British Virgin Islands: Climate change induced heavy rains degrade coastal water quality & impact local economy

Climate change is changing local rainfall patterns; an increase in the frequency of heavy rain events has been predicted for the Caribbean region and has been experienced over the past 7 years in Cane Garden Bay leading to flooding and increased pollution of the Bay from sedimentation and sewage.

Project Outline: Problem list combined with solutions
Problem Statement:
[Problems and underlying causes] (1) Cane Garden Bay is experiencing frequent flooding and (2) degradation of coastal water quality from more frequent climate change induced heavy rain events, and a lack of a master watershed management plan. [Negative impacts] (a) These challenges reduce the beauty of the Cane Garden Bay beach, (b) contribute to poor coastal water quality, (c) poor swimming conditions and (d) reduce tourism revenues through a loss in the number of repeat visitors. This is exacerbated by a degradation of the protective barrier reef through sedimentation and long-term beach erosion.

[Problem 1] Frequent flooding
New programme related to climate change.
Community Flood Resilience Programme [Solution to underlying cause: Climate change causing more frequent heavy rain events] 
[Activity 1]. Facilitate the organization of a community-based watershed management committee
[Activity 2]. Flood preparation and recovery workshop
[Activity 3]. Development of a homeowner’s guide to flood resilient building, landscaping and property maintenance

Drainage Maintenance and Improvement Programme [Solution to underlying cause: Lack of a master watershed management plan] 
[Activity 1]. Facilitate the organization of a ghut maintenance and improvement subcommittee of the watershed committee
[Activity 2]. Development of a ghut maintenance protocol (scope of work, schedule, responsible parties)
[Activity 3].  Installation of sediment traps in ghuts

[Problem 2] Coastal water quality being degraded 
Sedimentation Reduction Programme [Solution to underlying cause: Rapid development in the watershed increases impervious surfaces and runoff; exposed soil leads to sedimentation of the ocean]
[Activity 1] Porous pavement and green roof demonstration project
[Activity 2] Grassing of unpaved roads and exposed foundations

Here is how students interact with the CSDI Development Community–a community of 600 development practitioners.
Atoya George’s post:
Hi, my name is Atoya. I am currently assisting Climate Change coordinator in my department with climate change projects and I am also a part of the OL341 course on community based adaptation. My colleague and I are currently developing a community based project to address the flooding of one of the main tourism industry’s hotspots within our Territory and the degradation of its coastal waters. So far one of our adaption designs is a sediment reduction programme. For this purpose, I would like to ask for project examples and published papers on ways to reduce sedimentation without taking away from the area’s natural beauty.

Angela Burnett’s Post:
Good day,
I am part of the an online adaptation course OL 341 (http://www.csd-i.org/ol-341-adapting -climate-change/ ) where I am developing a project in the British Virgin Islands working to reduce flooding and restore coastal water quality to one of the Territory’s most important tourism communities, Cane Garden Bay.

Cane Garden Bay is experiencing frequent flooding and degradation of coastal water quality from more frequent climate change induced heavy rain events, and a lack of a master watershed management plan. These challenges reduce the beauty of the Cane Garden Bay beach, contribute to poor coastal water quality, poor swimming conditions and reduce tourism revenues through a loss in the number of repeat visitors. This is exacerbated by a degradation of the protective barrier reef through sedimentation and long-term beach erosion.

I post to ask if anyone one knows of a small island watershed with a mountainous terrain that has faced a similar problem and been able to successfully address it using a community approach. Right now the people of Cane Garden Bay only look towards the government to fix their flooding and water quality problem through expensive infrastructural drainage projects which the Territory may not be able to afford. I am interested in empowering the community to do actions that they can take on their own behalf to help fix the problem. If so, I would be interested in any report or links concerning implemented projects.

In exchange I would like to share a link to a great website that was share with me about watershed management http://www.cwp.org/ Sincerely, Angela Burnett

Read the reports:
Follow these two links to see the full example of their project outline and of a report on a participatory workshop with community members to Assess Community Vulnerability and Adaptation Capacity–complete with photos and a beautiful map of the conclusions raised by the workshop. In the workshop they analyzed a historical timeline of major weather events and a summary of local vulnerabilities to climate change

Project statement and project outline

Leading a Participatory Workshop to Assess Community Vulnerability and Adaptation Capacity