Welcome to: Charles River Climate Compact Informational Webinar

1. Welcome to:Charles River Climate CompactInformational Webinar Julie Wood, Deputy Director Charles River Watershed Association June 4, 2019

2. Webinar Agenda • Background on CRWA and our climate adaptation program • Charles River Climate Compact • Next Steps • Q & A

3. Webinar Team Julie Wood, Deputy Director jwood@crwa.org Nishaila Porter, Program Associate nporter@crwa.org

4. Charles River Watershed Association • Founded 1965 • One of the countries oldest watershed associations • Interdisciplinary staff Integrated approach • Scientists • Lawyer • Planner • Policy experts • Director • Communications and support staff • Work closely with EPA Region 1, state agencies, and 35 watershed municipalities

5. Charles River Watershed Association • Program Areas • Field Science • Blue Cities Initiative (low impact development and green infrastructure) • Climate Change Adaptation • Law, Advocacy and Policy

6. The Climate is Changing

7. Charles River Watershed Association Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program • Long-term River Monitoring • On-the-ground Implementation: • Nature Based Solutions • Green Infrastructure • Low Impact Development • MVP Program / Local Initiatives • Mitigation: Promoting Wastewater to Energy Projects • State Climate Planning process

8. Charles River Watershed Association Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program Climate Resilience 101: Training for Municipal Elected Officials: • How is climate change effecting us? • What can they do? • How can we consider climate change in all decision making? • What is the role of the MS4 permit? • What are nature-based solutions and why would you use them? Trainings done for the Spring, will launch again in the fall; municipal staff are welcome to attend as well!

9. Charles River Climate Compact • Mission: Bring together communities in the Charles River watershed to work on climate adaptation and strategies at a regional scale. • www.crwa.org/climate-compact

10. Charles River Climate Compact The Charles River Climate Compact is: • A convening of watershed communities to: • discussed shared and regional challenges to climate adaptation • discussed solutions to shared and regional challenges to climate adaptation • investigate watershed scale flooding issues • raise issues together, as needed • Access to technical expertise from CRWA, and our network of environmental partners as needed, to address challenges in the following categories: flooding, stormwater, water quality and quantity, environmental justice, dam removal, wetlands protections, land use, and accessing funding

11. Why a Charles River Climate Compact? • Army Corp of Engineers: Natural Valley Storage Area

12. Why a Charles River Climate Compact? • Army Corp of Engineers: Natural Valley Storage Area • Mother Brook Diversion: DCR

13. Why a Charles River Climate Compact? • Army Corp of Engineers: Natural Valley Storage Area • Mother Brook Diversion: DCR • Moody St. Dam – DCR • Watertown Dam - DCR • New Charles Dam – DCR • Public/private dams

14. Why a Charles River Climate Compact? • Army Corp of Engineers: Natural Valley Storage Area • Mother Brook Diversion: DCR • Moody St. Dam – DCR • Watertown Dam - DCR • New Charles Dam – DCR • Public/private dams • State infrastructure

15. CR Natural Valley Storage Area • 8100 acres • Army Corps spent $8.3M from 1977 to 1983 • (16) Millis, Medfield, Norfolk, Franklin, Holliston, Needham, Sherborn, Bellingham, Dedham, Dover, Medway, Newton, Wrentham, Walpole, Natick, and Boston • Flood management • Hiking, canoeing, snowmobiling, fishing, hunting, and cross country skiing Undeveloped Urbanized

16. Conservation Mapping Online Tool http://maps.coastalresilience.org/massachusetts/

17. Charles River Climate Compact • Who is eligible: Any of the 35 municipalities in our watershed who has made a commitment to climate adaptation (see examples of eligible actions) • What’s required: designated representative, 2 in person meetings/year • Benefits: networking, information sharing, forum for discussing watershed / regional scale issues

18. Charles River Climate Compact Eligibility: • Be a designated MVP community or in the MVP planning process. • Have a current hazard mitigation plan that deals with the expected impacts from climate change. • Have a demonstrated commitment to water conservation. • Have a demonstrated commitment to green infrastructure. • Member of (informal) Charles River Stormwater Collaborative. • Member of Mass ECAN, Metro Mayors adaptation task force, or other similar climate adaptation association

19. Charles River Climate Compact Who should my community send? • Anyone thinking about and working on climate adaptation planning for your community • Eventually we envision having topic focused subgroups which may involve different individuals from who attends the first meeting What will we talk about? • You tell us! Initial gathering will be focused on getting member input • River impacts, flooding / flood management, stormwater, nature based solutions, dams • Policy / regulatory tools • Funding opportunities

20. Charles River Climate Compact • What’s next? • Membership forms requested by June 20th (don’t worry you won’t be first, just don’t be last!) • Initial working session: half-day workshop summer 2019 • Climate Compact Kick-off meeting: Fall 2019

21. Q&A Session Julie Wood, Deputy Director jwood@crwa.org 781-788-0007x225 Undeveloped Urbanized