December 21, 2021

CBCC is Launching Two FEMA-funded Hazard Mitigation Grant Projects

The Coral Bay Community Council (CBCC) is launching two significant projects that will help reduce future landslides and road undercutting due to channeled stormwater drainage and will make resilient repairs to damage from the 2017 hurricanes.

Our team is conducting a Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) study of Coral Bay stormwater drainage, federally funded through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), to develop feasible and cost-effective solutions to stormwater flooding problems. FEMA also funded a project to do the engineering design for culvert and drainage repair on a portion of Ironwood Road. CBCC continues to work hard to protect Coral Bay and keep its lands and
waters beautiful and thriving.

We are presently requesting contract proposals from engineering firms so that this important work can get underway. For the complete Request for Proposals for these two projects please visit the Coral Bay Community Council website. RFPs – Coral Bay Community Council The results from this study will be utilized by CBCC, VI Department of Public Works (DPW), VI Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), and other local agencies and private landowners to help guide specific steps to mitigate flooding into their planning and engineering designs for future stormwater management, generally as part of access roadway repairs/improvements, such as the planned rebuild of Route 10, and repairs to Route 107 and 108.

DPW, CBCC and others plan to complete FEMA HMGP and Public Assistance (PA) projects to resolve some of the many water flow hazards within the Coral Bay Watershed and across St. John. Sharon Coldren, CBCC’s president, noted that “CBCC submitted more than 20 different locations in Coral Bay with stormwater-related hurricane damages for consideration for funding under the VITEMA FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) in 2018 and 2019. All, but this one Ironwood Road application in Upper Carolina, were rejected as not meeting requirements.

This one met the requirements both because it had 60+ homes impacted and because the homeowners’ association had kept written detailed records of the circumstances and costs of past road repairs after storms, and 3 incidents were required to be documented. Meeting minutes from the 1990s were sure helpful! So, if you have wondered about the value of a homeowners/landowners association like the voluntary Upper Carolina Landowners Association, started by Sylvia Weaver in 1985 – it is being proven now. FEMA is very strict on documentation.”

CBCC is working hard to improve our roadways with better stormwater management that works with our natural drainage guts. For more information on the important work, we do on stormwater management look at our website Stormwater Management – Coral Bay Community Council.  Stormwater runoff, exposed trash, and failing wastewater treatment systems are the main sources of pollution in our watershed. These issues can be overcome with the efforts of property owners, residents, business owners, and the government. This H&H project falls right into place as part
of Phase 3 of CBCC’s larger watershed management plan which lays out the plan for the next five years: Our Future Based on Balancing Environmental Protection & Development: Local Actions to Improve Water Quality and Protect Coral Reef Habitats from Destructive Byproducts of Development. Coral Bay 5 Year Watershed Management Plan – Coral Bay Community Council.

CBCC has worked with the community for over 15 years to improve stormwater management thoughtfully and cost-effectively. CBCC has never had the resources to do a proper H&H-based analysis until now, even though this need was called out in the 2014 Virgin Islands Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Coral Bay Community Council, a local 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is funded through donations from 400 members and various grants, continues working “Ridge to Reef” to improve the overall water quality in the bay and help preserve the Bay’s threatened marine ecosystems. Improving our roadways with better stormwater management that works with our natural drainage guts is another step in the right direction to conserve this beautiful area and maintain residents’ access to safe, clean freshwater for domestic use and clean ocean waters for recreation and
fishing.

For further information please contact:
Sharon Coldren at [email protected] or
Dr. Shiloh Moates at [email protected]

Also, feel free to call Coral Bay Community Council at 340-776-2099 or visit our webpage at www.coralbaycommunitycouncil.org.