Designing a Climate Resilient Falulah/Baker Brook Watershed

The City of Fitchburg is continuing to implement our plan to improve climate resilience. Climate change is already impacting our community through more frequent and intense rain events. This results in flooding that disrupts daily activities, hurts businesses, and puts our safety at risk.  

Our latest climate resilience project is developing a flood reduction plan for the Falulah/Baker Brook watershed, funded by the State's Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Grant Program. 

This project includes: 

• Identifying floodprone areas through stormwater modeling
• Identifying sites to reduce impervious surfaces (roads, buildings, etc.)
• Designing green infrastructure solutions for public and private properties 
• Quantifying the costs and benefits of green infrastructure and ecological restoration projects
• Developing an implementation plan prioritizing the projects that most benefit environmental justice communities 

To learn more:

• Watch a short video on the project (English; Espanol)
• Read the project fact sheet (English; Espanol)
• Answers to your FAQ
• View the recording of the public meeting on April 13. This meeting included an overview of flooding and heat in the watershed, the benefits of nature-based solutions, proposed project locations, and community comments and questions about the project.

What is climate resilience?

Climate resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from changing climate conditions (like higher temperatures or sea level rise) and extreme weather events. Ideally, resilient communities “bounce forward” from disruptions to create healthier, greener, and more equitable communities and spaces.

What is Green Infrastructure and how will it help?

Green infrastructure can be rain gardens, tree box filters, permeable pavement, or other designs that capture runoff from impervious surfaces, reducing flooding and hot urban areas, and improving water and air quality. 

Want to learn more about green infrastructure solutions? 
Read the project fact sheet (English; Espanol)

Project Focus: Public and private properties in the Baker Brook Watershed
We are seeking opportunities to improve flood prone areas within the watershed, expanding on the recent design work for the John Fitch Highway corridor. We want your help to identify areas to reduce pavement and install green infrastructure projects that could provide community benefits in the Falulah/Baker Brook Watershed.

This watershed (blue area in map at right) covers the northeast part of Fitchburg and follows Baker Brook down to the North Nashua River near the Fitchburg Municipal Airport. 

See the fact sheet for more details (English; Espanol).







*Please check back at this webpage for future project updates!*

Project contact: Nick Erickson, Commissioner of Public Works and City Engineer (nerickson@fitchburgma.gov)

This project is funded by the City of Fitchburg’s Department of Public Works and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs’ Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Grant program, which provides support for cities and towns to plan for climate change and to implement projects to build local resiliency.