The City of Milton, Massachusetts is facing increased flooding risks along the Granite River due to more intense rainfall and increased impervious surfaces from development. A recent major flood caused significant damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure. In response to concerns from residents and business owners, the mayor has tasked the City Planning Director with developing an approach to manage current and future flood risks through stakeholder engagement and climate adaptation planning.

1. Stakeholder
Engagement
for
Climate
Adaptation
Planning
in
Milton:
The
City
of
Milton
is
home
to
80,000
people
and
is
known
as
a
great
place
to
live
in
New
England.
It
has
large
working
and
middle
classes,
historic
neighborhoods,
farmland,
and
open
spaces.
Most
residents
live
in
the
southern
part
of
the
city,
an
area
filled
with
residential
and
commercial
neighborhoods.
The
more
rural,
northern
part
is
where
developers
are
now
eager
to
build
new
residential
neighborhoods.
You
can
see
the
map
of
Milton
below.
Milton
is
also
home
to
the
Granite
River,
which
historically
provided
power
for
a
thriving
mill
industry.
As
the
mill
industry
declined,
blue-­‐collar
jobs
disappeared
and
the
river
became
the
focus
of
recreational
uses.
Recently,
the
residents
of
Milton
were
reminded
of
the
devastating
power
of
the
Granite
River
when
many
homes,
businesses,
and
roads
were
destroyed
or
damaged
in
a
major
flood.
Fortunately,
no
lives
were
lost,
but
the
economic
costs
to
the
City
and
residents
were
substantial.
River
flooding
in
Milton
is
related
to
two
different
trends.
First,
an
increase
in
impervious
surfaces
like
roads
and
buildings
have
caused
stormwater
runoff
to
flow
quickly
into
swollen
creeks
and
rivers
rather
than
seep
into
the
ground.
Second,
it
appears
that
rainfall
patterns
are
changing:
this
recent
storm
is
the
third
“100-­‐year
storm”
that
Milton
has
experienced
in
the
last
decade.
Not
only
have
these
storms
increased
the
frequency
of
river
flooding,
but
they
have
also
caused
sewer
collection
systems
to
occasionally
overflow
onto
the
streets,
polluting
recreational
areas
such
as
beaches
and
fishing
waters.
Now,
the
City
of
Milton
is
in
a
difficult
position.
A
popular
TV
news
reporter
was
preparing
a
story
about
local
climate
change
risks
when
another
major
storm
caused
significant
flooding.
From
the
reporter’s
perspective,
the
storm
underscored
the
point
she
wanted
to
make:
climate
change
will
have
significant
consequences
for
Milton.
The
reporter
captured
dramatic
footage
of
roads,
parking
lots,
homes,
and
businesses
under
several
feet
of
water.
After
the
story
ran,
the
mayor’s
office
was
inundated
with
requests
from
residents,
business
owners,
and
city
workers.
They
demanded
the
town
do
something
about
river
flooding,
an
existing
problem
that
could
get
worse
as
a
result
of
climate
change.
The
Alliance
for
Watershed
Health
is
strongly
in
favor
of
a
buy-­‐back
program
for
properties
prone
to
flooding.
The
Chamber
of
Commerce,
on
the
other
hand,
would
like
the
City
to
flood-­‐proof
buildings.
Finally,
the
City
Emergency
Manager
is
concerned
about
protecting
the
working-­‐class
community
that
lives
along
the
river
and
recommends
floodwalls.
The
mayor
has
asked
you,
the
City
Planning
Director,
to
propose
an
approach
for
how
to
manage
flood
risks
in
Milton
now
and
into
the
future.
• What
information
and
resources
will
you
need?
• Who
do
you
need
to
engage
and
how
will
you
involve
them?
• What
challenges
do
you
anticipate
and
how
could
you
overcome
them?