Understanding the New Chesapeake Bay Climate-Change Informed IDF Curves

Changing hydrologic conditions, coupled with ongoing development, already pose a risk to stormwater infrastructure and public safety. To date, state and local governments have used a series of precipitation volume-based engineering design criteria to manage risks to public health as well as the performance of their stormwater infrastructure. However, multiple studies demonstrate that the current practice of designing infrastructure using intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves based on historic precipitation analysis are likely to underestimate future precipitation, leading to increased risk of infrastructure failure.

Over the past year, a team of researchers from RAND, Cornell, and Carnegie Mellon have worked to develop projected IDF curves for the entire Chesapeake Bay Watershed and Virginia. In this webinar, the research team will present their methods and findings, as well as provide a demonstration of a web-based tool designed to help stormwater professionals understand future precipitation and plan for stormwater design that is more resilient to the changing climate conditions.