Alexandria officials are considering a three-year, $6.5 million plan to lift several streets in Old Town to prevent what has become routine flooding of the city’s historic district. Officials plan to elevate King Street, Union Street and the Strand near the waterfront and add flood walls and drainage improvements they hope will curb the nearly 150 floods the district has endured.
Old Town borders the Potomac River, but it also suffers from storm surges in the Chesapeake Bay and heavy rains north of the city, according to Chris Strong, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The service has issued more coastal flood warning in recent years as it tries to better prepare residents and business for flooding.
“It’s a nuisance,” said Emily Baker, a city engineer with the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services. “Some of the business and restaurants you can’t get to, and people see it on the news and say, ‘Oh, I’m not going to come to Old Town today.’ ”
The city finished a flood study of the Potomac waterfront in July 2010, and incorporated recommendations into the Waterfront Small Area Plan. The City Council voted on Saturday, however, to delay a final decision on the plan, saying they needed more time to do research.
Officials said the $6.5 million price tag of the flood project would be offset by the new revenue generated from overall improvements to the waterfront of Old Town. The city estimates that those improvements will bring in $4.7 million of additional tax revenue each year.
The flood resistance measures were all designed with the intent of blending with Old Town’s historic character.
“Obviously anytime you retrofit something there are always unique challenges,” said Bill Skrabak, director of the office of environmental quality. “You want to try and incorporate it and integrate it so you don’t just plop down a flood wall in the middle of Old Town.”
Old Town will still face challenges, however. Flooding could get worse, as water levels are projected to rise as much as five feet over the next 90 years, officials said. Flood gates and other planned improvements are unlikely to stop flooding during extreme weather, such as Hurricane Isabel, which rocked Alexandria in 2003.
