Boston Harbor Flood Protection Projects

[JeffDowntown]

Nantasket Roads: There's always a way, but I think I'd yield to a cost/benefit study on that portion.
Deepwater docking facility: That makes sense. Pipe it in. If we never again dredged further in than Black Falcon pier it would be more ecologically sound/cheaper/smarter/better. I'd love to recapture Chelsea Creek and let it grow how it wanted.
I like where your head's at, Jeff!

I think the second access point concept has two rationales (and yes it costs $$$):
1) Backup access to the harbor -- flood gates do jam up -- particularly the way we maintain things in the US.
2) Tidal flushing -- may need more of the barrier open in non-flood conditions to keep the harbor flushed out.

 

[BeyondRevenue]

I think the second access point concept has two rationales (and yes it costs $$$):
1) Backup access to the harbor -- flood gates do jam up -- particularly the way we maintain things in the US.
2) Tidal flushing -- may need more of the barrier open in non-flood conditions to keep the harbor flushed out.

Nantasket Roads side….

 

[JeffDowntown]

Nantasket Roads side….
View attachment 23960

Tidal power generation certainly helps with the flushing.

Still need second access point for backup.

 

[BeyondRevenue]

Tidal power generation certainly helps with the flushing.

Still need second access point for backup.

When I become God-king of Infrastructure, ye shall haveth thine gate at yon Nantasket Roads. Verily!

 

[Stlin]

Northeastern has an interesting take on how to stop East Boston from flooding. By using 7ft diameter, all natural mats to host seagrasses, they hope to create a floating marsh and damp wave and storm surge action.

the Emerald Tutu would absorb wave energy and help ameliorate the flooding that increasingly threatens to inundate Boston and other coastal cities.

“It functions as a marsh without being a marsh,” says Hopkins, who specializes in civil and environmental engineering and is lead scientist for the Emerald Tutu startup.

http://news.northeastern.edu/2022/07/05/professor-develops-emerald-tutu/

 

[BeyondRevenue]

Northeastern has an interesting take on how to stop East Boston from flooding. By using 7ft diameter, all natural mats to host seagrasses, they hope to create a floating marsh and damp wave and storm surge action.



View attachment 26153

http://news.northeastern.edu/2022/07/05/professor-develops-emerald-tutu/

Slick... Unless it's also 7 meters high, it's a very cool and necessary temporary measure until the real flooding comes from Thwaite's collapse.
In the 3-10 years before that happens I'd rather look at this instead of the submerged trash and industrial ghosts of working harbor past.

 

[xec]

Oh no! The evil Spellbinder has made the L in "flood" a null letter, turning the proposed Boston flood barrier into the proposed Boston food barrier. Will Letterman arrive in time to correct the situation before the good people of Boston starve to death? Stay tuned!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Letterman
One of the things I most fondly remember from childhood.

 

[as02143]

Charlie - - Hull and Winthrop are ON THE WATER. The vast majority there are homeowners. You don't think flooding is a property-existential concern to them????????

I can understand if it is someone who is a transient renter or a person in Lennox or Worcester bitching about their tax dollars going to saving the coasts. But we are talking about Winthrop and Hull HOMEOWNERS.

If I read your posts correctly, you believe the Hull and Winthrop property owners would rather their homes float away rather than put up unsightly barriers?????

Thee fundamental is - - those people are NOT renters. These are rich LAND-OWNERS. A barrier would save their property. It's sort of a basic thing. You seem to be confusing this with Teddy Kennedy bitching about windmills off of Hyannis. You DO understand there is a difference to this? This case is actually property-existential. Like it or hate it, it's Capitalism 101.

Having observed NIMBYs elsewhere, they want to protect their property (equity), but they don't want to have to give anything up to do it....the barrier needs to go "elsewhere" and will be better there without all the "burden" of looking at the barrier.

 

[as02143]

Slick... Unless it's also 7 meters high, it's a very cool and necessary temporary measure until the real flooding comes from Thwaite's collapse.
In the 3-10 years before that happens I'd rather look at this instead of the submerged trash and industrial ghosts of working harbor past.

where are you getting a 7 meter water height? I'm seeing Boston and Commonwealth modeling for sea level rise for 2100 (80 years from now) being potentially 6-7 feet. That level of SLR could be handled by modifying the water barriers we have along the harbor and coast now without needing a barrier along the edge of the outer harbor.

 

[BeyondRevenue]

where are you getting a 7 meter water height? I'm seeing Boston and Commonwealth modeling for sea level rise for 2100 (80 years from now) being potentially 6-7 feet. That level of SLR could be handled by modifying the water barriers we have along the harbor and coast now without needing a barrier along the edge of the outer harbor.

Thank you for keeping the numbers right. I was using the same number perpendicular hoping someone would mention sea level rise as an Actual Real Thing (TM). Call it creative license but I wanted to highlight that it is a little too late for building faux-marshes as a solution for anything but sheltering industrially displaced species.
Thwaite's collapse alone in the next 3-10 years will give us a .7 meter of sea level rise (2 feet or so) -- Which means king tide equivalents hitting Faneuil Hall damn near every time a Nor'easter or tropical storm blows through.
Forget bustitution on the Blue Line - try barge-stitution!

