Growing Returns

Learn how to navigate federal flood planning with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Flooding is the costliest disaster in the United States, touching communities from coastlines to cities to inland towns, and wreaking havoc across countless homes, businesses and ecosystems. Estimated to cost the nation up to almost $500 billion per year, more frequent and severe flooding events are causing communities to find solutions that tackle the potential impacts.  

Many local communities and entities seek opportunities to collaborate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), who conduct federally funded flood risk management studies. These studies can be a great way to understand flood risks in a community and to build large-scale resilience.  

However, through a series of surveys and EDF experiences, many advocacy partners that have participated in these studies expressed the Corps planning process is confusing and complex! To address this concern, EDF is releasing a new step-by-step guide to help communities and fellow advocates navigate federal flood planning and learn when and how to engage.  

Explore our step-by-step guide now 

Delta flyover – Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion wetlands restoration project in the MS River Delta region of Louisiana

What is federal flood planning and how can it help your community? 

Before we get into the ins and outs of the step-by-step guide, let’s bring it back to the beginning. What is a federal flood feasibility study anyways?  

In simple terms, a federal flood study emerges when a local community or entity, later known as the study’s non-federal sponsor, raises flooding concerns to the Corps and expresses the need for a feasibility study that can identify solutions to this problem. The proposal must be authorized by Congress and receive funding through appropriations, and if that happens, the Corps will move forward with conducting a feasibility study that may eventually lead to the construction of a project(s). Potential projects could include anything from developing floodplain management plans to installing grey and green infrastructure to forming disaster response strategies.  

Why should you seek a federal flood study? No matter the size, budget or location, the Corps provides an opportunity to address flood risks in a community. Federal flood studies and their projects are designed to help leaders and communities prepare for extreme weather and disasters, which are increasing in frequency and severity. Experts agree it is financially smart to prepare before disaster strikes, with research showing that every dollar spent on mitigation can save $13 in damages. It also provides a safety net for residents to better protect their homes, businesses and families.   

Using our step-by-step guide to navigate federal flood planning 

EDF’s new step-by-step guide is a much-requested resource that gives advocates an overview of the complex federal flood planning process led by the Corps. This guide walks you through each step of the planning phase, allowing users to better understand and anticipate how a study and project develops. 

We also share ways advocates can engage during the planning process to ensure the study’s outcome best represents their community’s priorities and goals. The guide incorporates helpful resources, like a glossary, FAQ guide and templates along the way. 

Looking at case studies  

EDF is proud to have worked alongside several local communities on a variety of federal flood studies and projects, represented in the following case studies:  

Collier County, Florida 

In Collier County, Florida, EDF and local partners engaged in the planning process to propose the prioritization of nature-based solutions as well as hybridized, multi-hazard flooding and community engagement. We presented alternative study renderings with these priorities in mind, gaining media attention and eventually leading to changes in the proposed study. 

New York-New Jersey Harbour and Tributaries  

In the New York metropolitan area, EDF worked with a coalition of local partners to advocate for changes, like incorporating multi-hazard flooding solutions, to the Corps’ $52 billion plan to address flooding in the New York-New Jersey Harbor. The coalition launched a campaign website, gained media attention and ran advertisements, which led the non-federal sponsor to make a request for the Corps to take specific actions that better align with stakeholder priorities. 

New York City, New York State, Hudson River, USA, Water

Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, Louisiana  

EDF and partners at the Mississippi River Delta Coalition have guided the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project and played a key role in advocating for a $2.9 billion initiative to reconnect the Mississippi River to the Barataria Basin. Learn more about the benefits of this project.  

Explore our step-by-step guide now 

  

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Celebrating the groundbreaking of a natural infrastructure project to combat flooding in North Carolina

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) joined North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) at a groundbreaking event today to celebrate the progress of a new and significant natural infrastructure pilot project.  

The Stoney Creek pilot project is an innovative approach to utilizing natural infrastructure and nature’s processes to address flood risk in the City of Goldsboro and in the greater area of Wayne County, North Carolina. Moreover, it is a major step forward in advancing community flood resilience across the entire state.  

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We can feed a growing population while shrinking fertilizer pollution. Here’s how.

Tractor applying fertilizer

Farmers must estimate how much fertilizer and other inputs their crop will need in the face of increased weather variability.

Nitrous oxide might not make the news like carbon dioxide, but it’s a powerful hidden force behind the extreme, climate-driven weather we’re experiencing. This super-pollutant is the third most significant greenhouse gas, with a warming impact almost 300 times greater than carbon dioxide. Lowering it is essential for avoiding the most dangerous climate impacts.

The newly released “Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment” confirms a sobering reality: atmospheric concentrations of the gas are rising faster than previously anticipated. The majority of nitrous oxide emissions come from synthetic fertilizer and manure. Yet nitrogen applications are also essential for producing the crops that feed a growing population.

We don’t have to choose between food security or climate stability. We can and must support farmers in achieving both priorities.

Reducing nitrous oxide emissions isn’t just possible — it’s within reach.

A combination of existing strategies could slash global nitrous oxide emissions by over 40%, but scaling these solutions requires commitment and innovation, but scaling these solutions requires commitment and innovation.

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Four takeaways from a year of global action on food, agriculture and climate

farm in a landscape with fields

Global leaders increasingly recognize that agriculture and food systems must be part of solutions to the climate crisis. From the first Food Systems Pavilion at a UN climate conference in 2022, to 160 countries recognizing food and agriculture as a climate imperative in 2023, food advocates came into the 2024 UN climate conference, COP29, with wind in our sails. We made progress, but the world needs to do more — and quickly.

