Community Discussion: Sea level rise, storm surge planning for Portland

On Friday, February 24, the New England Environmental Finance Center (NE/EFC) at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service will present findings from the center’s recent study of sea level rise and storm surge in Portland’s Back Cove area. The presentation and community discussion will take place in the USM Wishcamper Center and are both free and open to the public.

 Sam Merrill, NE/EFC director and research professor at the Muskie School of Public Service, will lead the discussion, and Mayor Michael Brennan and Peter Slovinksy of the Maine Geological Survey will also speak. The NE/EFC efforts follow a July 2011 resolution by the Portland City Council supporting the development of a sea level rise adaptation plan. Audience members will have the opportunity to help frame the adaptation planning process through breakout sessions and open discussion after the presentation. Interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend and provide input.

 The NE/EFC analysis is based on simulation modeling from the center’s Coastal Adaptation to Sea level rise Tool (COAST), an assessment tool that assists municipalities in evaluating the costs and benefits of adaptation actions in response to threats of sea level rise and storm surge. A review of COAST results will show the prospective losses in Back Cove real estate values under a variety of sea level rise, storm surge, and adaptation scenarios.

 The event is co-sponsored by the NE/EFC and the Portland Society of Architects. For more information, please see: http://bit.ly/sea-level. Though the event is open to the public, attendees are encouraged to register with sadie.lloyd@maine.edu. Directions to the Wishcamper Center: http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/about/directions.jsp.