Virginia Beach engineer outlines flood risks and planned tide gates across city

Tony Utterbach, city engineer for the City of Virginia Beach, outlined the main types of flooding that threaten the city and described engineering steps the city is taking to reduce risk.

Utterbach said rainfall flooding occurs when more rain falls than the drainage system can handle, and that older neighborhoods with undersized drainage, small roadside ditches or heavy leaf fall are especially vulnerable. He noted recent drainage work on South Plaza Trail and Redline Road in the Windsor Woods area and said public works crews work year-round to keep the drainage network clear while planning longer-term maintenance.

He described tidal flooding at the oceanfront, Sandbridge, bay beaches and in inland waterways such as Lake Rudee, the Elizabeth River and the Lynnhaven River, noting tides can reach as far inland as Dam Neck Road. While most development sits above normal tide levels, Utterbach said "during full moons, new moons, or seasonal king tides, water can rise high enough to reach yards and roads." He added that storm surge — the abnormal rise in water caused by storms — combines with tides to produce the extreme water levels that threaten coastal neighborhoods.

To manage tidal and surge risk, Utterbach said the city uses combined tide-and-surge forecasts to decide when to operate tide gates and when to pump down water levels. He listed several locations where tide gates and pump stations are being installed, including Windsor Woods, Princess Anne Plaza, the resort corridor and the Shore Drive corridor, and said similar tide gates are planned for West Neck Road to address flooding driven by strong southerly winds.

Utterbach explained that southern portions of Virginia Beach along the North Landing River and Back Bay do not follow normal tidal patterns; instead, strong southerly winds push water northward from Currituck Sound and Albemarle Sound and, combined with naturally low-lying terrain, can cause prolonged flooding. He said tide gates at West Neck Road are intended to reduce that kind of wind-driven inundation.

He also described riverine flooding — when heavy rainfall upstream causes small channels to exceed capacity — and said that, because Virginia Beach has relatively small watersheds and flat terrain, riverine flooding is rare but can occur after extreme storms in areas such as Salem and Blackwater. Vegetation management and debris removal are measures he cited to reduce that risk, though he cautioned that severe storms can still cause flooding despite these efforts.

Utterbach closed by stressing that different flood types affect different parts of the city and that understanding those differences helps planners and engineers identify the most effective protection measures for neighborhoods across Virginia Beach.