GLOUCESTER, Va — On Monday, a major initiative launched in Gloucester aimed at highlighting some of the pressures coastal communities face with flooding and sea level rise.
According to environmental experts, we face two major environmental problems in Virginia, flooding and erosion.
"Over 50% of the water problems and nutrient problems that you have in the Chesapeake Bay comes from erosion issues." explained Leonard Nelson with 'Natrx', a company that has collaborated with an initiative aims to address the effects of it.
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It's called 'The Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Ecosystem.'
'Virginia Sea Grant', 'Rise Resilience Innovations' and 'The Middle Pennisula Chesapeake Bay Public Access Authority' have teamed up in the effort.
Developed technologies have been designed to help defend coastal communities against sea level rise and flooding.
Tate Rogers with 'Triangle Environmental' says one of the developments, a scaled-down wastewater treatment plan will hopefully solve a major problem some communities in Virginia are facing.
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"Traditional septic systems don't work the way they are intended so they're not doing the treatment and so this system allows us to have an elevated system that is flood resilient while producing a very high quality," said Rogers.
In terms of helping combat erosion, 'Natrx' uses AI and software to install 3D-printed structures that can be installed by local contractors on property close to the water.
"By combining techniques that we have like 3D printing of break-waters we can be smart about how we use resources and use more nature-compatible techniques as opposed to big rip rafts or rock structures to protect the coast," said Nelson.
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Nelson says flood water can affect quality of life and also cost you.
"When you have erosion it lowers property values and you're also losing land so it's kind of like a double hit against your property value and the use of your land," said Nelson.
He says it can also make it hard to be rescued during a natural disaster.
"You can have problems with access and that can lead to a downward spiral where your tax base is decreasing and you have less ability to maintain your roads and get into places so you'd have some citizens that are stranded," said Nelson.
Through these technologies, members of the project hope to protect you from some of these instances despite the storms Hampton Roads will whether in the future.
