Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Existing Conditions | Page 192
Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan
One can get a sense of the magnitude of the hazards relating to flooding in Newport from recent statistics, provided
in January 2015 city staff testimony to the State Legislature:
Nearly 54% of Newport’s parcels are in or touch the floodplain.
Nearly 20% of all the buildings in Newport are in a floodplain.
Property in the floodplain is valued at $3.8 billion.
There are 968 historic properties in the floodplain, valued at $559 million.
Over 55% of the city’s hotel and guest rooms are in areas prone to flooding, as are 585 private businesses,
together accounting for about half of the City’s accommodation industry business.
A 2010 economic study of the harbor area determined that City revenues per acre of land in the harbor area ranged
from $53,000/acre to $135,000/acre. In 2009, patrons of Newport’s harbor purchased approximately $155 million
dollars of goods and services.
These existing conditions are projected to worsen over the course of the next decades. Data shows that just from
1930 to the present, sea level has risen over 9 inches. The serious implications of these continued changes are
discussed in detail in the Issues and Trends section of this chapter. Map 14-1 displays the areas in Newport that are
most at risk to flood hazards.
Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion is a constant natural process. Coastal areas are constantly changing due to tides, wave action, littoral
currents, seasonal changes affecting the movement of ocean waters, rising sea levels, coastal flooding, storms, and
various human impacts. These impacts are most common in sandy and level coastal areas, but also impact more
rocky coastlines as well, for instance concentrating energy and impacts on weaker areas and undermining coastal
bluffs and escarpments. In Rhode Island, the average coastal erosion rate is 1.6 feet per year. Waterfront homes,
businesses, roads, bridges, recreational trails, parking areas, stormwater drainage systems, and other public
infrastructure are put at risk.
Coastal Flooding
Coastal flooding occurs through storm surge and winddriven waves, causing coastal erosion. The combination of
the two is created by hurricanes. Tropical storms, and
nor’easters, thus can occur throughout any season of the
year. This is particularly an issue when sea water blocks the
downstream flow of rivers and runoff, floods cropland, and
blocks escape routes. The coast of Newport mainly consists
of rocky cliffs, swamps, and sandy beaches, which are
conditions susceptible to coastal erosion; however, much
of the coastline is protected by seawalls.
Seawalls are susceptible to flood
damage as seen during
Hurricane Sandy. The FY 20162020 Capital Improvement
Program includes a focus on
repairing and upgrading seawall
at Stone Pier at King Park, Storer
Park, and Thames Street.
Stormwater-Based Flooding
Stormwater-based flooding occurs when the soils are unable to soak up water due to the abundance of water. If a
city does not have [