Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness ProgramKara RunstenMunicipal Vulnerability Preparedness ManagerMA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental AffairsJanuary 2020
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Changes in precipitation
Sea level rise
Rising temperatures
Extreme weather
• 18% increase in consecutive dry days• 57% increase in days with > 1 in. rainfall• 7.3 inches additional annual rainfall
MA Climate ProjectionsBy end of century:
• 4-10.5 feet along the MA coast
• 10.8°F increase in average annual temperature
• Up to 64 fewer days/year with min. temperatures < 32* F
• Up to 64 more >90-degree days/year
• Increase in frequency and magnitude
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Executive Order 569 - 2016
• Comprehensive approach to reduce GHG emissions to combat climate change and prepare for the impacts of climate change
• State Adaptation Plan• Climate Coordinators• Agency Vulnerability Assessments• Municipal Support
Environmental Bond - 2018
• $2.4 billion bond bill with focus on climate change resiliency
• Over $200 million authorized for climate change adaptation
• Codifies EO 569, including the MVP Program
Massachusetts State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP) - September 2018
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Evaluates the Commonwealth’s existing capabilities to implement agency-specific and statewide activities to reduce risk and increase resilience
Acknowledges that climate change is already worsening natural hazards, integrating information and planning elements for 14 natural hazards that affect the Commonwealth
Uses best scientific data and projections to assess risk and vulnerability
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Inland flooding
Drought
Landslide
Coastal flooding
Coastal erosion
Tsunami
Extreme temperatures
WildfireInvasive species
Hurricanes/ Tropical storms
Severe winter storms / Nor’easters
TornadoesOther severe weather
Earthquakes
108 actions,including:
Develop climate change design standards
Incorporate climate effects into capital planning functions
Maintain and enhance climate change projections
14 hazardsOver $9.1M in damages/year,2007-2014
Create MA Coastal Flood Risk Model
SHMCAP Key Risk Assessment Findings and Actions
200+ critical facilities in tornado hazard zones
On average, 6 events/ year, 2009-2018
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Leading by example
State and local partnerships
ResilientMA Action Team (RMAT)
Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program (MVP)
SHMCAP Implementation
RMAT: Resilient MA Action TeamResponsible for the State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP) implementation, monitoring, and maintenance, with representatives from each Secretariat and key state agencies
• RMAT Technical Advisor (Aug 2019-2021)
• Statewide resilience standards and guidance
• Resilient capital planning evaluation tool
• Action tracker
First year initiatives
+ Templates for municipalities
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Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program
A state and local partnership to build resilience to climate change by building capacity to respond to climate effects at the local level and pilot innovative adaptation practice
300 high-hazard dams12,000+ culverts and small bridges needing replacement
1,100 municipally-owned coastal structures
Across the Commonwealth, cities and towns need financial and technical resources to prepare their residents, businesses, and aging infrastructure:
96% DHCD housing developments to see 5.4⁰ increase in max temperature by 2070
• Employs local knowledge and buy-in
• Utilizes partnerships and leverages existing efforts
• Is based in best available climate projections and data
• Incorporates principles of nature-based solutions
• Demonstrates pilot potential and is proactive
• Reaches and responds to risks faced by EJ communities and vulnerable populations
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Why nature-based? Where appropriate, nature-based solutions can be more cost-effective, protect water quality and quantity, sustain lands that provide food and recreation opportunities, reduce erosion, and minimize temperature increases associated with developed areas and climate change.
