MVP Grant 1

Grant Funding: Money from the Grant: $317,905 Town Match: $79,476.25

Project Total: $397,381.25

Project Summary: Uxbridge will conduct an Integrated Water Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment and Climate Resiliency Plan. The project will address water infrastructure and include a review of local bylaws for consideration of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. It will also include a public outreach and education program.

Tasks for Grant 1:

Task 1: Road Stream Crossing Assessment      

Status: Complete   

Task Description

The road stream crossings (i.e. culverts and bridges) in Uxbridge will be assessed to identify crossings that are vulnerable to flood hazards under present and future climate conditions, and to prioritize structures for upgrade or replacement given limited financial resources and aging transportation infrastructure. Prioritization will consider multiple factors - hydraulic capacity, structural condition, geomorphic vulnerability, aquatic wildlife passage, impacts on transportation and emergency services and other flooding impacts, and climate change impacts including projections of future extreme precipitation and streamflow.

You can see the Road Stream Crossing Assessment here

Task 2: Dams Assessment      

Status: Complete    

Task Description
There are 14 registered dams located in Uxbridge.  One dam is Town-owned, four dams are owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one dam is owned by the federal government, and the rest are privately owned. Three of the dams are classified as high hazard. Existing dams in Uxbridge have been assessed and prioritized based on existing and future climate change flood risk, including upstream flood risk and downstream flood risk in the event of failure. Recommendations were developed for each dam to help decision-makers prioritize the removal, repair or modification of dams to increase flood resiliency as well as improve aquatic habitat, river continuity, and fish passage. The assessment was completed by Fuss and O’Neill Manufacturing Solutions.

You can see the Dams Assessment here

Task 3: Green-Infrastructure and Low Impact Development Assessment      

Status: Complete    

Task Description

Uxbridge performed an assessment to identify Green Infrastructure (GI) and Low Impact Development (LID) opportunities that increase flood resiliency and improve or protect water quality. Opportunities to implement GI/LID on Town-owned property, within the public right-of-way, and on privately-owned sites specified by the Town were considered. The assessment consists of: 1) a screening-level evaluation to identify areas within Uxbridge with the greatest feasibility for and potential benefits from GI/LID retrofits, 2) field inventories of the most promising green infrastructure retrofit opportunities in the watershed, and 3) development of concept designs for selected retrofit sites.

You can see our Green Infrastructure Report here

You can see the Low Impact Development Bylaw Analysis here

Task 4: Water Supply Resiliency Analysis   

Status: Complete   

Task Description

The water supply resiliency analysis provides the Town with a critical tool for protecting its existing water supply resources and managing those resources in times of drought and during flooding events. This project will enhance the Town's existing efforts in responding to existing and pending private well contamination from historical land use which may be exacerbated by climate change and future floods. As the Town's public water supply is expanded to include areas of Town vulnerable to contamination, this project will provide a valuable resource in managing its existing supply and identifying vulnerabilities to that supply, allowing the Town to make provisions now that will protect these resources into the future.

You can see our Water Supply Resiliency Analysis Report here

Task 5: Integrated Management Plan 

Status: In Progress   

Task Description

MVP Core Team hired Fuss and O’Neill Manufacturing Solutions to draft an integrated Disaster Management Plan for handling climate related events in Uxbridge. Due to difficulties related to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the due date for this plan has been moved to September 2020.

Task 6: Project Meetings and Public Engagement    

Status: In Progress

Task Description

The MVP Core Team will hold regular project meetings throughout the MVP Projects, and a web page for the MVP Project has been created. Our project meetings are still ongoing for MVP Grant 1, and they will continue until September 2020 when the final deliverables are submitted. This website will continue to be updated while the MVP Projects are ongoing.

Additional Information:

For more information about the MVP Project, click here

For information about MVP Grant 2, click here

For information about who is on the MVP Core Team, click here