Quick Facts:
- Key Services: Sea-level rise planning, CVI modeling, GIS, site planning
- Impact Focus: Public access sites and infrastructure
- Watershed: Raritan
Project Summary:
In response to increasing pressures on coastal communities from sea level rise (SLR) and increasing pressures on public access in the Estuary, the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (NY-NJ HEP) was awarded a grant from the EPA Climate- Ready Estuaries office to focus on site-specific impacts at public access sites in New Jersey.
Great Ecology provided technical assistance for the project in collaboration with the NY-NJ HEP and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC). Great Ecology created a model that uses GIS analysis and field data collection to assess the vulnerability of public access infrastructure and natural resources to sea-level rise at three public access sites along New Jersey’s lower Raritan River. Great Ecology developed a report with site-specific and regional recommendations for minimizing potential ecological and public access infrastructure damages from SLR. The report serves as a useful and reusable framework for municipal governments, agencies, practitioners, and coastal decision-makers seeking to assess and plan for SLR vulnerability and resilience at the local (site-specific) geographical scale.
New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary