Stormwater Master Planning Effort

Residents of Newport News currently experience flooding impacts from heavy rain and coastal storms. To prepare for future climate conditions, the City needs to plan for more frequent and intense storms, rising sea levels, more frequent flooding.

The City’s 2018 Comprehensive Plan, One City, One Future, highlights these concerns and commits the City to develop strategies and plans to ensure that Newport News has the ability to recover from natural, climate-induced, or man-made stressors. This ability to bounce-back is referred to as resilience. This master planning effort will build upon existing City efforts to ensure a coordinated resilience strategy.

Future Climate Conditions in Newport News

The master plans are divided into three key topic areas:

• stormwater
• floodplain management
• climate change and resilience

The three individual but interdependent plans will identify areas of concern for flooding and propose cost-effective preventative measures and future planning strategies. This effort will provide the City with tools and information to benefit the City homeowners and businesses. These plans will also help enhance the City’s participation in the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System (CRS). Newport News residents earn a 15% discount on their flood insurance premiums through this program.

Master Plans for a Resilient City

Community engagement is key for developing locally-driven plans. There will be many opportunities for engagement throughout the process.

Master Planning Community Engagement Timeline

The City is looking for people to serve on a Citizen Advisory Committee to create a localized outreach plan and develop effective solutions to ongoing flood risks. Anyone in Newport News can serve, you do not have to be a flooding expert! Community members who are interested in serving can fill out the application online. Deadline to apply to serve on the advisory committee is April 7. If you have questions, reach out to our Stormwater Division at stormwater@nnva.gov.