Here you’ll find important documents related to the Green Lawrence Blue Merrimack project – a transformative initiative for the future of our city. This project addresses the critical challenges of flooding and stormwater management in Lawrence, aiming to protect our neighborhoods, rivers, and infrastructure from the impacts of climate change.
Explore this page to stay informed about the project’s progress, technical reports, community engagement materials, and opportunities to get involved. Together, we’re building a safer, more resilient Lawrence.
Year 1 Project Documents:
This memo provides a summary tasks undertaken during year one of the development of Lawrence’s Stormwater Resilience Master Plan project. This initiative is focused on mitigating combined sewer overflows, reducing flooding from stormwater, and improving water quality.
Below you will find links to the reports and technical memorandums prepared by the city’s consultant team.
City of Lawrence Stormwater Program Organizational Assessment
One of the primary tasks in year one of the project is an organizational assessment of the City of Lawrence’s stormwater program. This memo provides recommendations to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and resiliency of Lawrence’s stormwater management program. The assessment is a product of interviews with leaders and staff at Lawrence’s Department of Public Works and the Water and Sewer Department, interviews with staff at Woodard & Curran who work on projects related to the Lawrence’s stormwater program, and reviews of financial and performance documents.
CSO Modeling – Hydraulic & Hydrology Engineering Report
A core task of the Lawrence Stormwater Resilience Master Plan is the development of a computer model of the city’s sewer system. This model incorporates hydrologic and hydraulic data to help the city’s engineers identify and prioritize green stormwater infrastructure opportunities to mitigate flooding and improve water quality throughout the city.
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Evaluation – Summary Technical Memo
This memo summarizes the methodology and results of the evaluation of opportunities to locate Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) throughout the City of Lawrence. The project team evaluated the feasibility of GSI by developing evaluation criteria and identifying potential locations for GSI. The goal of GSI is to target stormwater runoff control entering the combined sewer system, flood mitigation, and stormwater quality improvements. Sites evaluated for GSI implementation include publicly owned property, within City Rights-of-Way, and through a rain barrel pilot program.
Stormwater Resilience Funding Needs Assessment
To effectively implement the city’s upcoming Stormwater Resilience Master Plan, the Water and Sewer Department is currently assessing the costs associated with resilience improvements, evaluating the city’s current expenditures on stormwater management, and identifying ways to enhance the delivery of resilience measures. The final Resilience Master Plan will offer a range of recommendations for funding stormwater management initiatives aimed at reducing flood risk, improving water quality, and enhancing the operations needed to maintain the stormwater management system in Lawrence.
