Mitigating the effects of storm water flooding in coastal regions using machine learning techniques Grant uri icon

abstract

  • Storm water flooding is a major problem in low lying coastal regions. Although urban areas have long been the focus of storm water flooding studies, less urbanized communities along the coast are increasingly seeing more storm water flooding events. This is so because even though there is less impermeable pavement in these communities, the shallow water table in transmissive aquifers quickly rises above the land surface during rainfall events. In North Carolina, storm water flooding has had a significant impact on communities along the coast. The disruption that ensues when a community is affected by storm water flooding may have serious consequences for the social, economic and emotional well-being of coastal residents. In order to maintain the economic viability of communities that particularly rely on tourists for their economic well-being, town managers and water managers have sought different management techniques to mitigate storm water flooding. In the coastal towns of Pine Knoll Shores, Atlantic Beach, and Emerald Isle (Bogue Banks, North Carolina), a lot of expense has been devoted to mitigating the effects of stormwater flooding by installing groundwater pumps to lower the water table in anticipation of precipitation events and/or implementing other best management practices. This problem is not unique to Bogue Banks, communities on other barrier islands and along the US coast are experiencing similar problems related to storm water flooding. The objectives of the proposed project are to: (1) Forecast groundwater levels in a coastal aquifer on Bogue Banks, eastern North Carolina using machine learning techniques. (2) Develop a user- and mobile-friendly web application for forecasting groundwater levels that coastal managers can use to plan groundwater pumping schedules. (3) Assess the extent to which groundwater pumping in anticipation of specific precipitation events reduces the magnitude and extent of storm water flooding. (4) Educate and train coastal managers and other stakeholders on how to use the proposed web application to forecast groundwater levels and determine appropriate groundwater pumping schedules to mitigate storm water flooding.

date/time interval

  • February 2020 - July 2023

contributor