Watts Branch Resiliency Masterplan
The Watts Branch is a tributary of the Anacostia River and is located in Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, Maryland. This densely populated urban area is vulnerable to flooding, a risk that is expected to worsen due to the effects of climate change. We have created a masterplan for the Watts Branch watershed to relieve the effects future flooding might have on the area. This masterplan has three goals: decrease flood risk, improve habitat and water quality, and increase local residents' connection to the river and quality of life. First, we generated a map of priority areas in the watershed, along with a list of interventions that might be used to achieve one or more of the three goals. We then created decision trees to assist in the process of assigning interventions to specific areas. These decision trees can also aid the community through future decision-making processes. Lastly, we chose three sites within the Watts Branch watershed to conceptually implement a set of these interventions. These pilot projects demonstrate the variety of options made possible by this masterplan.
Zane Almquist, MS (CE, EI); Zihao (Howie) Chen, MS (CE, EI); Soyoung Jin, MLA; Neha Srinivasan, MLA; Jingyuan Wu, MLA, MS (CE)