Case Study: The Nature Conservancy improves floodplain prioritization across the Mississippi River Basin with Fathom

Fathom’s large-scale flood-hazard model enabled The Nature Conservancy to assess natural flood defences across the Mississippi River Basin

The Nature Conservancy, a global organization focused on land and water conservation, needed to assess natural flood defenses across the vast Mississippi River Basin. Their challenge was a lack of detailed, reliable flood risk data to prioritize which floodplains to protect or restore, as existing federal data was patchy and underestimated the risk. They turned to Fathom and utilized its large-scale flood-hazard model for their interactive Floodplain Prioritization Tool.

The solution from Fathom provided comprehensive and realistic flood mapping for the entire Basin, integrating data for rivers, rain, and terrain. This enabled the creation of a tool that helps various stakeholders identify valuable floodplain sites based on flood risk, ecological value, and social vulnerability. The tool is already guiding real-world conservation plans, and research by Fathom and The Nature Conservancy indicates that every $1 invested in conserving these floodplains could save at least $5 in future flood damages.

The Nature Conservancy

Kris Johnson

Associate Director for Science and Planning