Environmental Science and Policy – �鶹��Ƶ

Health impact assessment of multi-hazards

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:40:03 +0000

The purpose of this document is to provide Pepin County with a summary of the reports from University of Wisconsin–Madison regarding the 2017-2022 Pepin County Multi-Hazards Mitigation Plan. Thereports cover four topics within the plan that are expected to have significant impact on Pepin County residents: extreme weather, flooding, water quality, and agricultural land use. While the following executive summaries will provide context to the assessments of these topics, the individual reports contain more detailed research, data, and recommendations.

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UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141

University Faculty Contact
Jonathan Patz
patz@wisc.edu

Community Engagement for Vulnerable Communities: Flooding Impacts and Adaptation in East Riverdale-Beacon Heights

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:20 +0000

Flood hazards and associated damage are expected to increase in intensity and frequency in the coming years due to increased development and progressing climate change. The severity of these impacts is directly related to the characteristics of drainage basins; severity increases as impervious surface area and development in urban areas increases (USGS, n.d.). Rain events are also set to increase in both intensity and severity as the climate changes in the northeastern United States, leading to an expected 45% increase in the size of the 100-year floodplain by the end of the century (Walsh et al., 2014; Hoegh-Guldberg et al., 2018; Denchak, 2019). Many residents of East Riverdale-Beacon Heights currently live in floodplains; others will likely live in a one-as floodplains increase in size. Additionally, the communities in East Riverdale-Beacon Heights are disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of flooding due to higher than average flooding exposure, and lower than average socioeconomic status and educational attainment. Due to these increased flood risks, this project first evaluated flood risks for the East Riverdale-Beacon Heights communities. GIS analysis revealed that 59 residential units are currently impacted by flooding, and demographic analysis revealed that these residents may be more vulnerable to the effects of flooding, given that a majority (57.2%) of them are Hispanic, more families live below the poverty line than the County average, and the percent of adults without a high school diploma is higher than the County average. To address these findings, multiple flood mitigation strategies were researched and considered. Disregarding financial constraints and considering the vulnerability of the East Riverdale-Beacon Heights community, the best long-term strategy to mitigate flooding impacts was determined to be a buyout program and successful advertisement thereof, using communication strategies detailed in this report. However, if a buyout program is not possible, the most at-risk residents should be urged to either elevate or wet floodproof their homes. Additionally, we recommend that the County continue to acquire areas within the floodplain to use as open space and implement green infrastructure techniques to decrease the magnitude of floods. Green infrastructure recommendations in this report include permeable pavement, downspout disconnection, bioretention, blue roofs, green roofs, and urban tree canopy. These mitigation solutions should not only be adopted by the County but also recommended to citizens in the East Riverdale-Beacon Heights area. The County should continue to use the websites and mailing systems they have in place and update the information to include the findings of this report. Moreover, this project has determined that the best way to communicate this information is through the consistent use of multiple social media platforms and, most importantly, public outreach meetings and events. Outreach events allow the County to make flooding information more accessible and explain more complex information through conversation. In conclusion, Prince Georgeâ€s County can optimally decrease flood risk for the maximum number of residents, both inside and outside of East Riverdale-Beacon Heights, by implementing as many of these strategies as possible. Using strategies that decrease exposure, hazard, and vulnerability can cohesively and systematically increase flood resiliency for this human-environmental system.

Flooding in Patapsco Valley State Park: Recommendations for Signage and Communication Materials

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:17 +0000

Patapsco Valley State Park (PVSP) and its surrounding areas have been subject to increased flooding in recent years. In 2016 and 2018, the area experienced two 1,000-year floods (Halverson, 2018) that significantly damaged the park. Flooding events of this severity and magnitude are expected to be exacerbated in the future due to rapidly increasing impacts from climate change (Denchak, 2019). The park has found it challenging to communicate flood risks to visitors. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which manages PVSP, is concerned that visitors donâ€t plan ahead when they attend the park, and donâ€t know the risks involved in hiking through the park, which puts them at a greater risk of harm in the event of a flood. Additionally, many PVSP visitors donâ€t speak or read English, which creates a significant communication gap between visitors and the park to convey safety messages about flooding. This project aims to determine the most effective language for signage and communication materials to communicate flood risks and what to do if a flood occurs. The group reviewed academic and non-academic literature on the best ways to communicate risk, the best ways to educate youth, strategies used by other parks to communicate risk, as well as information about the Ellicott City area. The research and final deliverables aim to determine the most effective language for signs within PVSP, and the best education and communication materials to distribute to park visitors. The project began with a client meeting to define expectations for the project. We determined three major aspects: creating safety signage, creating educational materials, and creating a video to be shown at the PVSP mobile ranger station. We also discussed the importance of improving communication with Spanish-speaking visitors. Following this meeting, the group researched flood-risk education, risk communication in parks, risk communication with Spanish speakers, and best practices for park signage. A site visit gave the team a better understanding of the clientâ€s expectations. After this visit, the group divided into three teams; the first team was tasked with editing existing park signs, the second team was tasked with developing educational materials, and the third team was tasked with writing a detailed video script for use throughout the park and at the mobile ranger station. Each team conducted additional relevant research. The result was three deliverables: recommendations and mock-ups of effective safety signage, educational pamphlets that inform park visitors about flooding risks, and a script for an educational video on flooding. We hope this work can contribute to DNRâ€s goal of providing accessible and appropriate flood communication materials for all park visitors.

Stormwater Maintenance Assessment and Recommendations

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:16 +0000

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning (M-NCPPC), which operates under Prince George’s County (PGC) Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), is responsible for approximately 194 stormwater management systems (SWM) throughout the county that range in scale, complexity, and type. The management of these assets is currently overseen by the Maintenance and Development Division, however, their staff lacks the expertise and training to repair and maintain these structures. Furthermore, an updated best management practices (BMP) maintenance manual is not available for staff and many existing structures need upgrading to meet current standards. Our team aims to assist M-NCPPC in the maintenance and development of its stormwater management structures. To accomplish this, we completed a literature review of best practices for stormwater management, curated customized checklists, and visited nine of the Departmentâ€s stormwater management assets to assess their condition. We also propose recommendations for improvements of existing structures. This section of our research aims to assist M-NCPPC staff in maintaining existing and potential new SWM structures. The Department also seeks consolidate its current SWM assets into standardized categories to make forecasting potential maintenance costs and schedules easier. The Department would like to capture best practices used by similar agencies to create standards and start tracking spending metrics of these best practices and become more effective stewards of taxpayer money. This report includes a comparative literature review of national and international SWM BMPs to consolidate the current 16 SWM categories. Based on our research and on an assessment of the nine sites visited, we were able to identify opportunities for improvement and create maintenance guidelines. We hope this work, along with an assessment by an appropriate specialist, helps M-NCPPC maintain and improve existing structures, and develop new stormwater management structures.

Food Access and Equity in Prince George’s County

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:13 +0000

The semester was divided into a group of students who studied a comprehensive comprehensive analysis of food equity in Prince Georgeâ€s County, with a focus on the most vulnerable communities including to determine appropriate definitions of food access, food security, food equity, and to conduct a spatial analysis of Prince Georgeâ€s county. The students used ArcPro to produce maps identifying healthy food priority areas while providing policy recommendations to the M-NCPPC planning department and outlining further steps for future capstone groups.