Climate Change Adaptation and Resiliency for Franklin County

Severe weather events are growing in frequency and intensity, and are stressing financial resources and damaging infrastructure in Franklin County towns and beyond. In particular, flooding along rivers and in town centers from these severe weather events can damage roads, bridges, culverts, agricultural land, businesses and homes, and can interrupt services and hamper emergency response crews. 

 

Further exacerbating these extreme weather impacts is the fact that many Franklin County towns are located along rivers and in low-lying floodplain lands. This can mean that a town's important infrastructure – water and sewer systems, roads, buildings and utility systems – can be especially vulnerable to flooding and erosion damages.

The FRCOG is in the beginning stages of developing a Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Franklin County. This survey seeks to gather information and priorities from Franklin County towns specifically about the impact of flooding on critical infrastructure and natural resources and habitat. Some of the resiliency and adaptation strategies contained in this survey were identified by Franklin County residents in Sustainable Franklin County: A Regional Plan for Sustainable Development while others expand upon the recommendations in that plan. Still other strategies are adapted from the Massachusetts 2011 Climate Change Adaptation Report.

 

It's important to note that climate change planning typically involves several key elements including critical infrastructure, natural resources and habitat, public health and welfare, and local economy and government. This survey focuses on the first two elements. Future planning will incorporate the latter two elements.

 

Your answers will help to focus our upcoming Climate Change Adaptation Plan on priority strategies identified in this survey.