Projects to improve stormwater management and relieve widespread flooding in the Windsor Woods, Princess Anne Plaza, and The Lakes neighborhoods.
To mitigate flooding issues within Windsor Woods, Princess Anne Plaza, and The Lakes areas of the City, several different types of storm drainage improvements are required. Major improvements include tide gates, pump stations, and stormwater storage creation.
The purpose of the gates is to eliminate tidal influence and create additional stormwater storage within the drainage system before a storm. The pumps will be used in combination with the gates to lower and maintain water levels/storage volume. This additional storage plays a critical role in mitigating the flooding by allowing the City to manage the stormwater and slowly discharge it downstream.
The tide gate and pumps will be used before and during an extreme storm event. Otherwise, the natural ebb and flow of the tide will occur. While the gate and pumps are in use, water levels will continually be monitored both downstream and upstream to ensure there are no adverse impacts. See the section below on Downstream Considerations to learn more about how project implementation will not increase flooding downstream.
There are six sub-projects associated with the Windsor Woods, Princess Anne Plaza & The Lakes Master Project:
Work in South Rosemont Road/Club House Road and the northwest corner of Bow Creek Golf Course.
Design and construction of a tide gate across Thalia Creek in the vicinity of Lake Windsor and an adjacent interim pump.
Construction of new storm drain piping and drainage inlets.
Replacement of storm drain piping.
Design, acquisition of property, and construction to convert the Bow Creek Golf Course in the Princess Anne Plaza neighborhood into a park with stormwater storage.
Construction of a tide gate, pump stations, stormwater storage, flood barriers, and drainage pipe improvements.
The water surface elevations of Thalia Creek and London Bridge Creek are directly tied to those of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. There are two low tides and two high tides daily due to the gravitational forces of the Earth, moon, and sun. The water surface elevation varies throughout the day as a result of this tide cycle, with an average range of 2 to 2.5 feet. Water levels are dependent upon several outside influences and a much larger, controlling body of water.
The water surface elevation of West Neck Creek is impacted by additional factors. West Neck Creek, The Lakes Canal, and the Green Run Canals all converge near London Bridge Road. To the east is Canal No. 2, which was built by the US Army Corps back in the 1980s to provide drainage relief to this area.
Canal No. 2 outlets to London Bridge Creek, which transitions to the East Branch of the Lynnhaven River and ultimately connects to the Chesapeake Bay. Like London Bridge Creek, Canal No. 2 is tidally impacted. The flow patterns in this area are unique and depend on such factors as water levels, wind/tide patterns, and the time of year. Generally, the flow from the Lakes tends to head north up West Neck Creek to London Bridge Creek.
The flow from Green Run typically heads east along West Neck Creek until it reaches Canal No. 2, where it either flows north up Canal No. 2 or continues south along West Neck Creek. West Neck Creek runs south and ties into North Landing River, which ultimately connects to the Currituck Sound near the North Carolina border.
The City’s Southern Watershed is especially susceptible to wind tides that push water up into the rivers, bays, and inlets. These wind tides can often last for several days, causing the water to rise (i.e., “stack”), which leads to flooding in low-lying areas. In extreme circumstances, these southern wind tides can impact the drainage along West Neck Creek and subsequently, The Lakes and Princess Anne Plaza Areas by increasing water levels and/or preventing drainage to the south along West Neck Creek.
Extensive hydraulic modeling has been performed to evaluate conditions prior to and after project implementation downstream of the tide gates and pump stations along Thalia Creek, London Bridge Creek, and West Neck Creek. Model results demonstrate that downstream water surface elevations are equal to (or below) existing elevations as a result of the proposed drainage improvements.
By creating additional stormwater storage capacity upstream of the tide gates within the project area and using the pump station to control the release of the stormwater into the downstream system, we can ensure that downstream water levels are not impacted.
Additional information can be found in the downstream considerations report.
Sign up to receive email updates on the Flood Protection Program projects in Windsor Woods, Princess Anne Plaza and The Lakes. For more project-specific information, check out the Flood Protection Program's monthly status reports, which can be found on the Flood Prevention Program Bond Referendum Oversight Board's webpage.
