Another Brick in the SeaWall

The City of Boston has done thorough research into the impacts of sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding will have on the city and are in the process of exploring adaptations that will stave off the worst for the foreseeable future.
A team of scientists and city planners have been tasked with putting together a plan for a Sea Wall, that would stretch across the mouth of the Harbor (potentially from Lynn to Hull) and possibly in between the Harbor Islands, to mitigate the worst impacts in the case of another Hurricane Sandy-like event. (Hurrican Sandy missed Boston’s high tide by mere hours; a high-tide arrival would have seen New York-Level flooding in the Seaport district and many other parts of Greater Boston. Timing is everything).
On May 19th I was fortunate enough to take a tour of the harbor with this team. They were generous with their time and insights into the problems Boston faces.

Kirk Bosma of the Woods Hole Group talks shoreline with Julie Wormser of Boston Harbor Now, as Lucy A Lockwood from UMass Boston looks on.

Know a community, scientist, or activist John should speak to? Contact Me!
I hope to speak further with members of this group, and others on the frontlines in the Boston area, in the coming months. Stay tuned!
Further Reading:

• Boston Harbor Now
• Woods Hole Group
• Green Roots in Chelsea
• Mass DOT’s Report on the Big Dig’s SLR and Extreme Weather Vulnerability

To spend billions of dollars on a wall to keep immigrants out of our Southern borders, turn to page 29.
To spend millions on green infrastructure to keep our cities safe, turn to page 32.