The Water Resources Resilience Plan for Middlesex School focused on recommending short- and long-term stormwater management strategies, based on current and future campus vulnerabilities to localized and systemic flooding. The specific goals of the Plan were to protect water resources through environmental stewardship, preserve development rights and permittable space, and maintain a robust and resilient campus in the face of changing climate patterns, including increased temperatures and more frequent and intense precipitation events.
Nitsch utilized record information, geographic information systems (GIS), and on-site observations to investigate current campus conditions and the school’s overall watershed. We prepared hydrologic and hydraulic analysis using HydroCAD and PCSWMM to quantify stormwater-related vulnerabilities and identify potential resilience strategies, goals, and metrics for Middlesex School.
The resulting green infrastructure toolkit was tailored to the Middlesex School vulnerabilities and promoted disconnection, filtration, and detention to reduce reliance on the vulnerable gray infrastructure system. Nature-based solutions including floodplain and buffer restoration were recommended to increase the downstream storage capacity and reduce the floodplain elevation. We also provided specific short- and long-term prioritized strategies for critical areas to address immediate resilience concerns and provide the next steps for investigation, analysis, and implementation.
Key Collaborator
Owner: Middlesex School
