The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is recommending $10 billion in infrastructure investments to protect Boston from the worst harms of climate change-caused flooding.
The Army Corps is four years into a six-year study on the city’s flood risks. It previewed a draft of its findings so far at an event with city officials on Monday. The draft is expected to be released on Friday to allow for public comment.
In the draft of the study, the Army Corps of Engineers recommends 20 infrastructure projects across East Boston, Charlestown, downtown Boston, South Boston and Dorchester. Levees and floodwalls are among the proposed flood-mitigation measures.
The study will qualify Boston for federal funding to cover 65% of the project costs. Congress will consider funding a few projects at a time, every two years. The remaining costs will be shouldered by a mix of stakeholders, including the city, state and private partners.
The estimated cost to build all 20 projects represents the “ largest investment in Boston’s waterfront in generations,” said Brian Swett, Boston’s chief climate officer.
“It’s a real number,” said Swett of the $10 billion pricetag, “it has a ‘B’ after it. But the bigger number is us doing nothing.”
Should city officials indeed sit on their hands in the face of climate change, the Army Corps predicts Boston can expect $54 billion in damages from flooding between 2040 and 2090. The city’s Office of Climate Resilience considers that figure to be “the floor, or a starting value.”
Already, “sunny day” flooding is happening more frequently in Boston. And with rising sea levels, frequent storm surge and stronger precipitation, the study found that 40% of city residents currently live in an area at risk of flooding before the end of the century.
The Army Corps estimates that every dollar spent on flood prevention can recoup $4 in losses.
The infrastructure projects they recommend would address 16 miles of vulnerable coastline, protecting assets in the “federal interest,” like transportation lines, hospital systems and postal system, said Nayeli Rodriguez, deputy director for Boston’s Office of Climate Resilience. Protecting those systems will have impacts beyond Boston’s borders, she said.
“Even if you live in Springfield or the Berkshires, you still care about Boston’s coastline because you rely on the hospitals, on the trains, on the highways,” she said.
Additionally, some inland communities may be connected to a flood pathway that the projects will protect, said Rodriguez.
Swett said the coastal resilience projects will create an opportunity to develop more outdoor spaces for Bostonians.
The Army Corps’ plans only outline coastal resilience infrastructure, “not what we as Boston decide to wrap it in,” said Swett. The city will invest more money into making the waterfront spaces usable.
In Dorchester, for example, the Army Corps recommends a levee in Moakley Park — basically a 6-foot high speed bump for flood water. The Corps proposed including public access and views of the waterfront as part of the plan. Those designs should meld into plans Boston already has in the works to create a multi-use park at the site which includes sports fields, a splashpad and community picnic area.
Other ambitious projects from the study include building a flood wall around the entirety of Raymond Flynn Marine Park in South Boston. This is a key area for the city’s shipping and warehousing industries, so trucks require frequent access to the water. The study recommends a mix of park, berm and floodwall along its waterfront edge, but it specifically requests community feedback on its arrangement.
In a press conference previewing the study, Mayor Michelle Wu said protecting our neighborhoods from climate change takes a collective effort.
“ We need every sector on board and every community at the table,” she said.
Lt. Col. David MacPhail, the city’s partner from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, echoed that community feedback was essential to implementing the coastal resilience measures. Speaking to the crowd of Bostonians, he said “ your perspective and local knowledge is vital to the success of this system.”
Last year, the federal Office of Management and Budget halted $11billion in funding for ongoing Army Corps projects. Swett said that the pause did not impact Boston’s study, which was already paid for. He said he’s not concerned about future Congressional approval for the city’s projects.
The open comment for the proposed projects is open from July 24 until Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. via feedback form or mail. The city’s website also hosts an event calendar where residents can learn from city officials about what’s to come with the project.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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