As they anticipate the climate warming and weather growing more erratic, county planners are assessing how to strengthen the region’s resiliency, including along the Deerfield River.
This month, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) released a report describing how the Deerfield River watershed could be strengthened to cope with climate change effects. The watershed includes 14 Franklin County towns, as well as parts of Berkshire County and Vermont.
The report took four years to secure funding and two years to write, said Kimberly Noake MacPhee, FRCOG land use and natural resources planning program manager.
Planners are now convening a committee to address climate change issues in the Deerfield River watershed.
Certain characteristics common in Franklin County towns can make the region more and less vulnerable to climate change. Towns are vulnerable as they are rural, remote, aging, low-income and road-reliant. Conversely, the ruralness of towns can make them strong, as many neighbors know one another and are invested in the community, belonging to civic and religious groups. In addition, many residents heat their homes with wood, hunt and fish to supplement food supplies, and have private water wells.
While the effects of global warming on the Deerfield River are multiple, they mostly fall into three categories: temperature, rainfall and extreme weather. Specifically, temperatures are predicted to rise 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit by mid-century; rainfall will rise in winter and drop in summer; and extreme weather events will become more frequent. The region had 12 weather disaster declarations in the past 13 years.
The results of extreme weather were seen when Hurricane Irene wreaked unprecedented havoc on Franklin County in 2011. The storm caused the river to rise 15 feet and banks to erode, prompting 274 landslides across the watershed.
Parts of Route 2 in Charlemont and Florida were washed out and closed for three months, while Hawley residents were trapped in the town due to damages to Route 8A. And effects remain: today, there are double the amount of suspended sediments in the river as there was before Irene, according to the planners.
Droughts are also becoming more frequent as temperatures rise and summertime rainfall drops. The state is expected to see a 75 percent increase in drought. In summer 2016, Massachusetts experienced the worst drought in recent memory, prompting the state to open a Drought Emergency Loan Fund.
Changes to the climate will continue to impact the public health and the economy of the watershed, planners predict: the economy may be jeopardized when crops are reduced by changing migration and pollination patterns, livestock and crops are lost to heatwaves, and infrastructure is damaged by more rain and floods. Human health may be impacted by a rise in invasive species and ticks, and damage to infrastructure.
Planners have listed several recommendations to strengthen the Deerfield River watershed to cope with the effects of climate change. First, each town should identify its position on the watershed: whether they sit upland, midland or lowland. Towns should also know their own topography (hills, rivers, valleys and floodplains), and how their land is used (rural farmland, village centers). The report also recommends mapping the form and function of the Deerfield River to inform planning efforts.
The report recommended some nature-based ways to bolster the area: restore floodplains to store and slow flood water to reduce infrastruture damage downstream; build rain gardens to retain water and reduce runoff; plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide and provide shade; and create a vegetated buffer to soak up and filter pollutants before they reach water sources, and to reduce erosion and water pace during flooding.
To protect the health of residents from the consequences of global warming, towns should plan, establishing emergency shelters and contacting residents about personal preparedness. Also, to protect residents against tick-borne diseases, which are rising as the climate warms, towns can educate residents, encouraging them to perform self-checks, and increase access to repellents for pets.
The report says towns should also build resilient infrastructure able to withstand extreme weather events. For example, roads can be strengthened by enlarging culverts and strengthening bridges.
Next, the FRCOG will establish a group to address climate change impacts, called the Resilient Deerfield River Watershed Coalition. The coalition, to be composed of towns and state and FRCOG representatives, will plan and coordinate efforts and apply for project funding.
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.