A community-led, accessible process that
MVP Principles
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Define and characterize hazards using latest science and data
Identify existing and future community vulnerabilities and strengths
Develop and prioritize community adaptation actions
Receive MVP designation
MVP Planning Grant
Implement priority adaptation actions identified through planning process
MVP Action Grant
COM
MU
NIT
Y R
ESIL
IEN
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BU
ILD
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WO
RK
SHO
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Determine overall priority actions
MVP Process/ Grant Types
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MVP Designations71% of the Commonwealth 249 communities
Action Grant ProjectsFY 18: 37FY 19: 36
Total Awards$17M+ in planning and action grants to date
Three Years of MVP
MVP Regions
Central
Northeast
Greater Boston
Southeast
Berkshires & Hilltowns
Greater CT River Valley
Regional Coordinator: Michelle Rowden – DEP [email protected]
Regional Coordinator: Carolyn Meklenburg – EEA [email protected]
Regional Coordinator: Courtney Rocha – DEP [email protected]
Regional Coordinator: Carrieanne Petrik - DCR [email protected]
Regional Coordinator: Hillary King – DEP [email protected]
Regional Coordinator: Andrew Smith– DEP [email protected]
MVP Planning Grant• Next RFR expected to open in spring 2020• $15,000- $100,000 per plan• Some expanded scopes• $1M available
MVP Action Grant• Next RFR expected to open spring 2020• Open to MVP communities• $25,000- $2M per project, 25% local match required• $10M available annually
13https://www.mass.gov/municipal-vulnerability-preparedness-mvp-program
2 Types of MVP Grants
MVP Planning Grant TrainingsFor Municipal Staff
January 23: WEBINAR February 4: 2-4pm at the Mass Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke, MAFebruary 13: 1-3pm at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield, MA
• These workshops will train municipal staff in supporting their communities through MVP’s vulnerability assessment and resiliency planning process, that uses the Community Resilience Building Framework (CRB) developed by the Nature Conservancy. The workshop will be led by MVP Regional Coordinators and will introduce relevant resources including climate projections for the Commonwealth including:
– the Climate Change Clearinghouse (resilientMA.org), – guidance on how to incorporate nature-based solutions into the planning process, – effective outreach and engagement, – how to cross-walk the MVP process with creating and/or updating a local Hazard Mitigation
Plan.
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Initial Findings Related to MVP Planning Grant Reports
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20
40
60
80
100
120
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Inla
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Seve
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eath
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Dro
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Coas
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Hur
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Trop
ical
Sto
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Wild
fires
Ecol
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hang
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Coas
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rosi
on
Torn
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Land
slid
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Tsun
ami
Coastal ReportsInland Reports
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Top HazardsMVP: What we’re hearing - 2018 & 2019 MVP Planning Reports
1 Inland floodingExtreme precipitation and precipitation-induced flooding, ice jams, dam failures
2 Severe winter stormsSnow/Ice storms, Nor'easters
3 Average/ Extreme temperaturesExtreme heat, extreme cold, average higher temperatures
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2 3
1. Stormwater Management2. Emergency Management & Preparedness3. Water Use/Supply4. Natural Resources5. Public Health & Safety
Top Vulnerabilities
Driver
Impact
Tree & Forest Management
Local Economy
WastewaterTreatment & Septic Systems
WatershedManagement
Power
1. Emergency Management & Preparedness2. Stormwater Management3. Data & Maps4. Regulations, Zoning, & Policy5. Power
Top Priority Actions
Driver
Impact
Tree & Forest Management
Public Health & Safety
WatershedManagement
Water Use/Supply
Natural Resources
Nature-Based Solutions in the Planning Process
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of towns included nature-based solutions in their priority
actions
65%
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Stakeholder groups by % of workshops attended
*1% of workshops did not document participant affiliation
99% 88%
City Officials Public Safety
77%
Civil Society
38%42%
Building Management, Permitting, Construction
Utilities
Environmental Groups
Education Elected Officials
74%
63% 54%Business
62%
State Officials38%
51%Healthcare
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MVP Action Grants: Project Types, Findings, and Case Studies
MVP Action Grants: Project Types
• Detailed Vulnerability and Risk Assessment*• Community Outreach and Education • Local Bylaws, Ordinances, Plans, and Other
Management Measures• Redesigns and Retrofits***• Nature-Based Flood Protection, Drought
Mitigation, Water Quality, and Water Infiltration Techniques**
• Nature-Based, Infrastructure and Technology Solutions to Reduce Vulnerability to Extreme Heat and Poor Air Quality
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* Most common project type** Second-most common project type***Third-most common project type
• Nature-Based Solutions to Reduce Vulnerability to other Climate Change Impacts
• Ecological Restoration and Habitat Management to Increase Resiliency
NEW IN 2019• Energy Resilience • Chemical Safety• Land Acquisition for Resilience• Subsidized Low-Income Housing
Resilience Strategies• Mosquito Control Districts+ Expanded eligibility of project location
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MVP Action Grants: Project Types (cont.)
