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The following lessons can help guide a response to groundwater subsidence
in Boston:
Groundwater is a manageable resource – Groundwater
is managed in Copley Square and has remained at safe levels since
the 1930s. In the 1930, inspectors discovered that pilings at the
Boston Public Library were exposed to air due to drops in the groundwater
level. Neighboring Trinity Church immediately began to monitor
the levels of groundwater around the building. Trinity Church also
installed a recharge system that captured rainwater from the building’s
roof and channeled it back into the ground. In the 1960’s,
Copley Square installed a recharge basin below the plaza as part
of the first redesign. These efforts have protected the landmark
buildings in Copley Square from risks of subsidence.
Groundwater levels fluctuate greatly over small distances – Groundwater
levels vary even within Copley Square; groundwater levels are consistently
higher at Trinity Church than they are 100 feet away at the center
of Copley Square. This extreme localization of the groundwater
problem clearly indicates that any solution to subsidence must
deal with the problem at its source.
Money Matters - Groundwater drops affect buildings throughout
Boston; over 2000 acres in the city are susceptible to lowered
groundwater levels. Most of the non-residential buildings affected
by subsidence are historically significant buildings such as churches
and civic buildings. Because of their significance, any potential
damage associated with groundwater drops surrounding significant
buildings were quickly solved for. Now, only private property owners
remain to deal with the problems of subsidence. If the institutions
and property owners banded together to force a solution, then the
political maneuverability of that team would be great. Unfortunately,
to date, the group of disparate property owners have not been able
to muster the political force to create a solution to the subsidence
problem.
Other cities have dealt with groundwater subsidence issues - Milwaukee
has experienced similar troubles in its downtown, as have Amsterdam,
Oslo and Stockholm. However Boston’s extensive landmaking
make the scale of the subsidence problem uniquely large here.
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