Climate Change
The effects of climate change are already being felt in Illinois and the Upper Midwest. Weather patterns are becoming more extreme including short duration/high intensity rain events, periodic drought, and higher daytime and overnight temperatures. Curiously, people in northern Illinois may experience wetter and drier weather patterns in the same year due to intense rainstorms followed by prolonged drought. These climate change effects have obvious ramifications for our natural resources, but also have significant implications for our public works sector. Urban flooding, including infrastructure and overbank flooding, has become an increasing financial burden on public agencies. Some problems can be addressed through creative engineering solutions; other legacy factors may be difficult – and expensive – to remedy.
Buffalo Creek Reservoir at flood stage (Photo credit: MWRD)
The word “resiliency” is often thrown around these days but it is a necessity for a sane future. The United States has already experienced numerous natural disasters during the first few months of 2023, including wildfires in New Jersey, 25 inches of rain in one event in Florida, multiple tornadoes through the South and Midwest, and the unprecedented atmospheric river events in California. Addressing the impacts of such events will dictate future planning efforts, both financially and design related. At Hey and Associates, we strive to be innovative and look to incorporate nature-based solutions into our projects whenever appropriate and applicable.
For insights into the expected climate change effects in our region, using sound science, see The Nature Conservancy’s “An Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change in Illinois.”