Belle Isle Marsh and Marine Ecology Park

Belle Isle Marsh is the only remaining natural salt marshes in the area. A salt marsh is a low-lying, coastal area that is mostly comprised of native plants and grasses, which is flooded by ocean tides daily. The 359-acre Marsh is nestled between the urbanized cities of Boston and Revere, and the Town of Winthrop.

Directly flanking the Belle Isle Marsh is a residential neighborhood located along Morton Street, Belle Isle Terrace, and Banks Street and extends up various side streets to Main Street. This low-lying neighborhood is at risk of flooding from both stormwater and coastal surge.

The Belle Isle Marine Ecology Park and Boardwalk are also located on Morton Street. This boardwalk connects pedestrians with Short Beach without having to cross a major road. This is also a vital area of passive recreation for Winthrop residents and visitors.

The Town of Winthrop currently has a Municipal Vulnerability Program (MVP) grant to tackle flooding in the Morton Street area. This MVP grant, Morton Street Neighborhood Design and Permitting, is the second phase of a current MVP project: Belle Isle Marsh: Evaluating Nature Based Solutions to Protect Abutting Communities and Critical Shorebird Habitat from Coastal Inundation. The first phase MVP was to research, identify, and prioritize cost-effective nature-based and hybrid solutions to prevent damage to the neighboring communities and Blue Line while enhancing and extending the habitat value of Belle Isle Marsh through coastal flood projections for 2070.  

The Morton Street Neighborhood Design and Permitting grant proposes to conduct alternatives analysis, preliminary engineering, and permit application development in support of a resilience project to mitigate flooding on Morton Street. The Belle Isle Marsh Climate Vulnerability Assessment (MVP FY22) results will inform the alternatives analysis to select an appropriate nature-based or conventional infrastructure type, examining a broad range of nature-based and conventional flood mitigation techniques to determine the best solution for the Morton Street area. The selected alternative will aim to provide the greatest flood risk reduction, while maximizing environmental benefits and design life. The Town of Winthrop will be a key partner in this process and will provide critical feedback at all stages of the project. Once a flood mitigation alternative is chosen, preliminary engineering will be designed and completed, and permits will be applied for.

Belle Isle Morton Street Walk Through Meeting Recording

Zoom 6/12/2024 Meeting Passcode: Yn1o@838