Help Somerville plan for flood mitigation

On February 15, 2022, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

Citywide Drainage and Water Quality Master Plan Community Meetings

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Engineering Division invite you to a series of community meetings to discuss flood mitigation in Somerville.

The City is developing a Citywide Drainage and Water Quality Master Plan, a collection of infrastructure projects that will reduce flooding, improve water quality, and mitigate combined sewer overflows. After years of modeling and evaluation, the Engineering Division and its consultants have developed 30 projects that would address the root causes of flooding and prepare Somerville for climate change. Now, the City is ready to present these ideas and get feedback from the public. Community input will help identify preferred alternatives and determine which of those 30 projects are included in the final Drainage and Water Quality Master Plan.

The proposed projects will be presented over the course of three meetings. Each meeting will focus on a different geographic area of the city:

Wednesday, March 2, at 6 p.m.: Wards 2 and 3 (Union Square area)
Wednesday, March 9, at 6 p.m.: Wards 1 and 4 (East Somerville, Winter Hill, and Ten Hills areas)
Wednesday, March 16, at 6 p.m.: Wards 5, 6, and 7 (Davis Square area and West Somerville)

Each meeting will also be recorded and posted on the project website, along with surveys and additional opportunities to provide input. To learn more and register for the meetings, visit somervillema.gov/drainageplan.

Interpretation into Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Kreyol, or Nepali may be available upon advance request by contacting the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somerviva@somervillema.gov or calling 311 at 617-666-3311.

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.