294 - Evaluating the Impacts of Climate Change on Flooding in Camden, NJ Using a Coupled 1D-2D all Pipes Model

Camden, NJ is a flood-prone municipality located on the Delaware River. Flooding in Camden is expected to get worse as the climate changes. In this study, flood exposure in Camden is modeled using a coupled 1D-2D all pipes model developed using PC-SWMM under a variety of climate change and flood risk mitigation scenarios.  The existing conditions model is calibrated and validated using remotely sensed sewer flow and surface flood depth data. The impacts of climate change are simulated using delta change factors and sea level rise projections. Delta change factors developed by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Integrated Science Assessment (MARISA) through downscaling of global climate change model precipitation predictions are used to inflate the ordinates of design storm hyetographs. Sea level rise projections developed for the Philadelphia region by the Consortium for Climate Risks in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN) are used to raise the historical Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) elevations used as the tailwater condition on the drainage system outfalls. Compound climate change effects are simulated by modifying both sets of climate conditions at the same time. Proposed conditions include green stormwater infrastructure and inlet debris removal. The discussion highlights how various kinds of climate change will change the frequency of severity of flooding in Camden, and how effective these two mitigation strategies are for offsetting those increases in flooding.