As we close out the year and look ahead to COP30 in late 2025, significantly more work remains to ensure farmers, fishers and ranchers can feed a growing population and lower climate pollution from food systems.

Here are four reflections from EDF and our partners about the progress made this year and the urgent work that remains to make farms and food systems more resilient, sustainable and equitable.

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Driving recovery and resilience in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene

In recent years, North Carolina communities have weathered one storm after another, with Hurricane Helene being no exception. Hurricane Helene followed a once-in-a-thousand-year rain event in western North Carolina, which as a result caused widespread devastation and $53 billion of damage to the state alone. The impacts also stretched far beyond North Carolina, affecting communities throughout the southeastern U.S., demonstrating the growing need to prepare for increasingly severe storms.  

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, FEMA introduced a $2.1 billion relief package to support families and businesses affected. These relief efforts offered some essential support in the aftermath but only scratched the surface of what is needed to truly help communities. 

Moving forward, we must work to safeguard communities by investing in long-term resilience and preparedness. Read More »

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Ahead of the 2025 General Assembly, here are 3 ways to build flood resilience in Virginia

Virginia Conservation Network, a statewide coalition of 170 conservation partners, released its 2025 Common Agenda this year, providing a comprehensive overview of Virginia’s environmental policies and priorities to lawmakers and stakeholders. Detailed in the agenda are three key opportunities for lawmakers to continue progress on flood resilience initiatives.   

While hurricane season officially ended on November 30, many Virginians in the southwest region are still recovering from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene.  We stand with those communities as they recover and must remember that now is not the time to lose focus on reducing the risk of increasing climate-driven storms and disasters. According to the agenda’s co-authors from EDF’s Climate Resilient Coasts & Watersheds Virginia program, the following three flood resiliency opportunities should be a critical focus in the coming year. 

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How can we support New York City’s housing cooperatives in adapting to climate change?

Co-authored by: Anushi Garg and Linda Shi

Anushi is the senior analyst for Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Resilient Coasts & Watersheds program in New York-New Jersey. Linda is the associate professor for Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University.

New York City, like many cities, is simultaneously facing a housing affordability crisis and the impacts of climate change. As the city responds to these complex, interlinked challenges, it is critical to find solutions that ensure all New Yorkers have access to housing that is affordable and adapted to a changing climate.  

Unfortunately, cooperative housing, also known as co-ops, lacks access to many public sources of climate adaptation and disaster recovery funding, despite making up more than 12% of the city’s housing stock. Co-ops have a unique ownership model, one where residents have shares in a corporation that owns the building, as well as a proprietary lease tied to their unit, rather than a property title. This model helps preserve long-term affordability, but can also prevent co-ops from accessing resources geared towards housing that is owned by an individual.  

To support affordable multi-family co-ops, Environmental Defense Fund, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB) and Cornell University released An Assessment of NYC Cooperative Housing’s Climate Vulnerability and Barriers to Adaptation. This report, based on a mapping assessment, a first-ever survey of co-ops and a policy review, looks at climate impacts on permanently affordable co-ops in New York City and encourages more responsive and equitable policies.   Read More »

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Three ways to make home buyouts more efficient

By: Gabrielle Rosario, EDF Intern

Each year, flood risk increases from sea level rise and storms, raising major concerns among millions of homeowners. Flooding can inundate homes, damage property and cause safety and health concerns, as well as isolate residents from essential government services like trash pickup or emergency vehicle access. In fact, by 2030, over 20 million Americans will be at risk of inundation due to sea level rise, and many will be unable to afford to move.  

Managed retreat policies, such as voluntary home buyouts, can facilitate the relocation of residents out of increasingly flood-prone communities. But unfortunately, existing federal programs are slow and require local governments to meet complex and challenging guidelines. 

Innovative approaches are needed to make buyouts more efficient. Here are three strategies that can help: 

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New research could help resource managers improve the health and resilience of the Mississippi River Basin

Spanning across 31 states, from Minnesota down to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, the Mississippi River Basin is one of the most significant waterways in the world. Not only is it important for commercial purposes, but it also provides critical wildlife habitat, fresh water and recreational opportunities for communities.  

Given the river’s complex alterations and increasing climate impacts, it is more important than ever to take actions that will protect and nurture this treasured basin. Earlier this year, Environmental Defense Fund and co-authors* released new research that may prove beneficial to resource managers, aimed at evaluating and implementing actions to improve the Mississippi River Basin’s overall health and resilience. Based on this research, we are sharing a comprehensive framework that can be used to effectively manage the Mississippi River Basin as part of a whole basin governance structure that includes monitoring, modeling and adaptive management.  Read More »

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One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back federal wetland protections. Here are the impacts so far.

One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that significantly reduced federal wetlands protections, leaving America’s wetlands at greater risk of development and degradation. The case of Sackett v. EPA was decided 9-0 in favor of the Sacketts, a couple from Idaho that filled in wetlands to build on their property near Priest Lake. The Court ruled unanimously that the wetlands on the Sackett’s property were not regulated under the Clean Water Act, but a narrow majority of justices went further to issue a controversial 5/4 opinion that scaled back federal protections that have provided for the thoughtful conservation of America’s wetlands for decades.  Of note, Justice Kavanaugh, siding with the minority, expressed concern about the decision’s “significant repercussions for water quality and flood control throughout the United States.”   

The impacts of the decision are still unfolding, and there remains a lot of uncertainty on how the unclear language of the Court will be interpreted in the long term. But what we do know is that this decision will have a significant impact. Here’s where things stand one year later. 

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