Posted on August 28, 2024
Today, Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Commanding General and 55th U.S. Army Chief of Engineers, signed the Chief’s Report for the Miami-Dade Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Feasibility Study, propelling the study to the next phase of Congressional authorization and funding.
The Miami-Dade Back Bay CSRM Feasibility Study is an $11.2 million fully federally funded study led by USACE in partnership with the non-federal sponsor, Miami-Dade County, and in collaboration with key stakeholders and municipalities. The purpose of the study is to identify, evaluate, and recommend a set of solutions that manage coastal storm surge risks to Miami-Dade County, infrastructure, and most importantly, improve resilience by managing risks to public health and life safety.
The Chief’s Report outlines a suite of recommendations focused on six of the County’s most physically and socioeconomically vulnerable areas that include voluntary elevations of residential homes and floodproofing of non-residential buildings and critical infrastructure. The Chief’s Report also recommends a Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) Pilot Program and Programmatic Nonstructural Studies for Congress to authorize. Together, these efforts will help the County advance a multiple lines of defense approach to reducing damage from future storms.
“The signing of the Chief’s Report today is a big win for Miami-Dade and a crucial step toward making our nation’s coastal communities more resilient,” said Col. Sonny Avichal, USACE Norfolk District Commander. “This achievement highlights the importance of our enduring partnership with the County and our shared vision for a collaborative approach to improving coastal resiliency and managing coastal storm risks for the vulnerable Miami-Dade community.”
The signing of the Chief’s Report signifies the advancement of the proposed Recommended Plan, NBS Pilot Program, and Nonstructural Studies to Congress for authorization and appropriation, but the larger study effort does not end here.
“Residents, community partners, and leaders from private sector helped to co-design the many recommendations in this report, resulting in an initial list of projects our entire County can support,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “We applaud the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ community-centered approach as we work together to reduce the risk of storm surge and protect people and property for generations to come.”
If Congress authorizes the NBS Pilot Program, USACE in partnership with Miami-Dade County and other partners will create, build, and monitor NBS pilot projects. The Nonstructural Studies will investigate measures for complex buildings such as multifamily residences and hospitals. The aim is to use the insights gained in Miami-Dade from both of these initiatives to expand and support a wider range of risk management solutions that can be applied in future studies to benefit communities nationwide.
“The success of including the proposed NBS Pilot Program in the Chief’s Report is a direct result of a much more collaborative community engagement process through our non-federal sponsor, and is a testament to the agency’s willingness to think outside the box of existing policies and programs,” said Abbegail Preddy, project manager for the Miami-Dade CSRM Study at USACE Norfolk District. “The feedback we’ve received during the study clearly supports using more nature-based solutions and a coastal resilience strategy that merges engineering and ecological considerations. The proposed Program, if authorized, is an exciting opportunity to take lessons learned from future pilot projects in Miami-Dade and use them to shape the way the Army Corps of Engineers looks at coastal storm risk management.”
The Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment can be found here: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/MiamiDadeBackBayCSRMFeasibilityStudy/
