With more than 1,500 miles of coastline, Massachusetts is vulnerable to the damaging impacts of northeasters and hurricanes, and experiences regular storm damage from even minor storms. To tackle these issues, the Governor and the State Legislature asked the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, through the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), to launch a Coastal Hazards Commission (CHC) in 2006. The CHC was charged with reviewing existing coastal hazards practices and policies, identifying data and information gaps, and drafting recommendations for administrative, regulatory, and statutory changes. The CHC produced a final report in 2007 that includes 29 recommendations to improve the management of risk from coastal hazards in Massachusetts. The CHC also produced an inventory of publicly owned coastal structures on the South Shore (inventories of the remaining coast were completed by 2009).
Links to Commission Publications
- Preparing for the Storm: Recommendations for Management of Risk from Coastal Hazards in Massachusetts (PDF, 721 KB) - The final report and recommendations of the Coastal Hazards Commission, released in May 2007.
- Inventory of Public Seawalls and Other Structures - Reports prepared for CZM and the Department of Conservation and Recreation from 2006 to 2009 that provide condition ratings and estimated repair or reconstruction costs for publicly owned seawalls, revetments, groins, jetties, and other structures are provided on this page, along with inventories of privately owned structures.