Coastal Resiliency
Resiliency is “… the ability of coastal localities to adapt to changing conditions & to withstand the challenges brought about by a changing climate.”
~Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program (VCZMP)
Resilience is “… the ability to identify risks and build the capacity to maintain or rapidly regain functionality and vitality in the face of chronic stressors or sever disturbances… For the short term, resiliency planning enables communities to better address extreme weather or other high impact events… For the long term, community resiliency provides the ability to adapt and thrive despite changing climate, environmental, social, and economic conditions.”
~Resilient Virginia
In 2026, the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission kicked off public outreach and planning for the Eastern Shore of Virginia’s Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Plan. This effort will include prioritization for waterway channel dredging needs and will also develop at least two project concepts incorporating clean dredged material. For the September 2026 update to this project, please click here.
Coastal Resilience Tools & Resources
Explore mapping tools, planning guidance, and educational resources that support coastal resilience on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Browse the categories below to find resources relevant to your community or project.
Tool Name: Sea Level Rise Planning Maps
Organization: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Description: Likelihood of coastline being protected.
Tool Name: Virginia Coastal Resilience Web Explorer
Organization: Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation
Description: High-quality flood resilience data.
Tool Name: Coastal Resilience Mapping Portal
Organization: The Nature Conservancy
Description: Decision support tool to visualize risks and identify nature-based solutions for enhancing resilience.
Tool Name: Sea Level Rise Viewer
Organization: NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Description: Visualize community-level impacts from coastal flooding or sea level rise (up to 10 feet above average high tides).
Tool Name: Beneficial Use of Dredged Material: Wetland Restoration Framework
Organization: The Elizabeth River Project // Anchor Qea
Description: Wetland Restoration Using Thin Layer Placement: Best Management Practices for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Tool Name: USACE Guidance Documents
Organization: U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
Description: USACE Engineer Manuals related to the beneficial use of dredged sediment.
Tool Name: Virginia State Profile
Organization: American Shore and Beach Preservation Association // Coastal States Organization
Description: Breakdown of VA's Beneficial Use of Dredged Material by permits, policy, and physical considerations.
Tool Name: Shoreline Studies Program
Organization: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Description: Increases awareness of the choices available for erosion control and shore stabilization.
Tool Name: VIRGINIA BENEFICIAL USE OF DREDGED MATERIAL
Organization: Elizabeth River Project
Description: Storymap explaining BUDM and contains a map with local known examples of dredging projects with beneficial reuse. Encourages people to submit their projects to be added to the map.
Tool Name: Virginia Environmental Data Hub
Organization: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Direct access to spatial and non-spatial environmental data of the Commonwealth of Virginia for citizens and stakeholders.
Tool Name: GIS Tools
Organization: VA Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Visualize, interact, analyze and extract DEQ data using interactive web mapping tools.
Tool Name: WQA Integrated Report Web Map
Organization: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report (IR) interactive assessment summary.
Tool Name: Environmental Data Mapper
Organization: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Description: DEQ, EPA, USACE, USGS, VGIN, USDA layers.
Tool Name: PFAS Sampling Dashboard
Organization: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Description: PFAS detection and concentrations without respect to screening thresholds or regulatory standards.
Tool Name: NPS Nutrient Trading
Organization: VA Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Nutrient Trading Credit / Bank availability, supplemental reference hydrologic data layers.
Tool Name: Virginia Coastal GEMS (CZM)
Organization: VA Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Gateway to coastal resource data and maps; coastal laws and policies; and coastal resource facts.
Tool Name: EnviroAtlas (EPA)
Organization: VA Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Pollution, land cover, water, community.
Tool Name: Conserve Virginia (DCR)
Organization: VA Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Map of Virginia's highest conservation value lands.
Tool Name: Chesapeake Bay Map
Organization: Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Description: Marine land use + management areas.
Tool Name: Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program
Organization: Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program
Description: Implements the enforceable laws, regulations and policies that protect our coastal resources and foster sustainable development.
Tool Name: Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan
Organization: Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation
Description: CRMP charts a comprehensive path toward long-term resilience to protect people, homes, businesses, infrastructure, and ecosystems from the impacts of coastal flooding.
Tool Name: Livability Tool
Organization: University of Virginia
Description: Impacts from challenges like extreme storms and flooding events.
Tool Name: The Resilience Adaptability Feasibility Tool
Organization: UVA Institute for Engagement & Negotiation
Description: Increase ability to respond to acute and chronic hazards and stressors while strengthening economic and social viability.
Tool Name: Virginia EJScreen
Organization: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Identifies low income areas, communities of color, areas of both, areas of neither.
Tool Name: Rural Opportunity Dashboard
Organization: VA Rural Center
Description: Demographic, economic, health, and more data for each locality in Virginia.
Tool Name: Brownfield Development Resource Tool (DiRT)
Organization: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Description: Support the identification, evaluation, and redevelopment of brownfields and other potentially developable sites.
Tool Name: Resilience Implementation for Salt-INtruded Geographies (RISING) Mid-Atlantic program, Options for Adapting to Rising Seas (OARS) program
Organization: Salinity-Affected Lands in Transition (SALT) Program
Description: Diagnosing and addressing saltwater intrusion in coastal lands. Administered by UMD, funded by USDA.
Tool Name: CARE Resource & Resilience Guide
Organization: Community Agricultural Resilience through Extension Project
Description: This resource was prepared as part of the Community Agricultural Resilience through Extension (CARE) project, a NOAA-funded collaboration between extension colleagues in Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. As part of the CARE project, we have been conducting surveys, interviews, and listening sessions to better understand how extension can support growers and their communities in managing extreme weather. One request that we've heard repeatedly is the need for a “one-stop-shop” for information - a place to find information, resources and tools related to different climatic hazards and ways to respond to them. This storymap is an initial attempt to be responsive to that need.
Tool Name: CBNERR-VA Training and Engagement Program
Organization: Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia
Description: Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERR-VA) is one of 30 protected areas that make up the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS). Established to promote informed management of the nation's estuaries and coastal habitats, national estuarine research reserves inspire solutions for healthy coasts and maintain strong local economies, effectively functioning as America's bridge between freshwater and salt.
