Newburyport Resiliency Planning

Warmer air and ocean temperatures have produced a trend toward heavier precipitation events, especially locally.

Since 1958, the Northeast has experienced a 71% increase in precipitation, an  increase nearly twice as great as any other part of the country.

The consequences of more extreme precipitation include:

Increased flood damage to properties in low-lying  areas of the City, including the Business Park, West End neighborhoods, and coastal zones.

Loss of public access through flooded roadways.

Increased damage to critical city infrastructure,  such as roads, treatment plants, water  and sewer lines and other public facilities

Rising global temperatures have created shifts in the jet stream, producing  extreme weather fluctuations.

In February 2017 two 80-degree days  were followed by a succession of  damaging winter storms.

Human health impacts of higher temperatures include  increased incidence of asthma, allergies, heat stroke and other cardiovascular conditions, as well an increase in insect-borne diseases such as Lyme and West Nile Virus.

Environmental impacts of extreme temperature  conditions include damage to trees and other vegetation, shifting agricultural ranges and loss of species.

Recurring or persistent drought endangers the public water supply and can lead to dangerous changes in water quality, diminished food supply and associated economic losses

Data show that sea level is rising fastest along the US East Coast.

Low-lying coastal areas of Newburyport will be flooded without resiliency measures in place.

Newburyport’s most vulnerable areas to sea level rise include:

• Plum Island / Plum Island Turnpike
• Low-lying shoreline properties along Water & Merrimac Streets, including the Wastewater Treatment  Facility & parts of the downtown waterfront 
• The Artichoke Reservoir

Climate driven changes to the jet stream favor increased development of tropical storms, northeasters and hurricanes.

Where Newburyport lies in the mid-and-high latitudes, storm frequency and intensity has been steadily increasing since 1950.

Increased storm damage to coastal properties  from wind-driven waves and associated flooding

Increased erosion and loss of protective  coastal dunes on Plum Island

Increased damage and outages to critical city  infrastructure, such as roads, treatment plants,  power lines, and public facilities

STRATEGY

Implement immediate protective measures for the water supply and wastewater treatment facility, while planning longer-term adaptations for these critical assets, as well as vulnerable roadways,  utilities and other public facilities.

ACTION ITEMS

• Develop, and implement plans for permanent protection of the water supply.
• Develop plans for protecting the Wastewater Treatment Facility, sewer lift stations and future relocation of the WWTF.
• For the areas around Cashman Park and Waterfront Park, evaluate the possibility of elevating or protecting these properties to preserve their amenities vs. adapting and transitioning the assets to alternate uses as sea level rises.
• Strengthen the electrical grid by reducing conflicts with trees, burying utilities and evaluating micro grids.

STRATEGY

Review, evaluate, and revise local zoning and other ordinances and regulations to improve resilience, water conservation, energy efficiency and discourage development in the FEMA high hazard flood zones.  Work with neighboring communities on long-term planning and priority-setting.

ACTION ITEMS

• Develop a task force with Newbury to implement a long-term, sustainable, science-based plan to address the challenges facing Plum Island.
• Develop an automated water quality monitoring and warning system to protect residents from the health risks associated with combined sewer overflows (CSO’s).
• Implement a storm water/impervious surfaces management program.
• Adopt a design flood elevation for all new development in the FEMA high hazard flood zones.
• Consider adoption of an expanded flood zone overlay district that takes projected sea level rise into account.

STRATEGY

A strong public understanding of anticipated climate change impacts is critical to the resilience of our  community. Communication about climate hazards should be an ongoing effort and should target all  age groups and neighborhoods.

ACTION ITEMS

• Continue to present data on projected sea level rise and climate impacts to the community in open and easily accessible ways.
• Develop recommendations to assist residents in making their households more sustainable and resilient to climate hazards.
• Educate and alert residents to emerging public health impacts related to heat, air and water quality, insect diseases, public safety, and emergency response, access and shelter.
• Create school-based programs to educate future generations about climate change impacts and resiliency.

STRATEGY

To mitigate climate change and temper hazards for future generations, Newburyport and each  of its residents must do their part to achieve  community-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.

ACTION ITEMS

•  Incentivize or require new development and re-development projects to incorporate renewable energy and other energy efficiency and climate resilience measures.
• Increase the use of renewable energy versus fossil fuel energy citywide.
• Track the current municipal carbon footprint.
• Implement a program to quantify and track the carbon impact of residential households.