The Army Corps of Engineers has paused work on future flood control projects that rely primarily on “nonstructural” components, a shift that could affect coastal communities threatened by sea level rise.
Nonstructural projects aim to reduce the consequences of flooding, in contrast to infrastructure like dams, levees and seawalls that hold back floodwaters. The projects include elevating the foundation of homes, sealing the walls of buildings, relocating properties and voluntary home buyouts.
The Army Corps intends to evaluate whether nonstructural flood reduction projects are the best use of its resources, said Adam Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. They are generally not “in keeping with the corps’ long tradition of building infrastructure that protects entire communities,” Telle said during a hearing Wednesday before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
However, the Army Corps is still pursuing flood reduction projects that are structural in nature but incorporate some nonstructural features, he said.
