Metropolitan Boston: Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge: Regional Impacts Require a Regional Plan

Transcription

1 Metropolitan Boston: Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge: Regional Impacts Require a Regional Plan MWRA Advisory Board June 15, 2018 National Institute for Coastal and Harbor Infrastructure NICHIusa.org

2 October 29, 2012

3 Nor easters Winter 2018

4 Nor easters Winter 2018

5 Nor easters Winter 2018

6

7 Greater Boston Demographics More than 4.5 million residents in Greater Boston Metropolitan Area Logan International Airport and transportation infrastructure including state highways, public transit, tunnels, bridges and port facilities vulnerable Petroleum and chemical processing storage and waste water treatment facilities vulnerable

8 Impact of Nor easters Devastating Nor easters in quick succession More than 1 million homes and businesses without power March 2 Nor easter brings 3 rd highest tide ever recorded in Boston Harbor Massive Flooding through Boston Harbor Connected Communities A Wake Up Call

9 Sea Level Rise Predictions: 2010 High Tide + 5 feet

10 Sea Level Rise Predictions: 2010 High Tide feet

11 Economic Vulnerability of MWRA MWRA Vulnerable Infrastructure Over 70 % of the rate base in Boston Metro Communities Member Community Infrastructure Vulnerable Member Community Tax Base and Revenue Threatened

12 The Answer to Current Coastal Resiliency Project Challenges is a Layered Defense of Local Sea Walls and Regional Storm Surge Barriers A layered defense Consisting of Local sea walls and Regional Storm Surge Barriers is the best solution to climate change related flooding A Regional impact needs a regional solution Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge are two very distinct and separate phenomenon that require two very different design specifications and have very different cost profiles and community impacts

13 Sea Level Rise Sea Level Rise is continuous over time with predictable lunar episodic monthly and seasonal fluctuations MA Sea Level Rise is relatively slow and subject to longer term forecasting. Fixed Barriers to sea level Rise of 3 6 feet could protect MA for the next 100 years from Sea Level Rise and consequently would have far less disruptive effect on the built infrastructure, the social infrastructure and the Natural environment than single barriers designed to address both rising sea levels and massive surges. Barriers built only for Sea Level Rise would not cut off coastal communities from economic development or public access to the water s edge and would also be less expensive thereby allowing more funds to be available to protect more communities.

14 Storm Surge Although storms are increasing in frequency, strength and devastation, Storm Surge is episodic and develops quickly with little warning In the future storm surges will be feet or more

15 Feasibility of Harbor Wide Barriers UMass 2018 Conclusion: We recommend the City of Boston continue the strategy of shore based flood protection strategies for the next few decades.

16 Proposed Boston Area Barrier Options

17 Why Outer Barrier is Important Boston Braintree Cambridge Chelsea Everett Hingham Hull Malden Medford Milton Quincy Revere Somerville Weymouth Winthrop

18 Post Sandy NY NJ Storm Surge Protection A Case Study in Local vs. Regional Protection New York City Centric No Regional Plan Cost Benefit Zero Sum Game Small, Quick and Cheap, Not The Hoboken Effect Six Years after Sandy

19 The NYC Strategy: SIRR Report (2013) 250 Specific Recommendations $20 Billion Cost Plan is fully formulated but will not be completed in the Mayor s term Plan to proceed in Two Phases Phase 1: Intended to immediately protect NYC s most vulnerable assets and shoreline Phase 2: Protects most of the City s vulnerable Shoreline When Funds are Available

20 RBD Projects Awarded in 2014 NYC, Manhattan: Big U ($335 million) Hoboken, Jersey City and Weehawken NJ Little U ($230 Million) NYC, Hunt s Point (South Bronx) ($20 Million) Planning Only NY, Long Island (Storing/Filtering Storm water in Tributaries) ($125 Million) NJ, New Meadowlands, Wetlands and Berms ($150 Million) NYC, Staten Island: Oyster Reefs ($60 Million)

21 The Big U or the Broken J

22 Feasibility of Harbor Wide Barriers UMass 2018 Conclusion: We recommend the City of Boston continue the strategy of shore based flood protection strategies for the next few decades.

23 Five Years After Sandy: The Status of SIRR and RBD Projects In the absence of a regional solution, NY and NJ Metropolitan Resiliency Projects were designed to be local projects that could be built quickly with minimum cost and maximum effect. Many of these projects are now delayed, downsized, over budget, underfunded and leave many communities, buildings, businesses and critical infrastructure facilities as vulnerable to the next Sandy as to the last.

24 Proposed New York New Jersey Storm Surge Barrier System

25 Impact on the Boston Metropolitan Region If Only Local and Perimeter Barriers are Developed Protection proposed for most cities and towns cannot meet a 1 to 1 cost benefit ratio and do not meet USACE requirements for approval and later Congressional funding Boston alone obtains federal funding for its perimeter structures and local barriers Without Army Corps approval, federal funds unavailable to other cities and towns, projects remain unfunded or underfunded and reduced in size The Boston Metro Region must primarily rely on state and local funding for coastal infrastructure and remains acutely vulnerable to the next Nor Easters and Hurricanes

26 The Boston Metropolitan Region Needs a State Funded Independent Study To ensure regional protection there must be follow up on an independent study on the coastal resiliency options in the Boston Metropolitan Area that is not based on predicated Assumptions of the UMass Boston Study.

27 An Independent Study Should Re Examine The UMass Boston Barrier Study Assumptions Assumption: A regional barrier system would take 30 yrs to build when the Louisiana Great Wall was constructed in 4 ½ years, 7 including all planning Assumption: A Regional Barrier would close up to 50 times a year. Yet, when constructed as part of a Layered Defense that included sea walls and therefore would only close infrequently when there was an actual extreme storm surge event

28 UMass Boston Barrier Study Assumptions The current study focuses on local projects and does not discuss comprehensive protection for the Greater Boston Metropolitan Region The local precedent for calculation of cost and time frame should have focused on the Boston Harbor Cleanup, not on the Big Dig

29 Scope of astate Independent Study Comparative Cost/Benefit data and analysis based on specific designs of both regional and local facilities and whether non Boston Facilities will have sufficient National Economic Damages (NDA) to support their local projects Comparative actual design and construction periods Comparative Environmental Impact analysis Comparative design life and effectiveness over time Comparative Social Justice data and analysis Comparative public, business and community support for local versus regional barriers

30 Lack of Precedent for Perimeter Storm Surge Barriers Worldwide Use and Proven Effectiveness of Storm Surge Barrier Systems US: New Bedford, MA Stamford, CT Providence, RI New Orleans, LA International: Thames River, United Kingdom Rotterdam, Netherlands St. Petersburg, Russia

31 Storm Surge Barrier Systems Currently Under Study, Construction or Expansion US: NY NJ Metropolitan Storm Surge Barrier System Ike Dike Galveston Houston Chesapeake Bay Norfolk Virginia International: England Netherlands Italy China Indonesia

32 London s Thames Storm Surge Barrier

33 Thames Barrier Open to Free Flow of Water

34 Rotterdam Storm Surge Barrier

35 The economic well being of generations to come depends on a comprehensive Metropolitan Boston Regional Layered Defense System

36 Think Regional We re All in This Together