Climate Resilience

We’re committed to reducing the impacts of extreme weather by helping our communities improve resilience.

Extreme rain events, increased flooding, and more heat waves occur without regard for town boundaries.

These factors, along with more frequent and severe droughts in the Watershed, pose risks to public health, safety, fish and wildlife, as well as the environment.

There are numerous opportunities for communities to improve their resilience to these changes.

Nature-based strategies can reduce flooding and cool hot spots.
Climate resilience regulations that ensure construction plans use forward-looking, rather than outdated, information in order to design projects that are long-lasting and prioritize the well-being of each community.
Restoration and protection of natural resources, such as wetlands and salt marshes, can minimize disruptions caused by extreme events.

Read About the Stoughton Climate Resilience Project

Please email NepRWA Managing Director for Community Resilience, Kerry Snyder, with any questions about our Climate Resilience Program.

Learn more about our programs

Neponset Regional Climate Resilience Collaborative

We’re expanding our Watershed communities’ capacity to work together to tackle big challenges.

Watershed Flood Model

Knowing how water moves across the region is the first step to addressing the top climate threat to the Watershed.

Coastal Resilience

We’re working with our coastal communities to address the impacts of sea level rise and extreme weather.

Community Engagement

Improving climate resilience in the Neponset Watershed requires all of us to take action.

Sea level will continue to rise, increasing coastal flooding and erosion.
Storms will be more severe, increasing inland flooding and exacerbating coastal flooding and erosion.
Precipitation timing is changing, worsening flood risk and making droughts more frequent and severe.
Heat waves (2 or more consecutive days above 90F) will increase, affecting air quality and stressing energy infrastructure.
The combination of changes in rain frequency and higher heat will increase the risk of brushfires.

The bottom line? Hazards that may have been infrequent or nonexistent in the past are likely to become significant problems in the future. Your community must adapt to minimize economic and service disruptions, and protect public health and safety.

Read the Massachusetts Climate Change Assessment.

Watch “Flooding in Norwood”. Video credit to Turnaround Films.