The Ripple Effect: Eight Projects Down—Real Progress in the Flood Protection Program

Virginia Beach’s long‑term Flood Protection Program is moving from plans to progress. Take a look at the eight completed projects and see how they’re already helping our city.

Flood Protection Projects

Club House Road Storm Drainage

• Completed in 2024, included the installation of a new storm drainpipe system along Club House Road.
• Added larger, more efficient drainage inlets from South Rosemont Road to the northwest corner of Bow Creek Golf Course.
• Constructed a new half‑acre stormwater management pond at the golf course.

Windsor Woods Tide Gate

• Completed in 2025, and is the first of three new tide gates designed to reduce tidal impacts in Windsor Woods, Princess Anne Plaza and The Lakes.
• Features four gates that can be closed during storms to block downstream high tides and storm surge.
• Includes six temporary pumps to help move stormwater during heavy rain, with a capacity of 60 cubic feet per second, approximately 32,400 gallons per minute.
• These pumps will be replaced by a permanent pump station, which will have a much larger 800 cubic-feet-per-second capacity, approximately 432,000 gallons per minute.

Cape Henry Canal Phase II Gravity Sewer Relocation

• Completed in 2023 to support future drainage improvements along Cape Henry Drive. 
• Relocated and upgraded a Public Utilities gravity sanitary sewer system from under the Cape Henry Canal to Cape Henry Drive. 
• Work was done to make room for the planned widening and deepening of the Cape Henry Drive Canal. 

Lake Pleasure House Outfall

• Installed new storm drainpipes and replaced the existing stormwater pump station to help better control water levels in Lake Pleasure House.
• Completed in 2023 and served as an early improvement project to support broader flood‑mitigation efforts in the area.

Lake Bradford Ditch Dredging

• Completed in 2024 as part of the early improvement work in the area.
• Dredged approximately 1,900 feet of ditch to improve water flow, including 650 feet from Shore Drive to Lake Bradford and 825 feet from Pleasure House Road to Lake Bradford.
• Helps stormwater move more efficiently through the system, reducing backups during heavy rain.

Seatack Neighborhood Drainage Improvements

• Replaced older storm drainage infrastructure with larger‑capacity pipes to help the neighborhood manage stormwater more effectively.
• Enlarged the stormwater pipes under Birdneck Road, so runoff from the east side of the neighborhood can reach the outfall on the west side.
• Added an underground hydrodynamic separator to improve the water quality from the stormwater runoff being discharged to an upper tributary of Linkhorn Bay.
• Completed in 2026, the project is designed to improve long‑term resiliency, with capacity to handle a 100‑year storm and 1.5 feet of sea‑level rise.

Old Forge Road and Red Lion Road Drainage Improvements

• Completed in 2024, replaced undersized storm drainpipes with larger diameter storm pipes, added larger drainage inlets and upgraded water and sewer lines, improving how water moves through the area.
• Installed new, much larger outfall pipes into the Windsor Woods Canal to reduce roadway flooding and better handle stormwater.

South Plaza Trail and Presidential Boulevard Drainage Improvements

• Added a large parallel storm drain to move more water to the Windsor Woods Canal, along with sewer force main improvements and upgraded water and sanitary sewer systems.
• Completed in 2025, these improvements work together to reduce flooding and increase safety for residents, commuters and first responders who rely on this busy route.

• Ripple Effect

The Virginia Beach Flood Protection Program — The Ripple Effect — is a comprehensive 10-year plan to address recurrent flooding in Virginia Beach. In November 2021, Virginia Beach voters overwhelmingly supported a resiliency package for several key flood protection initiatives to include drainage improvements, tide gates, pump stations and flood barriers throughout the city. The projects are led by Public Works with support from a community oversight board for transparency and accountability. Learn more at VirginiaBeach.gov/RippleEffect.