Waltham Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Grant Program

mvpIn 2017, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) initiated the Commonwealth’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program to help communities plan for climate change and take action toward adapting for future impacts. 

In 2019, the City of Waltham received an MVP Planning Grant, which it used to also update its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) through a combined process. The HMP is part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program that involves:

  • Identifying the risks and vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters
  • Developing long-term strategies for protecting people and property from future hazard events.

Read the final combined Hazard Mitigation and Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Plan online. Subsequently, Waltham applied for and secured MVP Action Grant funding to implement priority strategies identified in the plan related to green infrastructure and stormwater management. This is Waltham’s first Action Grant, and the City will seek to build on this work by identifying solutions and applying for future Action Grants to fund implementation.

In 2020, the City of Waltham received an MVP Action Grant to establish our Resilient Stormwater Action and Implementation Plan (RSAIP). This plan required an extensive and detailed data collection including on-site analysis of existing conditions of culverts, storm drains, and streams.  Using hydrology modeling different stormwater management scenarios were analyzed. The results revealed effective capital planning projects to reduce the impacts of stormwater and flooding in Waltham. The RSAIP will serve as the basis for seeking preliminary and final design funding for the projects both from State and Federal grant programs.

Implementation of the RSIAP begins with a Fall 2021 MVP Action Grant with a project called: “Bringing Climate Resilience to Beaver Brook.”  It includes a suite of flood mitigation action: 1) brook restoration design and permitting, and 2) stream crossing improvement designs and permitting. 

Also in the Fall 2021, Waltham along with 18 other communities will be advancing modeling of the Charles River through a  MVP Action grant and the Charles River Watershed Association.

To actively manage stormwater, the City of Waltham adheres to the requirements set forth in the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit and strives to incorporate climate resiliency into the planning, design, and construction of stormwater infrastructure.


What are we doing about it?
1   
Or check out our additional Videos:

sw   p   sw2

Resources
1     2      3