The Bass River District Resilience Study

The Bass River District is one of the most vulnerable areas in the City of Beverly to the future impacts of climate change, including flooding from rising sea levels, storm surge, and rainfall events. The frequency and intensity of coastal flooding is projected to increase in the future.

The City of Beverly received a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, with the City of Beverly contributing match to this project. The study began in December 2022 and concluded in June 2023. The primary objective of this study was to provide City of Beverly staff, utility providers, marine users, landowners, and other stakeholders with strategies to implement appropriate flood resilience solutions, as well as conceptual designs for district-scale interventions that can mitigate flooding, enhance coastal resource areas, and implement nature-based solutions.

The Bass River District is lined with commercial and industrial properties. Key assets within the District include the Beverly Depot MBTA Commuter Rail station, a utility substation, Innocenti Park, McPherson Youth Center, a large-scale grocery store, the City of Beverly’s Margin Street Stormwater Pump Station, and a significant number of commercial/industrial properties. The District also includes two marine boating facilities – Bass Haven Yacht Club and Hill’s Yacht Yard.

The Bass River District's coastal resources include pockets of salt marsh and tidal flats near the Bass Haven Yacht Club. Community walking/public access paths line the banks of the northern portion of the riverfront near Elliott Street.

As a tidal riverfront, sea level rise due to climate change will continue to exacerbate flood risk through increased intensity and frequency of coastal storm events.

Click on the points and highlighted areas on the map below to explore key locations within the Bass River District.

Properties and infrastructure along the Bass River are currently at risk of flooding, with the frequency and intensity of coastal flooding increasing in the future. The following protections will help the District build its resilience in the near-term and long-term:

• Harden Shoreline Protections – Maintain seawalls and revetments, prevent inundation at stormwater outfalls, raise/elevate roadways, install storm surge barriers, and use bulkheads.

• Soft Shoreline Protections – Utilize artificial dunes, living shorelines, permeable land cover, and rain gardens.

• Hybrid Protections – Combine hard (structural) and soft (natural) flood resilience measures (e.g., permeable pavement that combines vegetation and hardscape).

The following images show four approaches - prepare, elevate, revitalize, and buffer that property owners could incorporate. While there are suggested time horizons, if a property is being redeveloped, understanding the increasing flooding risk and adapting to the future now would be most beneficial. Elevating utilities, maintaining seawalls, and stabilizing coastal banks are actions that should be undertaken today or as soon as feasible, while elevating a road is more likely in the future. Any of these approaches or a mix of them may be used. Aspects of these approaches may take place at different times by different property owners, but the goal of this study is to provide the City and private property owners district-wide guidance to resilience.

Public and stakeholder outreach and engagement was a critical aspect of the Study, which included interviews, public meetings, community education, and conversations with local businesses on infrastructure resilience. Salem Sound Coastwatch engaged the community with events aimed to inform the public on the ongoing study, as well as educate residents about future conditions within the District.