In 2001, downtown Houston, Texas, faced an historic 1,000-year flood as a result of Tropical Storm Allison, shutting down the 700-acre Texas Medical Center Complex. While rebuilding the Center to withstand future floods, Texas Medical Center implemented a stormwater management plan that increases green space and improves water absorption through advanced landscaping techniques and permeable paving systems.

Cape Lookout State Park, located in coastal Oregon, experienced extreme erosion and storm damage to its beach and infrastructure. Instead of a less aesthetic, more expensive, seawall or revetment, managers opted to build a cobble berm backed by an artificial dune to increase coastal protection and enhance the natural shoreline community. 

Cat Island and Ship Island are barrier islands off the coast of Mississippi that provide protection to coastal communities from erosion and storm surges. This project used millions of cubic meters of sand and reused dredged sediment to restore the islands’ beaches and dunes.  

A collaborative effort from USFWS, USDA, and Maryland DNR has worked over 20 years to eliminate the exotic, invasive nutria, which, combined with sea level rise and land subsidence, have caused over 5,000 acres loss of wetlands. Working closely with public and private landowners, the project managed to remove 14,000 nutria and protect over 250,000 acres of marshes.

Cleveland Metroparks worked closely with 12 community-based organizations and 40 stakeholder groups in restoring Lake Erie’s eastern shorefront. The team managed to conduct virtual and in-person outreach activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and develop a plan for 150 acres of park and habitat amenities, including 80 acres of newly acquired park land.

While massive waves attract surfers and visitors to the North Shore of O‘ahu in Hawai‘i, they also cause coastal erosion and high sea level events that threaten coastal residents. Instead of building sea walls, the state took an ecological approach by restoring sand dunes in front of coastal properties.

The Alabama DOT considered a nature-based solution for a bridge replacement and highway realignment project across Mobile Bay, AL. The plan involved using a continuous rock revetment from the edge of the pavement down to the existing bay bottom, complemented by a nature-based solution consisting of stone breakwaters and planted marsh in front of the revetment.

County of Barnstable, Massachusetts encourages municipalities to take actions that lower flood risks, which can reduce flood insurance premiums by earning credits through the Community Rating System (CRS). In one project, 26 mosquito-control workers cleaned debris out of the 1,500 miles of ditches, pipers, and other conduits that channeled stormwater away from buildings and roads.

Coastal Louisiana contains around 40% of the wetlands in the continental United States and accounts for approximately 80% of the nation’s wetland loss due to sea-level rise, storm surges, and subsidence. This project restored 1,600 hectares of bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) forest at Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area. 

Deer Island is a barrier island in the Mississippi Sound that protects the city of Biloxi from storm impacts, sea-level rise, and wind impacts. Storms caused a breach in the island, reducing elevation, killing vegetation and eroding beaches. The island was restored using dredged material to increase elevation and nourish beaches.  

An engineer-ecologist team designed a living shoreline tailored to conditions on New England coastlines. After site analysis, the team used coir products (“marsh pillows”) in their living shoreline design. This winter storm-resistant approach slowed the erosion of a 30-foot bank, increased vegetation cover, and protected coastal properties. 

This project is testing the effectiveness of dune restoration as a tactic for combatting sea-level rise and erosion in Southern California. Sand dunes were constructed from locally dredged material and planted with native vegetation. It is projected that this project will successfully protect the shoreline from flooding with no additional sand maintenance until 2050.  

This project will restore dunes on Duxbury Beach to prevent erosion and enhance the beach’s ability to protect communities behind it from storm surges and sea-level rise. 76,633 tons of sand were used to restore the dunes. The dunes were raised to 17ft high, and the tops of the dunes were raised to over 45 feet.  

Two hurricanes in 2004 destroyed Fort Pierce, Florida’s waterfront. This waterfront is a public access space that includes a park and a marina. The city and Tetra Tech Inc. developed a 6-hectare island breakwater system that will protect the city under current conditions and adapt to projected sea-level rise.  

Dredged material was used to nourish the beach at 61st Street on Galveston Island, TX. This project increases recreational opportunities on the beaches and increases tourism to Galveston and nearby Houston, TX. This project is part of a long-term strategy to provide storm protection, increase property value, and reduce erosion. 

The City of Gary initiated the “Vacant to Vibrant” project in 2014, which aimed to mitigate flooding due to aging sewer system. The project completed the construction of three sites in the Aetna neighborhood by 2016, converting 0.37 acres of vacant land into green infrastructure featuring bat houses, rain gardens, and native plantings.

Goldbug Island, off the coast of Charleston, SC, was experiencing erosion and salt marsh loss. To prevent further loss, the Nature Conservancy constructed a 67-meter-long oyster castle reef. This reef prevents erosion, mitigates wave energy, enhances biodiversity, and with increased oyster settlement, will improve water quality. 

Hancock County Marsh Coastal Preserve was the fastest eroding marsh in Mississippi. To reverse this loss and improve the preserve, this project constructed three habitat-restoration components: a 10-kilometer segmented living shoreline, 19 hectares of restored intertidal marsh, and a 19-hectare subtidal reef in Heron Bay. 

Central Meriden, Connecticut, is continuously devastated by flooding due to urbanization and loss of wetland habitats. The city led a daylighting project to re-naturalized the river that had been covered by industrialization. Businesses in the Hub were relocated and 1700 linear feet of concrete culverts over 30 feet wide were demolished, excavated, and removed.

The Hassalo on Eighth community transformed a previously underdeveloped area—formerly a vast parking lot—into a vibrant, eco-friendly, 24-hour community minutes from downtown Portland. The development features green roofs, rainwater harvesting and treatment facilities, on-site wastewater treatment and reuse, infiltration systems, district energy, and natural daylighting.