Preparing for the Storms: Municipal Adaptation for Climate Change Resiliency

Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors Annual Conference

UMass Lowell – Inn and Conference Center June 6, 2013

E. Heidi Ricci

Senior Policy Analyst Mass Audubon

Thanks to Scott Horsley, Horsley and Witten, Carrie Banks, MA Div. of Ecological Restoration, and Elisabeth Hamin, UMass LARP

Shaping the Future of Your Community Program

Working in the state’s fastest developing regions to provide community leaders and concerned citizens with tools and support to chart a more sustainable future

www.massaudubon.org/shapingthefuture

Landscape Context for Resiliency

Ecological Resiliency: ability of a natural system to return to a stable state following a disturbance

Intact habitats are most

resilient to many threats and stresses

Interconnection is vital for adaption and migration

Landscape Planning

Focus land conservation on areas most critical for long-term persistence of rare and other native species, exemplary natural communities and a diversity of ecosystems Align local plans and zoning Look beyond parcel and municipal boundaries

Protect the biodiversity of MA in the context of projected effects of climate change.

Prioritize Protection: Important habitat and Green Infrastructure Prioritize Development: Concentrate near infrastructure and away from important natural resources

Planning Ahead for Growth

Regional Plans – Toolkit for Implementing • Priority Protection Areas • Priority Development Areas www.massaudubon.org/495Toolkit

Resiliency and the Built Environment

Scour on the outside of meander bends

Deposition on inside of bends

Rivers erode and deposit. Give them room to move

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

Swift River, Cummington

Photo: Matthew Grallert Photo: NRCS

Photo: NRCS

Bank hardening transfers energy downstream

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Building constructed between 2005 and 2008, now in regulated floodplain after 2010 FEMA re-study

100-year flood, depth >1 foot, from 2010 FEMA study

Prior 100-year flood, depth > 1 foot

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Same building, March 2010 flood (approximately 40-year flood)

Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Watershed Barriers

Taunton Watershed Dams

Taunton Watershed Barriers

Barriers to Aquatic and Terrestrial Life Movements

Hazards - degraded conditions, undersized culverts

Walker Brook, Becket

(10/06/05)

Undersized culverts

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

6/30/2011

Same Site – Culverts washed out in 2005 replaced with similarly undersized culverts

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

Post Irene

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

Post Irene – Replacement Culverts

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

10 years

10 years

10 years

10 years

10 + years

Estimate for Stream Crossing Span:

Cost of Two Replacements in 6 years:

$130k

$300-400k

Comparison of Estimated Crossing Lifespan and Costs

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

• 2- 10 foot box culverts washed out in 2003. Road was closed to all traffic. • Culvert had a history of clogging with debris

Bronson Brook, Worthington

Design with the river in mind!

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

Bronson Brook During and Post Irene

River process slides courtesy Carrie Banks, MA Division of Ecological Restoration

Political Technical (lack of

data and guidance)

Staff time and money

Costs to implement

Barriers

• Spotlight – Master Plan update or freestanding Adaptation Plan

• Mainstream – Modify local regulations – wetlands, floodplain, zoning/subdivision, stormwater, etc.

• Stealth – or No Regrets

– multi benefits

Public Health

Sustainable Development

Disaster Risk Reduction

Choose Your Method

Multi-sector Adaptation Planning Analysis

Remove barriers to fish and

accommodate storm flows

Green infrastructure

and low impact

development

No Regrets Actions

Mitigation/Adaptation Co-Benefits

• Compact development and land conservation keeps forested and natural (carbon absorbing) lands intact • Massachusetts’ forests are sequestering 12% of our annual carbon emissions! • Every acre of forest holds 85 TONS of carbon • Natural landscapes absorb rainfall during storm events, decreasing flooding, and filter the air and our drinking water

http://www.apa-ma.org/resources/publications/nrb-guidebook

Subdivision Regulations – Low Impact Development

Clean Energy and Climate Change Tools

• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

• Green Communities

• Greening Transportation

• Energy Efficiency

• Protecting Natural Carbon Storage and Resiliency

© Andrew Sylvia, Westford Solar Park

www.massaudubon.org/495Toolkit

www.massaudubon.org/shapingthefuture

Heidi Ricci hricci@massaudubon.org

781-259-2172

The Massachusetts Homeowner's Handbook to Prepare for Coastal Hazards Grant Funding available from MEMA for Hazard Mitigation