Gould-Schultz, Veronica Apple

Henriques, David

Hughes, Sarah

McLaren, Caleigh

Regenye, Madeline

English

Clark University

Clark University Clark Digital Commons Undergraduate Student Academic Spree Day and Fall Fest Oct 21st, 12:00 AM Historical Mapping and Flood Mitigation in Green Island David Henriques Clark University, dhenriques@clarku.edu Caleigh McLaren Clark University, cmclaren@clarku.edu Sarah Hughes Clark University, shughes@clarku.edu Veronica Apple Gould-Schultz Clark University, agouldschultz@clarku.edu Madeline Regenye Clark University, mregenye@clarku.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.clarku.edu/asdff Henriques, David; McLaren, Caleigh; Hughes, Sarah; Gould-Schultz, Veronica Apple; and Regenye, Madeline, "Historical Mapping and Flood Mitigation in Green Island" (2021). Undergraduate Student Academic Spree Day and Fall Fest. 14. https://commons.clarku.edu/asdff/ff2021/Posters/14 This Open Access Event is brought to you for free and open access by Clark Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Student Academic Spree Day and Fall Fest by an authorized administrator of Clark Digital Commons. For more information, please contact larobinson@clarku.edu. This material is based on work supported by the National  Science Foundation (NSF). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders.Flood Mitigation: Localized Approach Disappearing Water FeaturesHistorical Mapping and Flood Mitigation in the Green Island Neighborhood18332017These two hydrology maps show the change in water features in Worcester over a span of 184 years - between 1833 and 2017. In that time, 1,853.3 acres of wetland were lost in Worcester.These maps show the disappearance of water features over the last 200 years in and around the Green Island neighborhood.Caleigh McLaren, David Henriques,  Veronica Apple Gould-Schultz, Sarah Hughes, Madeline Regenye, John Rogan, Deborah Martin, Nicholas Geron,  & Marc HealyWe advocate for the implementation of bioswales at the street level in Green Island. Two streets were chosen for their high volume of flood reports: Ellsworth street and Harding Street in southern Green Island.  IntroductionWe explored the historical hydrology of the Green Island neighborhood in Worcester, MA. We aimed to 1) delineate historical wetlands in Worcester and compare them with modern day floodplain characteristics, and 2) identify potential green infrastructure solutions for flood mitigation in Green Island.ConclusionFlood Mitigation: Watershed Approach➔ Many of Worcester’s current water bodies were formally wetlands.➔ Green Island’s low elevation, high impervious cover, and hydrologic history explain today’s high flooding rates.➔ There is consistent flooding in southern Green Island,   specifically around Harding, Endicott, & Sigel Streets.➔ We can approach flood mitigation in Green Island at a localized scale using bioswales, or at a watershed scale using pervious pavements, green/blue roofs, and rain gardens.➔ Change from gray to green infrastructure is key for long term resilience.➔ Each solution is case by case;  implementing green infrastructure on city owned land and buildings is a good place to start.Contact: dhenriques@clarku.edu / cmclaren@clarku.eduLow elevation: Green Island has the second lowest elevation out of all 38 neighborhoods in Worcester, MA. Sitting at the southern portion of the largestwatershed, Green Island receives much of the water from surrounding areas during precipitation events..Methods➔ Historical Map Collection: We found historical maps both online and at the Burnham Map Library at Clark University. We took high resolution pictures of the physical maps we found. ➔ Georeferencing: We then georeferenced these historical maps using ArcGIS to make them usable for data analysis.➔ Digitizing Features: We used QGIS to digitize the historic hydrological features and added them to current maps for analysis.Historical HydrologyThis map shows 1) the FEMA flood zone delineation in southern Green Island, 2) the number of flood reports by citizens at the street level, and 3) the two streets experiencing some of the most severe flooding chosen for bioswale recommendation to the city.1833Blackstone River 18331870 1891Water Body 18911908Water Body 19081946-56Green RoofsPermeable PavementsBlue RoofsRain GardensHarding StreetEllsworth StreetBioswalesBlackstone River 1870Blackstone Canal Blackstone Canal Blackstone CanalPermeable PavementsRain Gardens: Green Hill ParkRain Gardens: NW side of Union HillGreen/ Blue RoofsGreen Island lies within two watersheds, and because of its low elevation, all the water that falls within these boundaries drains directly into the Green Island neighborhood. We identified opportunities for green infrastructure at the watershed scale to decrease the severe flood rates.

Historical Mapping and Flood Mitigation in Green Island

https://commons.clarku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2797&context=asdff

Historical Mapping and Flood Mitigation in Green Island

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