Glen Cove waterfront at risk of flooding, report says, prompting city to adopt state climate pledge - Newsday

Glen Cove waterfront at risk of flooding, report says, prompting city to adopt state climate pledge - Newsday
Long Island Towns

Glen Cove waterfront at risk of flooding, report says, prompting city to adopt state climate pledge
Climate change will put large swaths of the waterfront along Glen Cove Creek, seen here, at risk for flooding by the end of the century, a report says. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost

The city of Glen Cove has adopted a state climate pledge allowing it access to state grants, following a report that said rising sea levels due to climate change will put large swaths of the waterfront along Glen Cove Creek at risk for flooding by the end of the century.

The report, “ Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Strategies Plan for Western Gateway,” projects that by 2100 sea level rise and increased precipitation will put most of the properties along Morris Avenue, a street that runs parallel to the creek on its southern side, at risk of flooding.

The city applied for state funding for the study in 2017 and awarded a $50,000 contract to Massachusetts-based GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. in 2019 to undertake the study.

“Areas that exhibit nuisance flooding or ponding now are expected to exhibit more frequent and more significant flooding in the future,” the report said. “Ponding from intense rainfall is most expected at the recreational fields north of the Tiegerman School and along Morris Avenue and Park Place.”

The state climate pledge includes 10 points that commit a municipality to general goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, shifting to renewable energy and addressing the impacts of climate change. By adopting the pledge, the city can join the New York State Climate Smart Communities program, giving it access to state grants and state resources to respond to climate change. The grant program in 2023 has offered competitive matching grants from $10,000 to $2 million for climate change projects that focus on infrastructure or assessment and planning.

Alison Branco, climate adaptation director at the Nature Conservancy in New York, said the state program has evolved over the years to include not just efforts to reduce emissions but planning to adapt to climate change.

"For communities like Glen Cove on Long Island with coastal areas, that's a super important piece of getting your community ready for the future," Branco said. The state funding can help communities like Glen Cove prepare for rising sea levels, she said.

"Federal and state agencies have done a great job of mapping where sea level rise will impact us," she said. "But it’s really at the local level, where land use control happens, where the planning has to occur, to sort of envision the community, how it’s going to evolve into the future with a lot more water."

“We're trying to be proactive and be ahead of the game and not wait for a flood again before we have to come up with the solution,” Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said.

The report discusses three different approaches to the problem of flooding: retreat, protect and accommodate.

Retreat involves relocating assets or development to sites away from the flood area. The second approach aims to prevent water from reaching assets by building sea walls or other flood barriers. The third approach allows water to reach sites but protects assets from damage by elevating buildings and improving drainage.

While the northern side of Glen Cove Creek has been the site of major residential projects on former industrial sites in recent years, the southern side along Morris Avenue is predominantly industrial, including a municipal waste transfer plant and an asphalt plant.

There are no plans to build a sea wall, Panzenbeck said. Right now the city will be cleaning drainage systems, and Nassau County will be starting a road project along part of the waterfront that will improve drainage, she said.

The report also looked at the impact of extreme heat as global temperatures rise. Climate change is expected to bring fewer days of freezing weather and more intense heat waves of temperatures over 90 degrees, the report said. Some responses to hotter weather include scheduling outdoor work and events at cooler times of the day and encouraging use of renewable energy to reduce stress on the electric grid.

The area could also be used as a location for docks and kiosks for a potential bike sharing program, the report said. Increasing cycling and pedestrian access are strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the report said.

The city of Glen Cove has adopted a state climate pledge allowing it access to state grants, following a report that said rising sea levels due to climate change will put large swaths of the waterfront along Glen Cove Creek at risk for flooding by the end of the century.

The report, “ Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Strategies Plan for Western Gateway,” projects that by 2100 sea level rise and increased precipitation will put most of the properties along Morris Avenue, a street that runs parallel to the creek on its southern side, at risk of flooding.

The city applied for state funding for the study in 2017 and awarded a $50,000 contract to Massachusetts-based GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. in 2019 to undertake the study.

“Areas that exhibit nuisance flooding or ponding now are expected to exhibit more frequent and more significant flooding in the future,” the report said. “Ponding from intense rainfall is most expected at the recreational fields north of the Tiegerman School and along Morris Avenue and Park Place.”

The state climate pledge includes 10 points that commit a municipality to general goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, shifting to renewable energy and addressing the impacts of climate change. By adopting the pledge, the city can join the New York State Climate Smart Communities program, giving it access to state grants and state resources to respond to climate change. The grant program in 2023 has offered competitive matching grants from $10,000 to $2 million for climate change projects that focus on infrastructure or assessment and planning.

Alison Branco, climate adaptation director at the Nature Conservancy in New York, said the state program has evolved over the years to include not just efforts to reduce emissions but planning to adapt to climate change.

"For communities like Glen Cove on Long Island with coastal areas, that's a super important piece of getting your community ready for the future," Branco said. The state funding can help communities like Glen Cove prepare for rising sea levels, she said.

"Federal and state agencies have done a great job of mapping where sea level rise will impact us," she said. "But it’s really at the local level, where land use control happens, where the planning has to occur, to sort of envision the community, how it’s going to evolve into the future with a lot more water."

“We're trying to be proactive and be ahead of the game and not wait for a flood again before we have to come up with the solution,” Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said.

The report discusses three different approaches to the problem of flooding: retreat, protect and accommodate.

Retreat involves relocating assets or development to sites away from the flood area. The second approach aims to prevent water from reaching assets by building sea walls or other flood barriers. The third approach allows water to reach sites but protects assets from damage by elevating buildings and improving drainage.

While the northern side of Glen Cove Creek has been the site of major residential projects on former industrial sites in recent years, the southern side along Morris Avenue is predominantly industrial, including a municipal waste transfer plant and an asphalt plant.

There are no plans to build a sea wall, Panzenbeck said. Right now the city will be cleaning drainage systems, and Nassau County will be starting a road project along part of the waterfront that will improve drainage, she said.

The report also looked at the impact of extreme heat as global temperatures rise. Climate change is expected to bring fewer days of freezing weather and more intense heat waves of temperatures over 90 degrees, the report said. Some responses to hotter weather include scheduling outdoor work and events at cooler times of the day and encouraging use of renewable energy to reduce stress on the electric grid.

The area could also be used as a location for docks and kiosks for a potential bike sharing program, the report said. Increasing cycling and pedestrian access are strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the report said.

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