What We Do
Protecting people and places from harm
Photo credit: Caleb Dresser
Since 2018 we have enabled more than 80 resilience projects in the Mystic River Watershed and raised $136M to fund them
Coastal flood risk
The Mystic River flows into Boston Harbor. Many communities in the Mystic River Watershed are on the coast or the tidal portion of the Mystic River (below the Amelia Earhart Dam). We work to prevent flood damage from coastal storms and sea level rise by blocking flood pathways and improving waterfront areas.
Heat risk
Based on the results of an extensive 2021 ground-level heat, humidity, and air quality assessment across the watershed, the RMC is working to cool “hot-spots,” or areas where people experience the most harm from extreme heat. Neighborhood-scale, community-led projects are ongoing to increase the likelihood that Mystic Watershed residents who are the most vulnerable to rising heat can stay safe and cool.
Stormwater flood risk
Using a watershed-wide hydrologic model, RMC communities have identified critical sites to increase capacity to absorb extreme precipitation, primarily through constructed wetlands and other green or green/gray solutions that provide co-benefits to the surrounding communities.
Photo credits clockwise from top left: Getty Images, Metropolitan Region Planning Council, Valero Oil Refinery, Erica Wood.
