As climate change becomes an undeniable reality, planners of infrastructure projects and agencies are taking steps to ensure coastal areas and other flood-prone regions can handle more frequent and more powerful storms. Stormwater modeling software, which provides dynamic rainfall-runoff simulations, is one tool that is assisting in this effort.
In Boston, the city’s water and sewer commission is working with civil engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer to develop an EPA Stormwater Management Model that will help predict how the city would be affected in the event of a major storm event.