Miami-Dade Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management Study Release

greetings from Norfolk Virginia and thanks for taking time out of your day to seek additional information on this important study my name is Colonel Pat Kinsman I’m the Norfolk district’s 59th commander and want to thank you for again for joining us as the Norfolk District publishes a draft report on the miami-dade Back Bay coastal storm risk management study in this very unusual time of COVID-19 for our nation I felt it was very important for me to speak to you directly regarding this important study although we cannot entirely conduct business as usual the US Army Corps of Engineers continues to move forward with our mission of providing vital engineering solutions for the toughest water resource issues facing our citizens most recently our Corps of Engineers teams around the nation work to provide alternate care facilities in the face of COVID-19 including one constructed by the Jacksonville District in Miami-Dade County but in addition to these near-term urgent actions the Corps of Engineers has a mission to look at long-term Risk Reduction along our coastlines similar studies have been completed and are ongoing all along the east coast including in new york norfolk charleston and directly to your south in the Florida Keys you might ask why is the Norfolk District working in Florida I can tell you we are working here because the US Army Corps of Engineers as the premier engineering organization in the nation works as one enterprise providing top quality services wherever needed the Jacksonville District which normally supports South Florida has a large number of other projects that are currently executing the Norfolk District also has recent experience in completing coastal storm risk management studies having just completed one here in Norfolk so we had teams with this expertise ready to support the South Florida area and we are currently executing studies in not only miami-dade County but also in the Florida Keys and Collier County as well we are honored to support the citizens of Florida this Miami-Dade Back Bay study has the goal of reducing risk to the my area from future coastal storm events an especially storm surge specifically to reduce the economic damage as well as threats to life and safety this is not a new topic for this region coastal storms are reality of coastal living and the risk continued to increase over time with rising sea levels and changing weather patterns our Corps of Engineers team in partnership with Miami-Dade county our our outstanding non- federal sponsor has worked hard over the past 18 months to get to this point we have already held several public meetings to share the scope of the study and the study alternatives although it was not possible for our team to hold a public meeting at this time it’s very important that we are able to both explain this study to you and hear your questions and comments in order to ensure that it’s possible we’ll be providing options for engagement including webinars and office hours where you can call and talk to a study team member you’ll find details about these opportunities on the project website a link is provided in the comments section of this video this report release kicks off a 45-day comment period for the draft feasibility report an integrated programmatic environmental impact statement the environmental impact statement is programmatic which means we are acknowledging that additional environmental analysis and subsequent reports will be necessary to complete our coordination and compliance requirements in future study phases comments can be submitted via our web site by clicking on the comments link on the right hand side of the page the Miami-Dade Back Bay study is a three year three million dollar federal study it is involved a great deal of coordination with Miami-Dade County state and federal agencies and community stakeholders because of this region’s vulnerability I want to make it clear upfront that this study will not address all risks to this area from coastal storms in order to complete the study in a timely manner and provide a project that can be constructed we had to narrow its scope to focus on the most highly vulnerable areas in doing so we recognize that additional studies will be needed in the future to more holistically address risks throughout the county also the core is just one piece in a much larger puzzle of local state federal and private contributions to this region’s overall resiliency effort this county is very advanced on this topic of resilience Miami-Dade County has conducted its own studies with many complementary measures recommended for the near and longer-term this multi-layered response is necessary for such a complex issue one clarification this study does not make a recommendation for the beaches there is a separate US Army Corps of Engineers study looking at the beach and that report is scheduled to be released at a later time this Back Bay study focuses on all other areas of the county in order to narrow down the most at-risk areas the team looked at an overlay of where the most storm flooding would occur along with the CDC’s social vulnerability index which accounts for those populations facing other factors that might put them at risk the team then recommended seven focus areas for the study were flooding and social vulnerability were both evident the tentatively selected plan is focused on those seven areas and is a combination of storm surge barriers at the Miami River Little River and Biscayne Canal with associated flood walls and pump stations in addition there are what we call non structural features such as home elevations and flood proofing of businesses finally we have proposed protective measures for critical infrastructure such as police and fire stations medical facilities shelters and wastewater plants throughout the entire county it is important to note that Miami-Dade County has not received any significant storm surge in recent memory this study has been formulated to address widespread storm sir which we have seen in other areas such as with Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas but not as a direct hit to the Miami region there are many issues that must be considered when developing a project of this magnitude such as environmental and cultural impacts the programmatic environmental impact statement helps spell out both the benefits and effects it’s scroll to point out that these measures are only outlines every comprehensive engineering solution specifics such as final designs and precise placement locations would be determined later if Congress approves and subsequently funds further engineering design and construction we are very excited to bring this plan to you and look forward to your feedback the plan will undergo a series of rigorous reviews by the public as well as other local state and federal agencies an extensive policy and technical review will also take place within our agency the Miami-Dade Back Bay project has a long way to go before construction could occur the goal is to have a report signed by the chief of engineers in September 2021 which can be sent as a recommendation for Congress to authorize if authorized and funds are appropriated the project could then move forward to further engineering and design and eventually to construction we want your input to make this a better project from the entire US Army Corps of Engineers and specifically those here with the Norfolk District thank you and stay safe .