheds through applied research driven by member priorities, with results shared broadly and freely. Projects are funded through annual membership contributions and matching support from CWP. To learn more about becoming a member contact Karen Titus at kmt@cwp.org.