The town of Scarborough is continuing its effort to improve flood resiliency with vulnerability assessments. Contributed / Town of Scarborough

As part of efforts to conduct a flood vulnerability assessment, the town of Scarborough will host a public meeting on Monday, Aug. 12, at 6 p.m. at the council chambers and on Zoom. The meeting will introduce the project, the process and how to provide input. Smaller, neighborhood-scale meetings will also be held in the Higgins Beach neighborhood on Sept. 5 and in the Pine Point neighborhood on Sept. 24. Residents of the neighborhoods will have the option to attend the meeting in person or virtually via Zoom.

Scarborough, like other coastal communities, is feeling the impacts of sea level rise, storm surges and increased precipitation. The January 2024 storms were devastating to residents, properties and infrastructure and point to the need to address the town’s most at-risk areas and infrastructure. As part of the Fiscal Year 2024 budget (passed in June 2023), the Town Council approved funding to complete the vulnerability assessment. This will help the town better understand which areas and infrastructure are at risk, develop strategies for addressing vulnerabilities, and prioritize solutions. The project kicked off in May with support from GEI Consultants, hired by the town. A working group of town staff; residents of Pine Point, Prouts Neck and Higgins Beach neighborhoods; and representatives from other community groups will guide the project.

GEI is in the process of reviewing town-provided data related to transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges, parking areas, etc.), public and private sewer infrastructure, public safety infrastructure (police and fire stations, fire hydrants, evacuation routes, etc.), buildings, drainage utilities and recreation facilities to help inform the assessment. They will also spend time in the field taking measurements of critical infrastructure, with a focus on sewer pump stations, which tend to be particularly vulnerable to flooding because they are located at low areas in the landscape.

GEI is also in the process of analyzing projected sea level rise and storm surge scenarios to establish a timeline for when infrastructure is expected to flood. Flooding scenarios are categorized into near-term (now through 2030), mid-term (2030 through 2050), and long-term (2050 through 2100) timeframes. This analysis, coupled with the review of the town’s infrastructure, will help prioritize areas to be addressed in the future.

The results of the vulnerability assessment will be presented as an interactive StoryMap. The map will show the data used or collected through the assessment process, highlight vulnerable areas in Scarborough, and suggest adaptation strategies that may be implemented to make Scarborough more resilient to flooding. The map is intended to be a living tool that will be updated as new information becomes available and as adaptation strategies are implemented. The vulnerability assessment is expected to take about a year to complete and is scheduled to wrap up in the summer of 2025.

The vulnerability assessment is the town’s first step to improving flood resiliency. Future work will include completing engineered designs and construction of priority sites identified in the assessment. The town will also seek grant funds to support the work, but capital investments are also expected.

More information about the vulnerability assessment is available in the “Stay Connected/What’s Happening” section of the town’s website.

Jami Fitch is the sustainability manager for the town of Scarborough.