Fluvial geomorphic assessment and river corridor mapping as flood risk management tools in Massachusetts, USA

Abstract

The role of geomorphic processes in flood risk is understudied in the management context. In the United States, only nine states have explored this role and only two – Vermont and Washington State – have developed and implemented legally binding geomorphic‐based flood risk management; both rely on the concept of geomorphic assessment, through which fluvial geomorphic processes are documented and river corridors are mapped. Massachusetts, having incurred substantial damages from landslides, bank failures, bed incision, and sedimentation in recent years, has initiated a programme to examine the inclusion of geomorphic processes into flood risk management. At its core, the programme relies on participation of flood risk management stakeholders representing government (local, state, and federal), non‐governmental organisations, consulting agencies, academia, and industry. A series of workshops with these stakeholders over 4 years has culminated in a needs assessment that articulates what must be included in the development of a Massachusetts fluvial geomorphic assessment programme. In this report, we share the results of this needs assessment. We do this in the hope that other jurisdictions incurring flood damages from geomorphic processes may find it to be a useful model as they work to mitigate these damages.