A Commitment to Coastal Resiliency
Manchester-by-the-Sea is a town on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts that has proactively taken aim at resiliency planning for its future. With funding from two FEMA Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation (PDM) grants, our firm assisted the Town with characterizing flooding impacts from sea level rise, storm surge and extreme precipitation, and their potential effects on critical sectors. The resulting vulnerability and risk assessment provided the basis to develop mitigation strategies for a five-year update of the Manchester Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP).
Historically, Manchester-by-the-Sea experiences frequent flooding inland and along the coast. More than 75% of the town’s critical assets (including water and sewer treatment facilities, and emergency service buildings) are vulnerable to flooding due to location and elevation. Impacts include property and infrastructure damage, as well as water quality and fisheries habitat degradation. It is expected that flooding and water quality problems will be magnified in coming years due to the impacts of climate change.
The project was coordinated with a concurrent Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Grant integrating modeling, public outreach, and education. A robust public outreach program was coordinated with the Town’s grant administrator and the Manchester Coastal Resiliency Advisory Group representing local, state, and federal stakeholders.
The grant evaluated the vulnerability of culverts, and their required capacity under climate change. Opportunities for flood reduction included flood storage, and culvert improvements. A green stormwater infrastructure was identified throughout the watershed to mitigate current and potential future flooding, while simultaneously providing water quality and habitat benefits.
Services Snapshot
Tighe & Bond assisted the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA with master planning, GIS analysis & data development, grant funding assistance, and design of stormwater improvements. Our work includes watershed modeling coupled with climate change coastal modeling. Based on the modeling, solutions were identified throughout the watershed that will ultimately reduce downtown flooding.
