The City of Boston identified this as a key project in its efforts to address ongoing climate change impacts. The funds enable the City and its partners to undertake critical, early stages of the project, including community engagement, data collection and review, site investigation, and design alternative development. Project partners include Mass Audubon, Charles River Watershed Association, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, and the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance.

“Boston’s transportation infrastructure faces growing risks from flooding during severe storms, as the city’s stormwater drainage system is being pushed to its limits,” said Nick Gove, Interim Chief of Streets for the City of Boston. “Strengthening the flood storage capacity of Canterbury Brook and the Boston Nature Center wetland will help reduce flooding, protecting streets and vital transit infrastructure in this part of the city.”

“We’re honored to receive this climate resilience grant, this can be a transformational project,” said Max Rome, Director of the Office of Green Infrastructure. “By reimagining the Boston Nature Center wetland and Canterbury Brook as a healthy, connected stream-wetland system, we’re not only reducing flood risk but also providing residents better access to nature. This project shows what’s possible when local and state partners come together around a shared vision for a more resilient and vibrant Boston.”

Awarded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, which is administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), these competitive grants support communities in identifying climate hazards, developing strategies to improve resilience, and implementing priority actions to adapt to climate change. The City of Boston’s project is one of 54 projects to have received action grant funding in the latest round of applications.

Currently, Canterbury Brook, a tributary of Stony Brook and the Charles River, flows through the Boston Nature Center in a constructed channel. Stormwater runoff severely degrades the brook, filling it with sediment and litter. The brook remains disconnected from its adjacent wetland, preventing the wetland from regulating water and nutrient levels. As a result, high flows erode the stream banks and flood nearby trails. Beyond flood resiliency, this project aims to improve water quality in Canterbury Brook and the Charles River, enhance community access to natural spaces in Mattapan and Dorchester, expand habitat, and boost biodiversity.

"We are appreciative of the Healey-Driscoll administration funding this crucial transformation of a degraded waterway into a thriving ecosystem that will serve both people and wildlife for generations to come," said Jocelyn Forbush, Mass Audubon's Chief Conservation Officer. "Making our beloved and ecologically significant spaces more climate resilient while also ensuring more access for folks to connect with nature is at the heart of our mission, and we look forward to working alongside community members and our partners on this."

The project team will establish close collaboration with a range of community-based organizations, schools, faith groups, and local residents through focus groups and surveys; meetings, events, and activities; and frequent communication.

“We are delighted to be working with Mass Audubon, the City of Boston, and most importantly, the Mattapan community to develop this project,” said Emilia Dick Fiora del Fabro, Senior Restoration & Engagement Associate for CRWA. “We are deeply grateful for the guidance and information that has already been shared with us and are excited to continue partnering with local stakeholders to shape this work.”

The City of Boston’s Climate Ready Boston report (2016) identified stormwater flooding as one of the City’s three major climate hazards. The report recommended expanding green infrastructure and other natural systems on public and private lands as an adaptive solution to increasingly large and frequent storm events that overwhelm the stormwater drainage system and flood our land, roads, and buildings.

The City of Boston Office of Green Infrastructure works collaboratively with all City departments to implement green infrastructure (GI) across the city, striving to help Boston become a greener, more resilient, and equitable city. GI is a term for stormwater management features that use plants, soil, and other natural materials to remove pollutants and allow stormwater to absorb back into the ground. These features help prevent flooding, reduce the amount of polluted water that goes to the City’s water bodies, and provide many other environmental, social, and economic benefits.

In November, Max Rome joined the office of Green Infrastructure from the Charles River Watershed Association, where he worked as the Senior Stormwater Project Manager alongside municipal staff and community organizations to advance projects and policies that reduce runoff, decrease nutrient pollution, and help to green watershed communities. Max holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northeastern University. His dissertation "From Water Quality to River Health" focused on understanding how urban rivers recover from degradation. As part of his dissertation Max worked with the Charles River Conservancy to launch a floating wetland in the Charles and studied the effect of improved habitat on ecological function and water quality.

The MVP program, created in 2017, provides funding for community-driven climate resilience planning and action. Ninety-nine percent, or 349 out of 351 of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, are participating in the program and over $210 million has been awarded for local climate resilience planning and projects. Communities originally enrolled in the program by completing the MVP Planning Grant process (MVP 1.0), which then opened up access to apply for an MVP Action Grant, or implementation funding.