Our Approach
Water infrastructure does not experience climate hazards in isolation. Rising groundwater, heavier rainfall, flooding, salinity, and aging infrastructure can interact in ways that traditional standalone analyses may overlook. Working with the University of Delaware through the Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, Straughan is supporting research to develop an integrated modeling toolbox that connects EPA SWMM and USGS MODFLOW to evaluate these interconnected risks.
At Dover Air Force Base, Straughan provides technical input for model development, GIS and stormwater-system assessment, sanitary sewer analysis, adaptation planning, and cost and construction schedule estimates. The research is also testing how broadly this approach can support military infrastructure resilience. Straughan completed site-specific Natural Hazards Assessments for eight additional DoD installations, identifying infrastructure vulnerabilities and evaluating how the integrated modeling framework could address each installation’s unique combination of flooding, sea level rise, contamination, saltwater intrusion, and other hazards.
