Cities across the country are grappling with the impacts of flooding as a changing climate brings more rainfall and extreme high-intensity storms, rising sea levels, and intensified storm surge. Existing infrastructure is failing to protect communities from nuisance and catastrophic flooding, especially in an environment where conditions are constantly changing. Communities, especially underserved communities, are left vulnerable and are demanding better, more innovative flood solutions. Our clients need protection from these threats and also need co-benefits such as new recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, and economic opportunities that build towards a thriving and resilient future.

LimnoTech works with clients locally and globally to develop flood-resilient solutions adapted to local conditions and circumstances. Our approach is to walk alongside our clients in understanding the complex conditions causing flooding, assessing appropriate solutions, and bringing in stakeholders early in the process to inform decision making and obtain community buy-in. We partner with public relations and regulatory experts, planners, landscape architects, civil engineers, ecologists, and DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) advocates to form project teams that understand and solve a community’s flooding problem.

Our clients rely on us to help them understand the underlying causes of flooding and how to address those causes through innovative solutions. We do this by gathering and evaluating available information and data, including information provided through community input. We may recommend and carry out additional monitoring efforts to address data gaps and complement existing data. With the best available data and information in hand, we develop modeling and planning frameworks to create a virtual sandbox where we can test innovative flood solutions. These frameworks can range from simple conceptual models or decision support tools to complex two-dimensional flood models with linked water quality and sediment transport components, as appropriate. The end result includes a set of recommended solutions supported by stakeholders and community members that our clients can implement. These solutions typically include upgrades to existing grey infrastructure and incorporation of nature-based solutions to provide multi-benefits that go beyond the flood reduction or water quality benefits (e.g., more green space for the local community and urban ecology, reduce urban heat effects, improve air quality, etc.).

At LimnoTech, we understand that every community is unique and requires solutions that both fit the needs of the community and are grounded in sound science. We combine our experience, willingness to see a complex water problem as an opportunity for something better, and philosophy that collaboratively working with our clients and their stakeholders is the way to help communities adapt and build resiliency to address urban flooding.