Coalition secures more than $23 million for three critical Mystic River coastal flood management projects  

The 20-member Resilient Mystic Collaborative gathered with dozens of elected officials and agency staff on Wednesday to celebrate an important step forward in their joint efforts to protect coastal cities along Greater Boston’s Mystic River from sea level rise and extreme coastal storms. More than $23 million in funding has been raised by the regional coalition to support three critical projects along the Mystic River that will address increased risks of coastal flooding.  

The three projects – The Amelia Earhart Dam, Draw 7 Park, and the Island End River – were all included in various state bond bills that have now passed the legislature. Federal funds will be sought next. The Commonwealth’s approval of a project is an essential step to securing major federal funding to protect inland neighborhoods from major coastal storms over the next fifty years and beyond.   

 “The recent devastation wrought by the hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico drives home the fact we must proactively protect our coastal communities from increased flooding due to climate change,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, who hosted the event in Somerville. “New grant funding and state bonding authorization demonstrates the strong partnership between our federal delegation, state legislators, the Mystic River Watershed Association, and GreenRoots on behalf of our residents. I specifically want to thank Somerville’s federal and state delegation – Congresswoman Pressley, Senator Jehlen, and Representatives Barber, Connolly, and Uyterhoeven for their advocacy. But our work isn’t done. We will redouble our efforts to work with Governor Baker and the next Administration to make these vital infrastructure projects to protect our homes a reality.” 

The press conference featured representatives from city, state and federal levels who were critical to the success of this regional effort:  

·       Congresswomen Katherine Clark and Ayanna Pressley’s offices 

·       State Senators Sal DiDomenico and Pat Jehlen 

·       State Representatives Mike Connolly, Dan Ryan and Joe McGonagle 

·       Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, as well as city managers and senior staff from Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge and Malden  

·       The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Department of Conservation and Recreation 

·       Non-profit leaders from the Mystic River Watershed Association and GreenRoots 

 “We are proud to partner with the Mystic River Watershed Association and state and local leaders to clean the Mystic and improve our overall climate resiliency,” said Congresswoman Katherine Clark. “We are committed to building a greener, more just future, and through our collective action, we are making progress on behalf of Massachusetts families and our planet.”  

 “Climate change is an existential crisis that threatens every aspect of our society,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. “We’re pressing for action at all levels of government to mitigate this crisis and protect environmental justice communities like Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, and East Boston from the ongoing impacts of climate change. This is a racial, economic and health care justice issue and I am proud to advocate for critical initiatives like the Island End River Area flood resiliency project and Poplar Street Pump Station and Art Farm in Somerville come to fruition.”  

 “In 2017, the Baker-Polito Administration created the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which has provided over $100 million to our partners, to advance important climate change resiliency projects in order to better protect local infrastructure and property,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card. “Projects such as the recently funded Island End River Project demonstrates our focus on equity-centered, data-driven adaptation projects that will build long-term climate resilience on a regional scale.”  

 “Climate change is creating severe and frequent natural disasters across our nation, and I am proud to have worked with my colleagues to secure funding to ensure that communities across our region are preparing for the effects of what that will look like for our area,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “This investment is critical for the well-being of our coastal communities, and it benefits the environment, workforce, our businesses, and residents. The importance of these resilience projects led by the Mystic River Watershed Association and the Resilient Mystic Collaborative is without question, and I am heartened to see so many community partners and elected officials coming together to put a plan in place to address these impacts on our cities and towns.”  

 “Climate change doesn’t care about political agendas or district lines,” said Senator Patricia Jehlen. “So we have to work together–organizations, city governments, legislators and state administrators–to protect our communities from coastal flooding for years to come. I am grateful to work with colleagues to support the many stakeholders brought together by the Resilient Mystic Collaborative. We appreciate the work of the outgoing administration and look forward to working with the next administration to fully implement these programs.”  

 “I want to thank The Mystic River Watershed Association for bringing us all together to acknowledge the work being done on the Mystic and Island End Rivers, Amelia Earhart Dam, Chelsea Creek, and into Boston Harbor,” said Representative Dan Ryan. “Collectively, we have put a stake in the ground on where our climate resiliency efforts in the Mystic Watershed should head. As we take a few minutes to celebrate the major first steps we have taken on this journey, we also reflect on the awesome amount of work that lies ahead. With our community stakeholders leading the charge, I am confident the Mystic Watershed state delegation and our federal partners in Congress are quite adept at seeing this necessary vision become a reality!”  

 “Among the many victories these projects have achieved, I believe collaboration is chief among them,” said Representative Joseph McGonagle. “For all these offices, community groups and other entities to rally around this cause is truly incredible. I am grateful to my legislative colleagues but especially to Julie Wormser and Patrick Herren of MyRWA who have worked tirelessly to garner funds for these projects. As we see the effects of global warming and extreme weather in other parts of the country, it is absolutely essential that we do what we can to prevent such tragedies and protect our communities. We still have a lot of work to be done but I look forward to moving towards that end goal with this group.” 

 “Through regional collaboration and collective action, we have secured over $23 million in funding for critical investments that combat climate change in our region,” said Representative Christine Barber. “I am so proud of our work together to reduce the risk of coastal flooding, and its harmful economic, environmental, and health consequences for our communities. It is critical to meet climate change with resilience: preserving our dams, investing in projects that positively impact over 20 communities and protecting our most vulnerable from the severe impacts of rising sea level.”  