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Nature-Based Solutions
MillburyGreen infrastructure in
downtown revitalization
ConcordReforestation and municipal tree resilience
FalmouthRiver restoration
Essex, Ipswich, Newbury (Regional)Sedimentation study
SouthwickStream crossing
replacement with upstream nature-based
flood mitigation measures
MVP Planning Grant/Designated Communities (2017-2019)
NorthamptonDetaining, retaining,
treating stormwater with green infrastructure
Oak BluffsBeach nourishment
Example Action Grant Projects
Purchasing 120 acres of forest, streams, freshwater wetlands and coastal salt marsh as conservation land to prevent development in vulnerable areas
Mattapoisett
Land Acquisition for Resilience
Data utilization
Proactive
Example Action Grant Projects
Utilizing green infrastructure like stormwater planters, bioretention bump outs, rain gardens, and other measures like porous pavers and pervious pavement to reduce heat island effects and stormwater runoff into the Blackstone River.
Millbury
Nature-Based Flood Protection, Drought Prevention, Water Quality, and Water Infiltration Techniques
Nature-based solutions
Example Action Grant Projects
Boston
Local Bylaws, Ordinances, Plans, and Other Management Measures
Pilot potential
Proactive
Redesigns and Retrofits
Nature-based solutions
Community co-benefits
Developing its first ever resilient building code so that development in the future floodplain is prepared for at least three feet of sea level rise, the likely scenario by late century.
Retrofitting a major waterfront park into a legacy park that uses nature-based solutions to address climate vulnerabilities while providing important access to recreation for residents.
Nature-Based Flood Protection, Drought Mitigation, Water Quality, and Water Infiltration Techniques
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Designing and permitting for a replacement water storage tank that would increase storage capacity and resiliency to drought, and completing a feasibility/ concept design of a rainwater harvesting system at Belchertown High School to irrigate the athletic fields.
Belchertown
Example Action Grant Projects
Nature-based solutions
Pilot potential
FY18 Action Grant Projects
Conducted a detailed demographic analysis of individuals who arrived in Holyoke from Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria and develop recommendations for planning for future climate change migrants in Holyoke
Holyoke
Detailed Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, Further Planning
Informational graphics from Holyoke's final
report
Image credits: Town of Holyoke, Hunter College CUNY, El Instituto UCONN
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Example Action Grant Projects
Salisbury Increasing the resilience of the neighborhood of Ring’s Island by raising its access/egress roads and by improving tidal flushing through culvert replacements
Redesigns and Retrofits
Vulnerable communities
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MVP Resources
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• Building on success of existing programs like MVP: Proposed new source of revenue for loans, grants, and technical assistance to municipalities and regional partnerships for priority adaptation projects
• Proposed deeds excise increase est. $137M annually ($1B in ten years)
• Recurring, long-term revenue stream for multi-year project feasibility
Next Steps: Climate Change & the Commonwealth
Bill S.10: An Act for Climate Change Adaptation Infrastructure Investments in the Commonwealth
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• Critical Infrastructure Mapping• Emergency & Security Preparedness
• Climate Change Information & Resources• Emerging Contaminants/Cyanobacteria Support
Supporting drinking water & wastewater resilience in the Commonwealth
WATER UTILITY RESILIENCE PROGRAMmass.gov/guides/water-utility-resilience-program
[email protected]://www.mass.gov/municipal-vulnerability-
preparedness-program
https://www.mass.gov/municipal-vulnerability-preparedness-program
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