AMHERST, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — As New England sees water levels rise, UMass is working to study the changing groundwater across the state as a result of climate change and land use. Researchers have found that precipitation has increased in New England by 15-20% in the past 50 years, with some areas seeing groundwater rising by a few centimeters every year.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Department of Conservation and Recreation have asked David Boutt, head of the Hydrogeology Group at UMass Amherst and a professor of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences (EGCS) and Boutt’s colleagues to build a new model for assessing flood risk with groundwater levels rising. The uses for this new model could improve public safety efforts around flash flooding, impact insurance risk formulas, and funding for related projects.