Charles River Watershed Flood Model

Charles River Watershed Flood Model 

Natick has enthusiastically teamed up with over 20 communities and the Charles River Watershed Association to create the first ever Charles River Watershed Flood Model! The model projects future flooding conditions within the watershed. It also models how future flooding would change if we implemented certain mitigation projects - aka "nature-based solutions" - such as preserving open space or reducing impervious surfaces (parking lots).

Through June 2024, we are expanding the model with the assistance of additional state funding, along with training municipal staff to assess culverts providing further detail to the model, and selecting 3-5 sites determined to be a priority location for flood reduction to provide preliminary designs for flood reduction projects.

View the Flood Model

Learn how to use the Flood Model (video)

How the model was developed and what it tells us - Story Map #1

What flooding impacts would be if we undertook mitigation projects - Story Map #2

Upcoming Events

In Phase III of the Flood Model project (July 2022 - June 2024), a location in Natick was chosen as a priority site for flood mitigation implementation! The Town will be receiving preliminary designs for potential flood mitigation strategies through nature-based solutions for Natick High School, which scored highly under the scoring categories determined by the communities participating in the project.

There will be a public engagement event on Tuesday, April 11th from 7:00-8:15pm.

Funding for this project was provided by the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) action grant program which provides support for cities and towns in Massachusetts who have identified climate hazards, assessed vulnerabilities, and developed action plans to improve resilience to climate change and want to implement a priority project identified through the planning process.