The Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) has developed a Citywide model, known as the Inundation Model Viewer, to simulate a variety of wet weather events and flooding scenarios that could occur in Boston. The results of this project may help inform the City's efforts to prepare for the effects of climate change, sea level rise, and more intense storm events. This page may also serve as a reference for City residents, businesses, and others who wish to learn more about how coastal flooding and rainfall have the potential to impact the City.
The results presented on this page represent predictions that are based on data used by several City agencies for planning purposes. As predictions for sea level rise and the impacts of climate change may change in the future, the data on this website may need to be updated accordingly. The predictions shown on this website do not forecast impacts from specific future events that have not yet occurred and should not be used for specific emergency actions or other purposes.
This updated version of the Inundation Model Viewer allows users to view and analyze scenarios that take into account the flood reduction benefits of shoreline protection and the coastal stormwater adaptations described in Solutions and Adaptations. All simulations in the "Adaptation Measures" mode utilized the 2070, 100-year tropical storm event shown in the graphics.
The three adaptation scenarios are as follows:
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No Action - this scenario assumes that no adaptations are implemented (e.g., existing conditions).
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Shoreline Protection Only - this scenario assumes that the shoreline is fully protected again overland coastal flooding, but no coastal stormwater improvements (outfall adaptations) are implemented.
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Shoreline Protection + Outfall Adaptation - this scenario assumes full shoreline protection in addition to implementation of all the coastal stormwater (outfall) adaptations shown on this website, and the installation of tide gates (devices that prevent backflow of water) on all Commission owned outfalls.
It is important to recognize that outfalls which are owned by other agencies (or privately) are not included in any model simulations. Further, non-Commission infrastructure (such as pump stations owned by MassDOT) is not included in the Inundation Model.
