Building Resilience Across the Watershed
Check out these interactive maps to explore projected flooding impacts across the watershed (and read more about the work behind these maps below):
Project Overview
Climate change is a challenge the scale and breadth of which are unmatched by any other in our lifetime. Adapting to the impacts of climate change is a daunting task but many local cities and towns are already taking steps to do so. Having the best possible information on the impacts of climate change locally is critical to guiding local investment and regulatory changes.
The fifteen communities (listed below) that are part of the Charles River Climate Compact (CRCC) teamed up to develop a Charles River Flood Model (CRFM). The CRFM forecasts expected flooding under different climate conditions and also allows us to test flood mitigation strategies of various nature-based solutions.
The fifteen communities (listed below) that are part of the Charles River Climate Compact (CRCC) teamed up to develop a Charles River Flood Model (CRFM). The CRFM forecasts expected flooding under different climate conditions and also allows us to test flood mitigation strategies of various nature-based solutions.
These scenarios were selected based on extensive community input. This initiative produced both much needed technical information about where and when precipitation driven flood-risk in the watershed is expected to be exacerbated by climate change, and is providing consistency across watershed communities in regards to how we are planning and governing for expected climate impacts, thus promoting a more comprehensive and synergistic approach. The watershed flooding model was developed by a highly-experienced team at Weston & Sampson using the software package PCSWMM. Read the full technical project report here.
View previous project presentations:
Project overview webinar - January 2021
Project results presentation - June 2021
Funding for this project was provided by the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) action grant program which provides support for cities and towns in Massachusetts who have identified climate hazards, assessed vulnerabilities, and developed action plans to improve resilience to climate change and want to implement a priority project identified through the planning process.
Participating Communities
The following communities participated in this project: Arlington, Dedham, Franklin, Holliston, Medway, Millis, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, Sherborn, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston and Wrentham
At the start of the project participating community representatives were asked: What is your primary goal(s) for the use of this model and its output?
View previous project presentations:
Project overview webinar - January 2021
Project results presentation - June 2021
Funding for this project was provided by the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) action grant program which provides support for cities and towns in Massachusetts who have identified climate hazards, assessed vulnerabilities, and developed action plans to improve resilience to climate change and want to implement a priority project identified through the planning process.
Participating Communities
The following communities participated in this project: Arlington, Dedham, Franklin, Holliston, Medway, Millis, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, Sherborn, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston and Wrentham
At the start of the project participating community representatives were asked: What is your primary goal(s) for the use of this model and its output?
This model provides residents and municipal leaders better information on where and when flooding will occur. This helps local communities begin to adapt both on-the-ground infrastructure and policies and permitting procedures, supporting a data driven approach to investing adaptation resources. The CRFM assists municipal staff in protecting their citizens, especially vulnerable populations, and helps engage residents and businesses in climate preparedness and resilience efforts.
Community Engagement
This project involved extensive community engagement to help inform the modeling scenarios run during the project. Community meetings were held on Zoom due to the ongoing pandemic.
Are you a watershed resident interested in receiving updates about this project? Sign up for project updates. Get involved and help us spread the word about this community resource with this community flyer.
Are you a watershed resident interested in receiving updates about this project? Sign up for project updates. Get involved and help us spread the word about this community resource with this community flyer.
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Flood Viewer Map
Questions?
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Julie Dyer Wood, Deputy Director
jwood@crwa.org (781) 788-0007 x225 |
Marianne Iarossi
Open Space Planner & Conservation Agent Town of Natick |