Resilient Coastal Communities – Salkehatchie

Inclusive resilience planning balances the ecological and human needs of ten of the most flood vulnerable communities in the Salkehatchie watershed.

The Salkehatchie River Watershed spans approximately 1.8 million acres across many different land use types from the Atlantic Southern Loam Plains to the Carolina Flatwoods, down to the Sea Islands/Coastal Marsh. On an integrated design team led by Weston & Sampson, Biohabitats conducted environmental assessment and analysis to guide the development of a portfolio of resilience strategies and solutions for ten communities that are a part of the Salkehatchie Watershed Resilient Coastal Communities Collaborative Program.

Biohabitats identified and prioritized sites and solutions that incorporate green infrastructure via detailed site exploration and close collaboration with the consultant team and communities. Biohabitats also helped create cost-estimates for each proposed solution to help the South Carolina Office of Resilience pursue funding opportunities.

The project team also met with stakeholders via a series of meetings to learn more about their experiences with the natural hazards their communities face. This helped the team understand how to design watershed improvements to improve the watershed’s ecology and safeguard and improve resilience to flooding.

TAGS

• Analysis+Planning
• Assessment+Monitoring
• Climate Adaptation + Resilience