Softening the city
Boer speaks of “softening the city.” During flooding, infiltration – the ground’s ability to absorb water – is key. In a hard-surfaced city, this capacity is limited.
Rotterdam, which is below sea level in a low-lying delta region, has recognized that climate change will increase peak rainfall and cause fluctuation in the water coming from rivers. With shallow ground water, plus heavier and more frequent rainfalls as well as water from the North Sea and the Maas River, the water has fewer places to go, except to flood. Because the frequency of heavy rainstorms is increasing, the storm water system can’t handle the volume. Sewers overflow, and it’s a mess.
Charlotte also must deal with rivers, although in the Queen City they’re called creeks. According to Jennifer Frost of the City of Charlotte Storm Water Services, there are 34 major creeks and 3,000 miles of open-air creeks in Mecklenburg County, a comparatively large system in North Carolina.