Gov. Ralph Northam today announced $24.5 million in grants awarded from the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund, which is made possible with funding from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Thirty applications from 22 local government organizations will receive grants to build capacity, plan, and begin projects to address the effects of recurrent flooding, sea level rise and extreme weather.
“With this second round of awards, Virginia continues its efforts to combat flooding — the most common and costly natural hazard we face,” Northam said. “The Community Flood Preparedness Fund will provide an estimated $75 million a year to improve the resilience of our Commonwealth, including targeted funding for Virginia’s most vulnerable and underserved communities. This funding is only possible because of our participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which continues to lower costs for families facing severe weather and frequent floods.”
Grants are financed by the sale of carbon emission allowances under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI. RGGI is a collaborative effort among Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector, while also driving economic growth. Virginia is the first southern state to join RGGI, which is expected to generate more than $1 billion for energy efficiency and flood protection projects. Since earlier this year, the Community Flood Preparedness Fund has provided more than $32.3M in funding to local communities, with more than 72 percent of all funding going to low income geographic areas.
“Virginia’s efforts to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative are paying off,” said Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Ann Jennings. “The Community Flood Preparedness Fund is helping Virginia address the threat of floods caused by a warming climate.”
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, in cooperation with the Virginia Resources Authority, administers the fund and grant program. DCR oversees the state’s floodplain management program.
“DCR is excited about the opportunities the Community Flood Preparedness Fund will provide to local communities to address their flooding needs,” said DCR Director Clyde Cristman.
Information about the fund, eligibility rules, application procedures and instructions are available in the fund’s grant manual, which is posted at www.dcr.virginia.gov/cfpf.
The Community Flood Preparedness Fund continues to prioritize projects that are in concert with local, state and federal floodplain management standards, local resilience plans and the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan.
“The Community Flood Preparedness Fund will be critical to implementing future projects associated with the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan,” said Ann C. Phillips, Special Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Adaptation and Protection.
Community Flood Preparedness Fund 2021 Grant Awards
- Waterfront Improvement Project Design, City of Alexandria | $3,241,200
- Arlandria Flood Mitigation – Edison Street and Dale Street Capacity Project Phase I, City of Alexandria | $516,500
- Staff Training and Certification (CFM), Town of Ashland | $2,579
- Resilience Plan, Town of Ashland | $60,051
- Resilience Planning and Staff Training, City of Charlottesville | $94,276
- Resilience Plan, Town of Christiansburg | $44,520.30
- Resilience Plan Development and Training, Town of Colonial Beach | $103,500
- Big Bethel Blueway; Albany Drive at Big Bethel Road, City of Hampton | $3,008,500
- Sunset Creek Urban Channel Naturalization Project, City of Hampton | $2,022,143
- Billy Woods Canal, City of Hampton | $291,850
- Lake Hampton and North Armistead Avenue, City of Hampton | $3,841,544
- Pilot Project Development; Dashboard; Education and Outreach, Henrico County | $361,500
- Resilience Plan Development and Training, Isle of Wight County | $68,026
- Capacity Building and Planning, Lenowisco PDC | $150,000
- MPPDC Capacity Building, Middle Peninsula PDC | $35,250
- Dredging Project, Middlesex County | $336,000
- Master Plan Development, Stormwater, Floodplain, Resilience and Climate Change Management, City of Newport News | $4,926,063
- Watershed Master Plan Study and Purchase of Flood Sensors, City of Norfolk | $315,000
- Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, Northern Neck PDC | $45,000
- Data collection of regional significance, creation of tools and applications, dashboard for real-time flooding risk data, Northern Virginia Regional Commission | $11,250
- Resilience Plan Development and Staff, City of Petersburg | $385,016
- Comprehensive Citywide Drainage Study and FP Ordinance Update, City of Petersburg | $2,238,542
- Resilience Plan Development – Windsor Farms, City of Richmond | $19,394
- Resilience Plan Development, City of Roanoke | $135,000
- Town of Scottsville Study, Town of Scottsville | $123,346
- Capacity Building for Flood Resilience in Southern Virginia, Southside Planning District Commission | $135,000
- Hoskins Creek and Rappahannock River, Town of Tappahannock | $69,920
- Stormwater Project -South Birdneck Road between Hughes Avenue and Sea Street, City of Virginia Beach | $1,925,000
- West Point Study, Town of West Point | $22,800
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