INTRODUCTION

US ARMY CORPS of ENGINEERS COASTAL STORM RISK MANAGEMENT STUDY

Fairfield and New Haven Counties, CT

Published June 7, 2019

Following is a skeletal milestone report for a study being conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers

(ACOE). This study continues the sequence of efforts begun with a Study of the Pine Creek Dike in 2014 that

morphed into their 2016 Coastal Engineering report – Fairfield Beach which is available in this Files and

Documents section.

The original $3 million estimate of this Study cost encountered headwinds to achieving the required 50% non-

Federal partner funding. Ultimately, the budget for this study was reduced to $600,000 provided ½ by the

ACOE and ½ by the CT DEEP. While the original plan was to include 5 towns in New Haven and Fairfield

counties, the budget limitation forced the scope reduction to one town in each county. A factor to Fairfield

‘making the cut’ is the relatively high value of residential properties within our flood plain while the location of

New Haven’s rail yard made their Long Wharf area the second prime candidate. This milestone report focuses

on Fairfield.

For perspective, this plan is designed to protect the town flood plain for a fifty+ year period from flooding that is

anticipated based on rising sea levels and increasingly intense named storms. The town of Fairfield’s 100 year

FEMA Flood Zone contains critical infrastructure such as the Town Yard, Sherman School, Sullivan Hall and

The Central Fire Station. Additionally, there are over 3000 homes there as well as The Fairfield Museum, St.

Paul’s church and several commercial entities.

ACOE evaluated 7 schemes and chose Alternate #3 as the most effective one - the Tentatively Selected Plan,

or, TSP. The $547 million first cost estimate is very shocking and reason to think through the implications and

obligations of continuing to flesh out the details to bring the study to the next deliverable. Further study effort

will require new funding at the 50/50 split. Then to embark on a tangible project requires a 35% non- Federal

sponsor. For instance, if a project costs $547MM and Fairfield were the non- Federal partner, our share would

be $191MM.

As Fairfield evaluates whether a $191MM project is “worth it”, we must also develop an understanding of what

our town costs would be if we “Do Nothing”. An example of this might be having to move the Sherman School

to a less flood prone area of town or to rebuild it in place as a Flood Proof structure – how much would that

cost? How and at what cost do we protect other critical infrastructure? What will be the influence on Fairfield’s

tax base and distribution if, as Sea Level Rises, the value of residences in the Flood Plain falls? What are

future Quality of Life implications? These are just a few of the things we, as a community, need to evaluate

prior to making a decision whether this plan is the right thing for the town of Fairfield.

This current report was presented to the Board of Selectmen at their 6/19/19 meeting to begin a dialog among

residents.

Fairfield Flood & Erosion Control Board

June, 2019

Planning DivisionNew England District07 June 2019

FAIRFIELD AND NEW HAVEN COUNTIES, CT COASTAL STORM RISK MANAGEMENT STUDYTSP Readiness Meeting: Fairfield Focused Study Area

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AGENDA Opening Remarks (NAE, CT

DEEP, Town of Fairfield) Presentation (NAE)

- TSP - Meeting Purpose- Overview, Study Authorization, Problems,

Opportunities, Objectives, Constraints- Non-Federal Sponsor- Study Area and Scope- Plan Formulation Overview- Screening/Final Array of Alternatives- Tentatively Selected Plan- Environmental Compliance- Optimization- Schedule

Discussion

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MEETING PURPOSE2: Tentatively Selected Plan Milestone – Primary Decision

“The Vertical Team and Project Delivery Team agree on the plan that will be published as the Tentatively Selected Plan for public review. Concurrent to public review, technical, policy, and legal reviews will occur.”

4FAIRFIELD AND NEW HAVEN COUNTIES –STUDY AREA

Town of Fairfield

City of New Haven

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FEASIBILITY STUDY HISTORY

CT DEEP and Corps execute study agreement on June 24, 2016 (initial FCSA signed for a $600,000 study)

Initial funding $25k received in October 2016 and $275k received in June 2017. AMM achieved in September 2017. FCSA amended in June 2018 increased study budget but not significantly

Early study efforts focused on meeting with communities within the study area to identify problems/opportunities, existing/future conditions, data needs etc. Focused study areas were developed as study progressed.

