Living Shorelines

Living Shorelines
Preserving the natural elements of the shore while also providing protection from erosion.

Critical Infrastructure

Critical Infrastructure
Connecting firm science with the decision-making needs of state and local leaders.

Inland Flooding

Inland Flooding
Projecting changing precipitation patterns and future inland flooding in riverine communities.

Coastal Flooding

Coastal Flooding & Waves
Mapping coastal flooding from waves, storm surge and high tide.

Policy and Planning

Policy & Planning
Community climate adaptation policy and planning through research and analysis.

Sea Level Rise

Sea Level Rise
Providing future sea level rise scenarios for Connecticut's coastline.

Featured Projects & Products

UCONN EARTH DAY CONFERENCE 

  

April 22, 2022

CIRCA, the UConn Law School's Center for Energy & Environmental Law (CEEL), and the Diversity Alliance all hosted an Earth Day Conference focused on building resilient communities. This event brought together specialists in environmental law, municipal finance, climate and marine science, and community planning and included remarks from Senator Christine Cohen and CT DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. A keynote speaker started the day by framing the decision-making challenges facing municipalities in a time of climate change.

Recording Now Available

See the event website for a full agenda re-cap and a link to video recordings from the day's event.     

Storm Damage

10 Steps to Municipal Resilience

CIRCA describes “10 Steps to Municipal Resilience” in a new fact sheet to help CT towns and cities adapt to the growing impacts of climate change. Along with the fact sheet are two additional resources: 1) a website that describes both CIRCA’s and other organizations’ resources and tools to help communities implement the 10 steps and 2) a video featuring Professors Jim O’Donnell  and Joe MacDougald who provide informal commentary and added insight for each of the 10 steps. 

Learn about Resilient Connecticut

CIRCA, in coordination with state agencies, regional councils of governments (COGs) and municipalities, has initiated Resilient Connecticut, as part of Phase II of the HUD National Disaster Resilience Competition. Resilient Connecticut focuses on regional resilience and adaptation planning through engagement and vulnerability assessments that inform municipal to regional scale initiatives and pilot projects in the Superstorm Sandy impacted regions of New Haven and Fairfield Counties.

Learn More

Connecticut Climate Fact Sheets Now Available

Planning for adaptation requires local information about expected changes in climate. Until recently, the spatial scale of climate projections did not allow for detailed regional analysis. With support from CT DEEP, CIRCA sponsored two recent state-level climate assessments to better inform local decision-making. If you don't have time to read the full Sea Level Rise Final Report or the Physical Climate Science Assessment Report then these two fact sheets can help you find results quickly.

Go To Fact Sheets

CT SLR graph

Sea Level Rise Projections for Connecticut

Based on the scenarios CIRCA recommends that Connecticut plan for the upper end of the range of values projected of sea level rise or up to 20 inches (50cm) of sea level rise higher than the national tidal datum in Long Island Sound by 2050 and that it is likely that sea level will continue to rise after that date. The Institute also recommended that the scenarios be updated at least every 10 years, or more frequently, to incorporate the best available science and new observations.

Learn More

News & Announcements

Resilience Roundup and CIRCA Announcements

Sign Up for the Resilience Roundup e-newsletter and CIRCA Announcements

The Resilience Roundup is an e-newsletter including local, state, and national news clips on resilience and adaptation as well as resources , events, and funding announcements. The CIRCA Announcements list will send you notices of the latest CIRCA research, events, tools, grants, and engagement opportunities.

To stay in touch on a broad range of floodplain management issues subscribe to, The Torrent, an e-newsletter published by our partners at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse, Land and Water Resources Division.

Municipal Resilience Planning Assistance

 

This project combined science, policy, and planning at the state and local levels to address the resilience of vulnerable communities along Connecticut’s coast and inland waterways to the growing impacts of climate change. The purpose of the project was to develop tools for municipalities to assess vulnerable infrastructure to inundation by river flow, sea level rise, and storm surge in the next 25-50 years.  This work was made possible through a Municipal Resilience Planning Assistance grant from the State of Connecticut Department of Housing CDBG-Disaster Recovery Program and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development

Learn More

Cosey Beach, East Haven, CT (Courtesy of the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection)

CIRCA Grant Products

 

Municipal Resilience Grant Program

Learn about new funding available and previously funded municipal projects designed to move our state from planning to implementation.

Matching Funds Grant Program

Learn more about the 9 matching funds grants awarded to Connecticut organizations, municipalities and researchers to leverage external funding programs to advance resilience in the state.

Research Grants

Learn more about all of CIRCA's Research projects and products.

Dune restoration in Milford, CT sponsored by the CIRCA Municipal Resilience Grant Program. Photo: Steve Johnson