Amherst: Fort River Watershed Improvements for Flood & Water Quality Resilience

FY24 MVP Action Grant led by the Town of Amherst: The Town of Amherst is planning for upgraded infrastructure in order to improve the resiliency of the Fort River Watershed to climate change. The Town engaged in initial data collection, design, and permitting to eventually replace three undersized, damaged culverts for flood resiliency and re-route a sewer for water quality resiliency. The health of the Fort River is very important to the Town residents and will only become more critical with climate change.

Project Details

Project Title

Fort River Watershed Improvements for Flood & Water Quality Resilience

Municipality

Amherst

MVP Region

Greater Connecticut River Valley

Award Year

FY2024

Grant Award

$169,250

Project Length

One Year

Community Overview

• The Town of Amherst is located in the Connecticut River Valley and has a population of 39,270.
• The project sites are within areas mapped by the state as having environmental justice and/or priority populations. 
• Amherst is home of three institutions of higher education – University of Massachusetts, Amherst College and Hampshire College.  Also, according to the Town’s Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CAARP), funded through an MVP Action Grant, 97% of Amherst residents live within a USDA designated food desert and 25% of Amherst residents are low income and live more than 1 mile from a supermarket. 

Project Description and Goals

• Where was the project located?
  • Potwine Lane at Muddy Brook
  • West Pomeroy Street at unnamed tributary to the Fort River
  • Middle Street at Plum Brook
• What climate change impacts did the project address? 
  • Flood resilience
  • Extreme temperatures
• What were the specific goals and tasks of the project? 
  •  This project involved the initial data collection, design and permitting to replace undersized culverts at all three locations.
  • The new culverts are designed to meet predicted 2070 storm flows and provide wildlife passage by meeting the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards.
• Did your project meet the goals in terms of:
  • Employing nature-based solutions:
    • Yes – this was a design project, but we incorporated nature-based solutions into the design.
  • Improving equitable outcomes for and fostering strong partnerships with EJ and other Climate Vulnerable Populations:
    • Yes – through this project we forged and strengthened partnerships with community members and groups, specifically focusing on EJ and Climate Vulnerable Populations.
  • Providing regional benefits:
    • Yes. This was a design project so the impacts will be realized when construction is complete.  However, the project involves improvements to areas within the Fort River watershed, which will improve the water quality and resilience of the Fort River which also flows through the Town of Hadley.
  • Implementing the public involvement and community engagement plan set forth in your application:
    • Yes. We believe we exceeded our public involvement and community engagement goals for this project through our partnership with local organizations, holding public engagement sessions, and innovative approach of interpretive signs at the project sites.
  • Finishing the project on time:
    •  Yes. The team finished the project on time. 

Results and Deliverables

• Describe, and quantify (where possible) project results (e.g. square footage of habitat restored or created, increase in tree canopy coverage, etc.).
  • The quantifiable success metrics are associated with the construction phase of the project – after which the streams can be evaluated for improved flood resilience, wildlife passage, and water quality.
• Provide a brief summary of project deliverables with web links, if available.
  •  Project deliverables included:
    • Study documents – wetland delineations, surveys, hydrologic/hydraulic reports, and Geotech reports
    • Permit ready design plans, permit applications, and permits

Lessons Learned

• What lessons were learned as a result of the project?
  •  There are two important lessons learned for the Town through this project:
    1. We found a way to meet the various competing needs of designing for the 2070-year storm, providing wildlife passage and staying under the threshold for MassDOT bridge standards.
    2. The value of the partnerships forged, which allowed us to find creative ways to engage the public regarding culverts.

Partners and Other Support

• The Fort River Watershed Association provided feedback on the project and partnered on public engagement sessions. 
• The Amherst Youth Soccer Association allowed Town staff to host a public engagement session during a practice day – since the fields they use are next to one of the project culverts. 
• The Hitchcock Center for the Environment partnered with us to provide public education regarding stormwater management, culverts, and climate change for their students.