In a small town in western Massachusetts, volunteers in reflective vests and waders spend their days knee-deep in small streams, assessing the structure and width of drainage pipes underneath roadways.
As the planet continues to warm and New England is hit with more severe storms and flooding, the Berkshire Clean, Cold, and Connected partnership is looking for weak links in stormwater infrastructure.
The Boston Globe reported on the group, which ultimately hopes to unblock and reconnect streams across the Berkshires, a mountainous and rural region in western Massachusetts. This would help to restore natural ecosystems and make communities more climate resilient, the publication explains.
The solution often lies in replacing old pipes — whether they be too small to accommodate expected water flows in the coming years or have infrastructure problems such as holes — with upgraded culverts and bridges that are wide enough to let water flow freely under the road. However, this is a big ask, as each project can cost millions of dollars that many towns don't have.
That said, it could cost more not to upgrade such stormwater solutions. When pipes and culverts are overwhelmed, floodwaters move into residential areas, causing damage to properties and flooding basements, the Globe pointed out.
The publication added that road blowouts can bring traffic to a standstill and threaten public safety. With severe weather ramping up worldwide, the annual economic impact of flood damage in Massachusetts is expected to increase by nearly $10 million by 2030, according to NBC10 Boston.
In the face of such impacts, the state is taking steps to better prepare communities. For instance, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced $3.7 million in grants that will go toward river and wetland projects throughout Massachusetts. Meanwhile, some cities across the globe are becoming "sponges" — utilizing green infrastructure like parks, wetlands, and ponds — to decrease the risk of flash flooding in a warming world.
"It's something we need to be better equipped to deal with to assist our residents," Ricardo Morales, commissioner of Public Utilities for the city of Pittsfield, the county seat of Berkshire County, told the Boston Globe. "And it's caused by the type of climate we are living in right now."
Morales told the publication that his city needs $2 million to $3 million each year to make stormwater upgrades, but his department only has a budget of about $500,000 for these efforts.
This sentiment is replicated across the region and state. Jane Winn is executive director and cofounder of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team — a part of the Berkshire Clean, Cold and Connected partnership. She started documenting stream crossings nearly 20 years ago and said while people are paying more attention to her concerns these days, budget constraints limit the number of projects that can be completed each year.
"Fifteen years ago, I felt like they would pat me on the head and say, 'It's very a nice idea, dear, but you don't understand,'" Winn told the Globe. "Now, I think with the more intense flooding, they agree. Their answer is: 'Find me the money.'"
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