Ipswich
THE MAIN IMPACTS:
Erosion Crane Beach is expected to continue to experience the most dramatic erosion of public beaches along the North Shore, with 1,500 feet of sand and dunes already lost since 2000 [CIT. 8].
Marsh Loss By 2050, about 10% of 3600 acres of high marsh may be regularly flooded [CIT. 2].
Habitat Concerns About 445 of 1,679 acres (27%) of estuarine beach/tidal flats could be lost to open water by 2050 [CIT. 2].
Developed Coast Daily tidal flooding of Jeffrey’s Neck, Argilla, and Labor in Vain roads as well as buildings in the center of town near the Ipswich River may occur in 2050 [CIT. 1].
OCEAN-FACING SHORELINE (15.3 MILES) [CIT. 4]
Shoreline types below can overlap, not cumulative
FUTURE STORM AND TIDAL FLOODING [CIT 1,3]
Blue=Current Shoreline / Red=2050 Chronic Tidal Flooding (MHHW) / Yellow=2050 1% (1 in 100 year) storm flooding
OTHER RISKS INCLUDE:
Property Damage A 10-year storm in Ipswich may flood more than 340 buildings (5.1%) in 2050 [CIT. 3]. Chronic daily tidal flooding could impact 50 buildings (0.8%) in 2050 [CIT. 1].
Road Flooding Daily high tides may flood nearly 1.7 miles (1.2%) of roads in 2050 [CIT. 1]. An estimated 15.8 miles (11.5%) of roadway could flood in the event of a 100-year storm in 2050 [CIT. 3].
STRATEGY SNAPSHOT: ADAPTIVE DESIGN
Building in flood zones requires innovative design and adaptive construction. The Trustees’ planned Coastal Education Center at Crane Beach contains several different resiliency strategies within one building and is part of an overall plan that involves raising a stretch of Argilla Road, the only public beach route. The new center will include a hardened, dry floodproofed core and three elevations with wet flood- proofing features, such as breakaway walls for water to pass through. It is also designed for diverse uses based on changing climate conditions over time.