Lake Bradford & Chubb Lake Stormwater
Lake Bradford and Chubb Lake are located in the northwest part of Virginia Beach adjacent to Joint Expeditionary Base (JEB) Little Creek and Chesapeake Beach.
Project Status
RK&K was chosen to provide technical engineering services and are performing a detailed analysis of the City's stormwater model for Watershed 31 to identify drainage improvements, develop an implementation and phasing plan, and determine the environmental permits that may be required for construction. Engineering design work has begun for two early drainage improvement projects.
Project Overview
Lake Bradford and Chubb Lake are located in the northwest part of Virginia Beach adjacent to Joint Expeditionary Base (JEB) Little Creek and Chesapeake Beach.
The stormwater drainage systems for Bradford Acres, Chesapeake Beach, Church Point, Hermitage Elementary, Lake Shores, North Beach, Pleasure House Road, part of Thoroughgood, and portions of Northampton Boulevard and Shore Drive drain to these lakes.
During Hurricane Matthew, the water level rose significantly resulting in flooding around the lakes and in upstream neighborhoods.
A drainage study is currently underway to identify improvement projects and develop an implementation and phasing plan to address flooding in this area.
The lakes drain through a canal to Little Creek Harbor west of JEB Little Creek. Located along this canal is a "weir gate" which can be used to affect the water level in Lake Bradford and Chubb Lake.
The City of Virginia Beach coordinates with JEB Little Creek regarding the maintenance and operation of this gate and the canal.
Lake Bradford and Chubb Lake were identified as part of Targeted Area 4 in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) developed between Norfolk, Virginia Beach, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC), and several U.S. Navy installations including Joint Expedition Base (JEB) Little Creek.
This project first appeared in the FY 2017-18 CIP, with partial funding to address the repetitive residential and roadway flooding that occurs with moderate to heavy rainfall and tidal events.
Current Drainage Improvement Projects
- Lake Bradford/Chubb Lake, CIP 7-053: This multi-phase project will include a preliminary engineering report to study the cause of flooding and identify drainage improvement projects.
- Pleasure House Lake Outfall: This Lake is located under Northampton Boulevard at the end of Pleasure House Road. This project includes the installation of a new storm drain pipe from the lake to an existing stormwater pump station. This will allow for better management of the water level within the lake.
- Lake Bradford Ditch Dredging: This project will provide maintenance dredging of 1,900-ft of ditches draining to Lake Bradford from Pleasure House Road and Shore Drive.