Dutch Dialogues Charleston

Dutch Dialogues Charleston will be directed and coordinated by Waggonner & Ball Architecture/Environment, The Water Institute of the Gulf and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington, DC, alongside Historic Charleston Foundation, the City and other key Charleston-area stakeholders. Public input will be an essential part of the Dutch Dialogues process.Following the scoping meeting in January, the Dutch Dialogues Charleston team will return in April for a two-day Colloquium to better understand and assess existing and near-term flood projects. At this time, project area boundaries and design goals will be finalized. This is an opportunity to further connect the various other ongoing efforts such as the Army Corps of Engineer's 3x3 Study, the city's All Hazards Vulnerability and Risk Assessment project, the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Storm Water Program Manager Contract and other related studies into a more comprehensive, collective approach for Charleston resilience. There will be an opportunity for robust public involvement.In the summer, there will be a five-day Dutch Dialogues Design Workshop that will conclude in a public presentation of the final design recommendations.The initial recommended study areas that will be considered for the Colloquium include the Lockwood Corridor, the old Cooper River Bridge Footprint on the eastern side of the peninsula, John's Island and the Church Creek drainage basin in West Ashley.The City is already making some progress in addressing some of the area's flooding issues. Currently, 7,800 tons of granite rock at the base of The Battery seawall that was washed away During Hurricane Irma in 2017 is being replaced. Also, work will soon begin on phase I of the Low Battery retrofit which will begin at the Coast Guard Center, working east. Additionally, the City is moving forward with plans to create a new department specifically to handle drainage and flooding-related functions which previously was handled by the Department of Public Service.