Sustainable Approaches to Stormwater Management in Northampton, MA: Identifying Prime Locations for Green Infrastructure Development

Effective stormwater management is becoming increasingly important due to heightened rainfall as a result of climate change. Many cities, including Northampton, use gray infrastructure, which can be costly and lead to polluted runoff and flooding. Green infrastructure (GI) aims to mitigate flooding and runoff by allowing rainwater to be absorbed where it falls. With this in mind, we ask: How and where can Northampton implement more climate-adaptive and resilient stormwater management infrastructure? Our project utilized the mapping software ArcGIS Pro to create an overlay analysis, which we used to determine locations in Northampton, Massachusetts susceptible to significant stormwater runoff, and proposed implementing GI in these areas. We analyzed the water retention capacity of each proposed site before and after GI interventions to determine whether these sites would contribute to a reduction in the strain on its current stormwater management system during the event of a 5-year storm. This project recommends key sites within Northampton's Connecticut River Flood Control sub-watershed for the implementation of GI, with a priority on vulnerable communities. We found that converting impervious surfaces to pervious surfaces, such as modifying parking lots to contain permeable pavement and planter boxes, most impacted runoff reduction. Ultimately, we determined that the implementation of GI alone was not enough to retain a 5-year storm, and that significant interventions will be needed in the future to accommodate one. These recommendations aim to enhance climate change resilience and serve as a guide for other cities looking to strengthen their systems without reconstructing their entire stormwater infrastructure.