The Town of West Springfield 2020 Local Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Update Adopted by the West Springfield City Council on October 5, 2020. Prepared by: The West Springfield Natural Hazards Mitigation Planning Committee and The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission 26 Central Street, Suite 34 West Springfield, MA 01089 (413) 781-6045 www.pvpc.org This project was funded by a grant received from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation Services (formerly the Department of Environmental Management) Acknowledgements The West Springfield Town Council extends special thanks to the West Springfield Natural Hazards Mitigation Planning Committee as follows: Jeff Auer, Water Superintendent Laurie Cassidy, Council on Aging Director Rob Colson, DPW Director Jim Czach, Town Engineer Bill Flaherty, Fire Chief Jeanne Galloway, Health Department Allyson Manuel, Town Planner Doug Mattoon, Planning Director Scott Moore, Central Maintenance Director Mark Noonan, Conservation Director Jay Steup, Building Commissioner The West Springfield City Council offers thanks to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) for developing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan (www.state.ma.us/dem/programs/mitigate/index.htm) which served as a model for this plan. In addition, special thanks are extended to the staff of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission for professional services, process facilitation and preparation of this document. The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs MVP Planning Grant Program 2020 West Springfield Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Table of Contents 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 Planning Requirements under the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act ................................ 1 What is a Hazard Mitigation Plan? ........................................................................................ 1 Previous Federal/State Disasters ............................................................................................ 2 2: LOCAL PROFILE ............................................................................................................................ 4 Community Setting .................................................................................................................. 4 Infrastructure ............................................................................................................................. 4 Natural Resources .................................................................................................................... 5 Land Use and Development Trends ..................................................................................... 6 Critical Facilities ........................................................................................................................ 9 Climate Change Projections ............................................................................................... 24 Planning Process ........................................................................................................................ 25 2010 Plan Implementation and Maintenance ................................................................. 26 Local Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee ................................................................. 27 Committee Meetings ............................................................................................................ 28 Public Meetings ...................................................................................................................... 29 Planning Timeline ................................................................................................................... 31 3: Risk Assessment: HAZARD IDENTIFICATION & ANALYSIS ...................................................... 32 Profiling the Natural Hazards ................................................................................................ 32 Climate Change and Natural Hazards .............................................................................. 36 Natural Hazard ID and Vulnerability Assessment ................................................................. 39 Primary Climate Change Interaction: Changes in Precipitation .................................. 41 Primary Climate Change Interaction: Rising Temperatures ........................................... 57 Primary Climate Change Interaction: Extreme Weather ................................................ 75 Non-Climate Influenced Hazards ....................................................................................... 97 2020 West Springfield Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan Page i 4: Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Strategies ................................................... 105 General Mitigation Measures ............................................................................................ 106 Flooding ................................................................................................................................. 106 Dam Overtopping (dam failure) ....................................................................................... 114 Drought .................................................................................................................................. 115 Average/Extreme Temperatures ....................................................................................... 118 Wildfire/Brushfire ................................................................................................................... 119 Severe Winter Storm (including Ice Storm and Nor’Easter) .......................................... 121 Hurricanes/Tropical Storm/Severe Wind (and Tornadoes/ Microbursts) .................... 124 Earthquake............................................................................................................................ 126 Hazardous Materials ............................................................................................................ 128 5: PRIORITIZED IMPLEMENTATION Plan ...................................................................................... 129 Prioritization Methodology ................................................................................................. 129 Project Timeline .................................................................................................................... 131 West Springfield 2019 Hazard Mitigation Strategies ........................................................... 132 6: PLAN ADOPTION & IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................. 142 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. 144 Appendix A – Technical Resources .................................................................................. 144 Appendix B – List of Acronyms ........................................................................................... 149 Appendix C – Natural Hazard Profiling Methodology ................................................... 150 Appendix D – Past & Potential Hazards/Critical Facilities Map ................................... 153 Appendix E – Documentation of the Planning Process ................................................ 155 Appendix F – Public Outreach .......................................................................................... 160 Page 2 2020 West Springfield Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan 1: INTRODUCTION Planning Requirements under the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act, passed in 2000, requires that after November 1, 2004, all municipalities that wish to continue to be eligible to receive FEMA funding for hazard mitigation grants, must adopt a local multi-hazard mitigation plan and update this plan in five year intervals. This planning requirement does not affect disaster assistance funding. Federal hazard mitigation planning and grant programs are administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in collaboration with the states. These programs are administered in Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Massachusetts takes a regional approach and has encouraged the regional planning agencies to prepare plans for their member communities. The Town of West Springfield received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program, to update its local Hazard Mitigation Plan, which was last adopted in 2010, and hired the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to assist in the development of the plan. What is a Hazard Mitigation Plan? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) define Hazard Mitigation as any sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards such as flooding, storms, high winds, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, etc. Mitigation efforts undertaken by communities will help to minimize damages to buildings and infrastructure, such as water supplies, sewers, and utility transmission lines, as well as natural, cultural and historic resources.