 

[bigeman312]

Thank you for keeping the numbers right. I was using the same number perpendicular hoping someone would mention sea level rise as an Actual Real Thing (TM). Call it creative license but I wanted to highlight that it is a little too late for building faux-marshes as a solution for anything but sheltering industrially displaced species.
Thwaite's collapse alone in the next 3-10 years will give us a .7 meter of sea level rise (2 feet or so) -- Which means king tide equivalents hitting Faneuil Hall damn near every time a Nor'easter or tropical storm blows through.
Forget bustitution on the Blue Line - try barge-stitution!

Instead of "creativity," let's get some accurate numbers in here.

Boston Harbor's mean higher high water level (MHHW) is ~10.3 ft above mean lower low water level (MLLW). Tidal gauges are measured from MLLW.

The highest "king tide" of 2021 saw waves up to 12.3 feet above MLLW in Boston, about 2 ft above MHHW.

The complete melting of Thwaites glacier would be predicted to increase global sea levels by 65 cm (2.1 ft) according to the European Geosciences Union.

Here is an interactive sea inundation risk zone map of Boston (measured from MHHW).

With the immediate and complete collapse of Thwaites (worst near-term case scenario), king tides in Boston would be expected to be about 4.1 ft above MHHW. That puts it right at about the lowest point in the road/gutter, just outside of Sissy K's, but not quite to Faneuil Hall. It would inundate the wharves and even a couple low-lying intersections downtown:

• Atlantic & Cross
• Atlantic & State

5 feet above MHHW is where widespread inundation of various neighborhoods begins. We are Thwaites + 30 years away from that happening on regular king tides. Enough time for action if we mobilize now.

Of course, it could/will happen sooner in a one-off (or series of one-off) event(s), if/when we have an extreme storm surge that coincides with a king tide.

For example, the highest tide ever recorded in Boston was from "winter storm Grayson." That storm, in 2018, saw an astronomical tide of 12.1 ft (1.8 ft above MHHW), coupled with a storm surge that pushed it to 15.2 ft (4.9 ft above MHHW). The inundation we saw from Grayson is a preview of the type of inundation we would see on regular king tides by the end of next decade, if Thwaites fully collapses. A level we can adapt to, but it will require mobilization.

 

[BeyondRevenue]

I would love to be wrong, but with ground subsidence, sewer forced pressure and our unearned sense of invincibility, we're Thwaite's + king tide + any decent coastal weather event from FH flooding.
To your later addenda on Winter Storm Grayson (above) we had another similar 3' scenario less than two months later in March 2018. The first, as you said, was over 15 feet above MSL, breaking a 1978 record and the second was close on it's heels... but we can let the underwriters set the odds and take the loss on any future similar events

Here's some upcoming tides to watch.
One fer instance, a Christmas Eve 2022 Nor'easter pushing 4' swells would make for a supremely damp walk downtown - Thwaites or no Thwaites (and that's when, not if it collapses).
December 2020
January 2023
February 2023

Your point to mobilization is very solid. I have given up my car, meat and a lot of fossil fuel decadence, so I could be smug if I wanted to and stop there. We bump up against some harsh realities.
I would love to pay for a Dutch style sea-wall, but I think we're too cheap to fix what ain't broke. The Cult of Grover Norquist mindfucked damn near all of us and we will lose everything because we won't build big anymore.

Knowing the red-state flyover folks want to see us drown = disheartening.
Knowing the petro-industrial plex misleads them so they'd feel that way = angering.
Knowing the red-state bloc won't spend on anything except defense and highways in their districts = crippling.
Knowing we would let access to federal funds dictate whether we do something or not = maddening.
/rant

 

[bigeman312]

I would love to be wrong, but with ground subsidence, sewer forced pressure and our unearned sense of invincibility, we're Thwaite's + king tide + any decent coastal weather event from FH flooding.
To your later addenda on Winter Storm Grayson (above) we had another similar 3' scenario less than two months later in March 2018. The first, as you said, was over 15 feet above MSL, breaking a 1978 record and the second was close on it's heels... but we can let the underwriters set the odds and take the loss on any future similar events

Correction: 15 feet above MLLW, not MSW. If it was 15 ft above MSW, that would have been to Boston as Katrina was to New Orleans. The Mass Pike would have been entirely underwater all the way to BU. Logan Airport would have been entirely underwater. I-93 would have been entirely underwater from Medford to Quincy. Fenway Park would have had seawater streaming down the stairs from the concourse.

That didn't happen.

Let's try to button up the facts.

Your point to mobilization is very solid. I have given up my car, meat and a lot of fossil fuel decadence, so I could be smug if I wanted to and stop there. We bump up against some harsh realities.
I would love to pay for a Dutch style sea-wall, but I think we're too cheap to fix what ain't broke. The Cult of Grover Norquist mindfucked damn near all of us and we will lose everything because we won't build big anymore.

Me too, friend. Me too.