 “I am proud of our efforts to secure state funding commitments to make improvements to Draw 7 Park in Somerville, including a living shoreline, better stormwater management, upgrades to the Amelia Earhart Dam, and a shared-use river path,” said Representative Mike Connolly. “These investments in resiliency and adaptation will be essential for our regional response to climate change and to advance the cause of Environmental Justice in our community. I look forward to continuing the work with DCR, the City of Somerville, the Mystic River Watershed Association, local residents and all concerned to see this project through to fruition.”  

 “It’s an amazing thing to see our entire Mystic delegation come together to secure this much needed funding for projects that keep us all safer from the climate crisis,” said Representative Erika Uyterhoeven. “This is how government should work: using our shared resources to protect those people and places most at risk of harm. We are in this for the long haul.”  

 “With the growing severity of major storms increasing yearly, it is only a matter of time until we are faced with a critical flooding event along the Mystic River,” said Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. “Thankfully through our coordinated regional efforts with our state and federal delegation, we are able to mitigate the effects of climate change, invest in our coastal storm resiliency and work toward creating a safer, sustainable future for Medford.”  

 “The Island End River flood resilience project will be transformative for both Everett and Chelsea,” said Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria. “We are so grateful for the incredible support we’ve received from Congresswoman Pressley, our state legislators, and the Baker Administration to protect not only our residents and businesses, but New England’s food security.”  

 “In Cambridge, we have the resources and technical know-how to do the most thorough, best-in-class analysis to understand our vulnerabilities and the solutions that are needed to protect our community,” said Iram Farooq, Cambridge Assistant City Manager. “What we’ve learned, though, is that the big solutions all lie outside our municipal boundaries, which is why this regional effort to work together to protect our watershed and all our communities is so valuable.”  

 “These are huge projects,” said Patrick Herron, Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association. “They’re too big for any one community to take on by  itself. We’re so proud that our elected officials and community leaders have stepped up in such a major way.”  

 “Climate emergencies cross municipal boundaries and disproportionately impact low-income communities of color, like Chelsea and East Boston,” said María Belén Power, Associate Executive Director for GreenRoots. “Continuing our work across municipalities allows us to address the social vulnerabilities we collectively face and co create a resilient and healthy future for all of our communities.” 

 To date, this collaborative effort has raised more than $23 million in grants and bonding authority to support three coastal resilience projects underway in Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea. The map below shows the extent of salt water flooding from a projected 2070 “hundred-year” flood, five feet higher than the record flooding in January and March 2018. The teal area is the area that will be protected through a multiyear regional flood resilience effort led by cities and towns in the Resilient Mystic Collaborative.  

 The press conference celebrated major progress made on the first three major flood pathways – including $5.7 million in grants and $17.5 million in bonding authority: 

 The Amelia Earhart Dam lies between Everett and Somerville and separates the salt water and freshwater portions of the Mystic River. Built in 1966 by the Metropolitan District Commission and now owned and managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the dam currently provides significant protection from coastal flooding to seven upstream communities. In the coming 10 to 20 years, the dam is expected to overflow during major coastal storms. Storm hardening and elevating the dam to manage flooding to a projected 2070 1% storm (also referred to as a 100-year storm) is expected to cost approximately $36 million and will substantially reduce the risk of coastal flooding to over 108,000 residents and $60 billion in real estate value. 

• A $750,000 grant to further regional coastal flood resilience planning and design, including for the dam, was awarded. 
• No less than $8.5 million in state bonding authorization to provide required match for a future federal grant proposal was approved. 

 Draw 7 Park is a Mass DCR nine-acre waterfront park located between the Amelia Earhart Dam and the Assembly Square Orange Line MBTA Station. It is one of 10 critical coastal flood pathways needing capital investment to prevent significant damage across ten communities. Beyond preventing coastal storm surges from flanking the Amelia Earhart Dam, this $13 million project will link public transit to miles of bicycle/pedestrian paths along and across the Mystic River, restore a living shoreline, and provide other recreational amenities for residents and visitors to Assembly Square.  

• No less than $4 million in state bonding was authorized, adding to $1 million in secured funds. 
• The Baker Administration is seeking $30 million to connect a pedestrian bridge across the Mystic River between the Orange Line and Everett’s Encore Casino. 

 The Island End River is home to the New England Produce Center and forms the boundary between Everett and Chelsea. This industrial district generates an estimated $7 billion annually in economic activity and already floods during coastal storms and king tides. More than 15,000 low-income residents live within this area. This $70 million project will help protect arear homes from coastal storms and sea level rise. 

• A $750,000 grant to further the Island End River project was awarded. 
• $4.2 million from the state Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program has been invested across three grants for this project. 
• No less than $5 million in state bonding was authorized to provide the required match for a $50 million federal grant proposal by Chelsea and Everett.  

“These are huge projects,” said Julie Wormser, senior policy advisor for the Mystic River Watershed Association. “The grants and congressional earmarks are big enough to bring these projects to the point of construction.  The bonding authority is essential for Mass DCR and Chelsea and Everett to access much larger federal grants from the infrastructure act.” 

 These projects are the result of years of analysis and design by both individual communities and multiple municipalities working collectively. Each of the municipalities that championed these climate resilient projects is a founding member of the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC), a watershed-wide voluntary partnership focused on regional climate resilience.   

 Launched by senior municipal staff from ten communities and the Mystic River Watershed Association in September 2018, the RMC has grown to 20 cities and towns and non-governmental partners. The collaborative focuses on managing flooding and extreme heat on a regional scale and increasing the resilience of our most vulnerable residents and workers to extreme weather.