Mystic River Watershed Association Medford, Arlington, and Somerville, MA

Ecological Resiliency Planning Services

BSC Group provided climate resiliency and ecological restoration planning services to the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) in Medford, Arlington, and Somerville, MA.

Our team worked to provide MyRWA with a menu of projects that could be implemented in the future. We identified along the four-mile segment of Mystic River large- and small-scale upland, wetland, riverbank, and in-stream resiliency opportunities. Assessment efforts focused primarily on restoration of ecological functional processes and streambank stability, reduction of erosion, floodplain and wetland creation, water quality improvement and pollution abatement, localized cooling, wildlife habitat and invasive species control, and recreational opportunities and aesthetic value.

The final report submitted by BSC included two-levels of options when it came to restoration: the first level including larger-scale “gamechanger” opportunities that require financial and time investments but would make significant improvements, and the second including smaller projects that could be implemented with smaller budgets and shorter time frames.

Documents included watershed scale mapping that identified resilient landscape features, process-based climate resilient ecological restoration projects, smaller-scale riverbank and habitat restoration projects, and evaluated factors impacting project implementation efforts. The reports and assessments were used to identify and prioritize opportunities for resilience and restoration within the project area.