by John Leffler and included a number of island residents,
among them people with advanced degrees in various areas
of science. There were also representatives from the Kiawah
Island Community Association (KICA) and the Architectural
Review Board (ARB). The final report from the Committee
was sent to the Town Environmental Committee in August
2018. It was endorsed by the Environmental Committee and
then presented to the Town Council in September 2018.
The full report is available on the Town’s website (www.
kiawahisland.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FINAL-
Flood-Sea-Level-Rise-Report-clickable-links-1.pdf).
John Leffler said that “One of the take-home messages
of our report is that Kiawah has the opportunity to fully
embrace the challenges ahead and work actively and
transparently to become the most resilient barrier island
community on the East coast. While academic studies and
popular articles [on sea level rise or “SLR”] will continue
to emerge ever more frequently, Kiawah’s best strategy
to preserve property values is to work on [this] report’s
recommendations, and others not yet identified, and become
an ‘SLR-Ready’ community.” We want to be proactive; not
stuck in a “wait-and-see strategy.”
The title of the study, “Flood Mitigation and Sea Level
Rise Adaptation for Kiawah Island,” conveys the thrust
of the report. The Committee met with officials from the
City of Charleston, Beaufort County, Folly Beach, and
Seabrook as well as those in charge of the Kiawah Island
Utility. In addition, we met with, among others, personnel
from Berkeley Electric, the South Carolina Department of
Natural Resources, the Coastal Services Division of the SC
Department of Health and Environmental Control, NOAA,
an engineering firm leading resiliency efforts in other cities,
the Union of Concerned Scientists, local architects, and
several professors of environmental sciences from the
College of Charleston.
Among the issues we examined relating to Kiawah Island
18
were stormwater and nuisance flooding management,
the island roads, emergency management, potable water
and wastewater management, electricity service, flooding
adaptations for residential structures, and landscaping
adaptation. We also looked at the beach and salt marsh
environments that protect our boundaries and the impacts on
our terrestrial ecosystems. In each section of the report, we
explored that issue’s significance to the Island’s quality of life,
its current status, our concerns about potential vulnerabilities,
recommendations for improvements and adaptation
strategies, and the Island entities responsible for improvement.
Finally, we included a list of studies, books, and websites the
Committee found most useful and informative for that area.
We state in the report that we “do not attempt to sugar-
coat the challenges being faced by all southeastern coastal
communities. The good news is that there are many practical
and useful actions Kiawah property owners and governing
bodies can take to preserve our fully functioning and
beautiful Island. Compared to perhaps all other barrier
island communities, Kiawah is in an enviable position to
address these challenges. It is a small, relatively homogeneous
community, and that gives it the flexibility to act. Kiawah’s
financial resources and its broad base of experience and
expertise give it the ability to solve tough problems. Although
its governing structure is a bit more complicated than most
communities, that is also an asset. KICA can undertake
actions that are difficult for a municipal jurisdiction like the
Town to accomplish. Similarly, the Town has responsibilities
and authorities that a private HOA does not.”
Our subcommittee has made recommendations in the
following seven major categories:
• • A well planned and executed stormwater management
system is critical to handling flooding events on the
Island. Kiawah is fortunate to have an extensive network
of interconnected ponds that can accommodate the
equivalent of a 100-year rainfall event. Stormwater moves
Naturally Kiawah