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Committee moves to embed climate impacts and stormwater priorities into infrastructure planning
Summary
Members agreed to evaluate stormwater infrastructure for more frequent heavy rainfall and to incorporate climate impacts (sea level rise, storm surge, extreme weather, drought) into public infrastructure design and capital priorities; vulnerability and hazard mitigation assessments will guide investments.
Staff proposed prioritizing stormwater infrastructure improvements to reduce flooding and to accommodate more frequent heavy rainfall; members linked that recommendation to the town's vulnerability assessment and the hazard mitigation plan. One participant recommended the plan should also consider drought and drinking‑water availability and explicitly include firefighting water needs where relevant.
The committee agreed to fold projected climate impacts into planning and capital replacement decisions: "Incorporate projected climate impacts, including sea level rise, coastal flooding, storm surge, and extreme weather, into planning design and replacement of public infrastructure," staff summarized. The group asked staff to coordinate this language with the ongoing resilience and hazard mitigation work so infrastructure investments align with vulnerability findings.
