Plan Selection
Leading up to the Tentatively Selected Plan
Some Planning Basics
This Story Map describes the overall planning process used in identifying and evaluating alternative plans and selecting a Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP).
Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP) - Alternative 3B
At this stage in the process, USACE has selected the alternative that provides the best combination of measures (barriers, floodwalls, levees, pumps, nonstructural, and natural and nature-based features) to be balanced with cost and construction time.
Use the map to the right to explore the measures and features of the TSP.
This decision requires screening the array of alternatives, described below.
The Planning Process
The USACE Civil Works planning process follows a standard approach to identifying and evaluating potential water resource solutions in order to ensure potential federal projects comply with applicable laws and guidance.
There are six steps in this process
1) Identifying water resource problems and opportunities 2) Inventory and forecast of existing and future conditions 3) Plan Formulation 4) Plan Evaluation 5) Plan Comparison 6) Plan Selection
1) Identifying water resource problems and opportunities
A problem statement is the detailed description of a problem that helps guide the planning process. It informs the identification of the study’s goals and objectives, and ultimately plan formulation, comparison, and selection. The problems can be summarized as follows: -- Coastal storm flooding, impacting nationally important areas/facilities, critical infrastructure, societal resources, communities, and the environment -- Threats to life safety
Opportunities are instances in which the implementation of a plan has the potential to create a desirable future condition and provides ways to address the specific problems within the study area. The primary opportunities identified for the study area are: -- Manage coastal storm flood risk -- Better communicate coastal storm risk to communities -- Restore natural systems in ways that provide CSRM benefits -- Contribute to community resilience -- Contribute to resilience of infrastructure and the economy
2) Inventory and forecast of existing and future conditions
Unlike planning objectives that represent desired positive changes, planning constraints and considerations represent restrictions that should not be violated or avoided, if possible. The formulation and evaluation of alternative plans are constrained by technical, environmental, economic, regional, social, and institutional considerations.
3) Plan Formulation
Plan formulation is the process of building alternative plans from management measures that will meet planning objectives. Addressing the complex and often conflicting water resource needs requires the formulation of a diverse range of solutions that need to be fully considered in the decision-making process. Such solutions may produce varying degrees of effects relative to environmental, economic, and social goals.
4) Plan Evaluation
Alternative plans were evaluated through a series of criteria to identify the best performing plans. The criteria include performance against the study objectives and constraints, the four planning criteria (completeness, effectiveness, efficiency, and acceptability), and the four benefits accounts (National Economic Development (NED), Regional Economic Development (RED), Environmental Quality (EQ), and Other Social Effects (OSE) from the 198 P&G). Plans are evaluated for their performance against these criteria within the Period of Analysis, which begins when the project construction is anticipated to be complete and project benefits are realized, for a period of 50 years.
5) Plan Comparison
The table to the right provides a summary of how the alternative plans contribute to each of the four accounts, using a qualitative ranking of high, medium, and low.
NED - National Economic Development - Changes in the economic value of the national output of goods and services
EQ - Environmental Quality - non-monetary effects on significant natural and cultural resources.
RED - Regional Economic Development - changes in the distribution of regional economic activity that result from each alternative plan.
OSE - Other Social Effects - effects from perspectives that are relevant to the planning process, but are not reflected in the other three accounts
6) Plan Selection
After careful evaluation of the alternatives and their tradeoffs, the study team selected Alternative 3B – Multi-basin Storm Surge Barriers With Shore-Based Measures as the Tentatively Selected Plan.
The TSP manages coastal storm risk through suite of CSRM measures that function as a system including: primary structural components consisting of storm surge barriers at the entrance to Jamaica Bay, Arthur Kill, and Kill Van Kull to provide CSRM on a multi-basin basis, three primary structural components involving storm surge barriers on the individual water bodies of Gowanus Canal, Newtown Creek and Flushing Creek located in Brooklyn and Queens, and three primary structural shore-based measures in Jersey City, the lower west side of Manhattan, and East Harlem.
Portions of the study area that directly benefit from the Tentatively Selected Plan include portions of the Hackensack and Passaic River watersheds, Upper Bay and Arthur Kill, Lower Hudson River, East River, Long Island Sound and Jamaica Bay Planning Regions.
In addition to the primary storm surge barriers and shore based measures, there are also nonstructural measures, natural and nature-based features, land and water based measures to mitigate any anticipated induced flooding from the project (known as Induced Flooding-Mitigation Features), and small scale measures located behind the storm surge barriers that can be implemented quickly to address high frequency flooding at the most vulnerable potions of the study area (known as Risk Reduction Features).
In the instance of a large severe storm, storm surge barriers, navigable gates, and deployable flood barriers would help to reduce risk to vulnerable areas from flood damages relating to flooding, including the loss of human life and damage to existing infrastructure. Within areas of reduced risk are schools, parks, energy and transportation infrastructure, container and other cargo terminals, that would all see significant benefit through implementation of the tentatively selected measures.
Please see the Draft Report Chapter 4 for more information on Plan Selection.
Please see the Draft Report Chapter 5 for more information on the Tentatively Selected Plan.
