Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Geosciences

Major Professor

Kamal Alsharif, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Fenda Akiwumi, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Robin Ersing, Ph.D.

Committee Member

He Jin, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Philip van Beynen, Ph.D.

Keywords

Drinking water, Natural approaches, Severe storms, Superfund sites, Sustainability, Vulnerability

Abstract

Severe storms are a common occurrence in the state of Florida. Hurricane events may cause hazards such as flooding, property damage, death, and many others. Such far-reaching impacts may potentially result in dangerous consequences where they occur. Of interest to this study were the impacts on water resources and water quality caused by storms. Hurricanes can bring about a deluge. An apparent excess of water may cause the notion of water scarcity to seem less significant. However, problems with potable water can be quite frequent due to storms.

This research sought to address the impacts of severe storms on water resources in three counties in Florida: Broward, Miami-Dade, and Hillsborough. This study contributed towards fostering long-term resilience and decreasing vulnerability. This was accomplished via the encouragement of green approaches. Green strategies would be advantageous over the more traditional “grey” approaches by being more environmentally friendly. Essentially, encouraging natural solutions instead of built solutions to solve a challenge faced by society would be better for environmental health, the society's wellbeing, and long-term resilience.

A mixed methods approach was utilized. The research methods involved collection of both primary and secondary data and involved: key informant interviews, content analysis, analytic hierarchy process, and site suitability analysis with GIS.

Many views were expressed by the interviewees. Among them, it was found that the counties' will to face challenges revealed an opportunity for proactive measures—ones that encouraged NBSs. Positive perspectives of NBSs were expressed by the majority of key informants. Content analysis provided insights on the prevalence of certain types of NBSs and the prominent benefits they imparted. All three counties were found to implement NBSs with water-related functions. However, they differed in the types of NBSs they favored and in the desired functions they emphasized. Superfund sites were assessed as possible places for NBS implementation. The analytic hierarchy process and site suitability analysis yielded sites classified by vulnerability. NBSs at the most vulnerable sites could alleviate more vulnerabilities and would be the most beneficial in that regard. It was recommended that sites surrounded by a greater number of vulnerabilities be prioritized to help the people in most need.

The results serve as a guide for future recommendations within the counties. The findings will contribute towards improvements in the wellbeing of county residents. Natural means of solving society's problems are promoted. This will not only be good for people, but it will also benefit the environment. The recommendations take advantage of NBS benefits for potable water resources along with numerous co-benefits. These will help enable a more resilient and brighter future.

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