 

[Highwayguy]

Per Bigemans link; it really is a remarkably sharp cutoff at 5’ above MHHW. 4’ is almost unscathed and everyone would go into work the next day if some small scale defenses are implemented. But at 5’ the Charles and Mystic dams are overtopped and its Katrina level inundation.

(Green represents areas that are below sea level but are not inundated due to costal defenses / topography)

 

[Highwayguy]

That tool also drives the point home that either a barrier around the Harbor islands is built or Boston does not exist in 100 years. Too many of our cultural institutions and prized neighborhoods, the things that make Boston ‘Boston’ (in addition to a bleep ton of critical infrastructure) are too low along too long a coastline to build seawalls on the current coastline. The only question is if the harbor barrier is built either before or after a storm surge is high enough to inundate Back Bay, Kendal, Fenway, and Eastie under 5’ of water; because that storm IS coming within at least my lifetime.

 

[bigeman312]

That tool also drives the point home that either a barrier around the Harbor islands is built or Boston does not exist in 100 years. Too many of our cultural institutions and prized neighborhoods, the things that make Boston ‘Boston’ (in addition to a bleep ton of critical infrastructure) are too low along too long a coastline to build seawalls on the current coastline. The only question is if the harbor barrier is built either before or after a storm surge is high enough to inundate Back Bay, Kendal, Fenway, and Eastie under 5’ of water; because that storm IS coming within at least my lifetime.

Bingo. I want to reiterate my point.

If Thwaites collapses, we are 30 years away from this being the norm on a king tide. Put aside any storm surge or anything like that. With the most perfect weather, Back Bay, South End, Fenway, etc cease to be neighborhoods at that point.

In the meantime, this inundation will become more and more likely to happen during a storm surge, as the sea level inches up.

Judging from human behavior, the most likely optimistic scenario will be that the first storm surge to inundate Boston with 5+ ft above MHHL will cause a ton of damage and potentially mobilize action for a barrier before it happens again. The first occurrence will be well before the first regular occurrence. But it's coming and it's coming soon.

 

[Highwayguy]

If Thwaites collapses, we are 30 years away from this being the norm on a king tide. Put aside any storm surge or anything like that. With the most perfect weather, Back Bay, South End, Fenway, etc cease to be neighborhoods at that point.

Agreed. Probably should have said working lifetime. Unfortunate that you are probably right about your ‘optimistic’ scenario. That flooding would make the impact caused by covid to the core look like child's play. The Ted, artery, and Calahan tunnels would be closed for weeks to months, the T and CR probably months too. Then that’s on top of the largest drivers of the region’s economy (Kendal, Back Bay, Seaport) sustaining major damage. Definitely enough to trigger at least a regional recession.

On a tangential note, given how much grief the seaport gets for building so much new development at risk to flooding, I was borderlined shocked to see that Kendal is just as, if not more vulnerable. At least all those buildings in the seaport were designed for and hardened against flooding.

 

[bigpicture7]

...On a tangential note, given how much grief the seaport gets for building so much new development at risk to flooding, I was borderlined shocked to see that Kendal is just as, if not more vulnerable. At least all those buildings in the seaport were designed for and hardened against flooding.

Given the overall dire context for the city and region, this one piece should not disturb you; quite the contrary, it should be seen as a glimmer of hope. The fact that such a consequential (and growing) hub of activity (that is coupled to a powerhouse non-profit and highly endowed institution that believes in climate change) is under threat is one of the greatest hopes we have for serious lobbying for preventative action.

 

[BeyondRevenue]

I would posit the cost of fixing Boston after the intial post-Thwaite’s event will likely be much higher than the cost of prevention (regional recession).
So which one of us is going to run for office and explain this to the mouth breathing sociopaths on Beacon Hill?
Some MBA in House Ways and Means will have to SWOT this. Soon. Or else we drown.

 

[Highwayguy]

I would posit the cost of fixing Boston after the intial post-Thwaite’s event will likely be much higher than the cost of prevention (regional recession).
So which one of us is going to run for office and explain this to the mouth breathing sociopaths on Beacon Hill?
Some MBA in House Ways and Means will have to SWOT this. Soon. Or else we drown.

First point is 100% correct.

Unfortunately conveying the magnitude (geographically AND economically) of our flooding risk is something that doesn’t fit on a poster or in a slogan. People need to know the cost of doing nothing before they can even write their state rep. I had no idea how vulnerable Cambridge/ Fenway was to sea level rise until yesterday. Its easy to look at the harbor and think “5’ isn’t that much higher, we’ll be fine” or “Worst case, so what if the yuppies in the Seaport get their feet wet and the aquarium gains a water feature?”

Thought about writing to the Globe’s tip line. Would be a good write up for the Spotlight team to ‘spotlight’ how we’re fine until 4’ then we drown. I don’t know what else could make this a political issue (as in something that is on the legislative radar) short of a storm surge in the near term at least coming close to overtopping the dams.

Silver lining is that we are blessed with geography that makes it relatively easy to protect the entire core. A shallow harbor with prominent islands, and no major Rivers dumping freshwater into it like NYC. Even with SimCities sandbox mode on, no idea how Miami, SF, or LA can go full dutch.