NEWPORT – The city has received a $598,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment to develop strategies to protect resources on the west side of Aquidneck Island from sea-level rise and the anticipated effects of storm surge.
The Office of the City Manager announced on Thursday that the city will also engage with stakeholders from Middletown and Portsmouth and will work with specialists from the University of Rhode Island, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Naval War College to develop the plan, which will include actionable recommendations to make the coast more resilient to coastal threats.
The planning will include digital modeling and simulations to analyze the consequences sea-level rise and storm surge could have for infrastructure within the naval station and surrounding areas.
The city said the project is expected to begin immediately.