Study area overlaps with CT focus area identified in 2015 NACCS report

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FAIRFIELD AND NEW HAVEN COUNTIES CSRM Objective: Reduce damages and Manage Risk from Coastal Storms in

the Town of Fairfield and City of New Haven, Connecticut Authority: Resolution by the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Rep. dated April 29, 2010 Non-Fed. Sponsor: CT Dept. of Energy & Env. Protection (DEEP) Milestones:

► Execute FCSA: 24 June 2016► Alternatives Milestone: 27 September 2017► TSP: 25 June 2019► Draft Report Release: 30 August 2019

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FAIRFIELD AND NEW HAVEN COUNTIES CSRM STUDY (CON’T) Economic Significance: Study area includes more than 3,000 residential and 300

commercial properties worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Area significant economic driver (businesses, population center etc.) for the state and region

Life-Safety Risk Significance:► Total population of the two municipalities = 191,000 (2015)► Life/Safety (regional deaths in the 1938, 1954, and 1955 hurricanes but none

recently) Estimated Damages:

► 3,000+ properties at risk.► Hundreds of millions in total estimated damages based on a 1% AEP flood.► Emergency access (surface streets) impaired as a result of coastal storm

events.► Critical infrastructure (e.g., power, telecommunications, sewer, water, rail,

highway) at risk Federal Interest: Benefit Cost Ratio TBD

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FINAL ARRAY OF ALTERNATIVES (FAIRFIELD)

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FINAL ARRAY OF ALTERNATIVES (FAIRFIELD)

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FINAL ARRAY OF ALTERNATIVES (FAIRFIELD)

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FINAL ARRAY OF ALTERNATIVES (FAIRFIELD)

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FINAL ARRAY OF ALTERNATIVES (FAIRFIELD)

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ECONOMIC EVALUATIONFairfield, Connecticut

AAEQ Benefit by Alternative ($)

Alternative AAEQ Benefit*

A1A $44,567,000A1B $44,567,000A2A $45,135,000A2B $45,135,000

A3 $44,316,000

A4 $44,884,000A5 $42,960,000

*FY19 Discount rate = 2.875%, period 50 years; totals may be affected by rounding.

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COST ESTIMATESFairfield, Connecticut

Cost by Alternative ($)

Alternative Project First Cost*

A1A $523,850,000A1B $581,529,000A2A $673,081,000A2B $730,719,000

A3 $546,526,000

A4 $695,530,000A5 $643,658,000

Includes: Construction, PED, Construction Mgmt, and Real Estate Costs. Implementation costs are split 65% FED and 35% non-FED

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COMPARISONS OF COST AND BENEFITS OF ALTERNATIVES, FAIRFIELD, CT

EXPECTED BENEFITS, COSTS, & NET BENEFITS

ALT. AAEQ BENEFITS AAEQ COSTS*AAEQ NET BENEFITS BCR

A1A $44,567,000 $24,823,000 $19,744,000 1.8

A1B $44,567,000 $27,682,000 $16,885,000 1.6

A2A $45,135,000 $32,014,610 $13,120,000 1.4

A2B $45,135,000 $34,871,000 $10,264,000 1.3

A3 $44,316,000 $26,238,000 $18,078,000 1.7

A4 $44,884,000 $33,421,000 $11,463,000 1.3

A5 $42,960,000 $25,465,000 $17,494,000 1.7A

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TENTATIVELY SELECTED PLAN (FAIRFIELD ALT 3)

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ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE Resource Agency Meeting held on 8 April 2019.

Invitees included staff from: EPA, USFWS, NOAA Fisheries, CT DEEP, The Nature Conservancy, and the SHPO and THPO’s.

Comments received during the meeting centered on air emissions, viewshed, salt marsh impacts, and tide gate structure operations.

No formal or informal comments were received following meeting.

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ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

Potential Permanent and Temporary Construction Impacts (Fairfield)

Approximately $280,000 for salt marsh impact mitigation.

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ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

Nourishment Volumes

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MILESTONE SCHEDULE

Activity Original ScheduleSchedule as of AMM (Sep. 2017) Proposed Schedule

with Exemption*

Sign FCSA 24 June 2016 24 June 2016 24 June 2016Alternatives Milestone Sep. 2016 27 Sep. 2017 27 Sep. 2017Tentatively Selected Plan Milestone July 2017 Nov. 2018 15 May 2019

Release Draft FR/EA for Public Review October 2017 Jan. 2019 15 July 2019Agency Decision Milestone (ADM) Jan. 2018 July 2019 Nov.2019Final (Draft) FR/EA April 2018 Jan. 2020 June 2020Chief’s Report 24 June 2019 June 2020 Dec. 2020

* 18 month study delay due to a combination of initial delay in receiving non-Federal funds, combined with renegotiation of the FCSA, coordination of in-kind contributions and subsequent rescoping of the study.

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QUESTIONS?