Instead of building massive concrete barriers to stave off floods, the city of Hampton, Virginia, is working with water through rain gardens, oyster reefs, and rebuilt wetlands
The city lies along the Chesapeake Bay at the confluence of several rivers and faces some of the most rapid water-level increases in the United States.
According to Inside Climate News, officials are preparing for waters to rise 1.5 feet by 2040 and potentially 4.5 feet by the end of the century.
Rather than spending billions on seawalls like neighboring cities, Hampton is borrowing ideas from the Netherlands and letting water in.
The strategy, called "Living With Water," focuses on guiding floodwaters to safe areas, bringing back ecosystems that soak up excess water, and creating spaces that serve multiple purposes.
In a waterfront park close to downtown, workers are swapping rocky shorelines for marsh areas covered in sand and testing reef structures made from 3D-printed concrete and stocked with oysters.
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These living barriers absorb wave energy instead of bouncing it back, which reduces both water damage and shoreline loss.
If you live in Hampton or an area vulnerable to flooding, there are steps you can take on your own property.
Installing rain barrels captures runoff before it overwhelms drainage systems. Planting a rain garden creates an area that gathers and soaks up rainwater. Swapping hard surfaces along private shorelines with natural features like grasses, sandy patches, and shellfish beds can protect your property while helping neighbors, too.
These choices also affect your wallet. As flood risks grow, insurance costs are climbing. In three decades, flood risk could threaten more than four out of five Hampton properties, up from about two-thirds today. Taking action now can help preserve your home's value.
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$200 or more 💰 The city acknowledges this approach requires accepting some risk. "We can't wall ourselves off from the water, but we can learn to adapt," the city noted in an award presentation video, per Inside Climate News.
Mary-Carson Stiff, executive director of the nonprofit Wetlands Watch, put it plainly: "Water does mean risk. You're welcoming the water in and you're fully acknowledging that it is risky to do that."
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