What We Do
Protecting our People and Places from Harm
Photo credit: Caleb Dresser
Over our first four years, RMC communities have raised over $51 million in grants and bonding authority to plan, design, permit, and construct climate resilience projects across the Mystic River Watershed.
Managing coastal flood damage
The Mystic River Watershed contains the highest concentration of both critical infrastructure and environmental justice residents between New York and the North Pole. Our work to prevent coastal flood damage focuses on limiting risks to both. We are working to block flood pathways to inland neighborhoods while increasing public waterfront access.
Addressing urban heat islands
In August 2021, the RMC measured ground-level heat, humidity and air quality across the watershed to identify literal “hot-spots” for intervention. We have raised nearly $8 million for cooling interventions in our hottest neighborhoods. “Wicked Cool Mystic” is engaging neighborhood residents in co-designing cooling solutions they find most helpful and enjoyable to stay safe during dangerous heatwaves.
Managing stormwater damage
Using a watershed-wide hydrologic model, RMC communities identified priority candidate sites to increase wetland capacity to absorb extreme precipitation. Knowing this won’t be enough, we are also identifying ways to prevent flood damage, especially to residents least able to recover from harm.
Photo credits clockwise from top left: Getty Images, Metropolitan Region Planning Council, Valero Oil Refinery, Erica Wood.
Addressing risk multipliers
“We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat” (Damian Barr). Pre-existing socioeconomic inequalities and hazards make some of us far more vulnerable to extreme weather. We are working to understand and manage these risks to ensure we all make it through coming storms.