Mitigating Urban Heat in Downtown Missoula through Urban Reforestation, Increased Waterfront Access, and Building Retrofits

The EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program (Community Change Grants) is awarding approximately $2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input. They are designed to deliver on the transformative potential of the IRA for communities most adversely and disproportionately impacted by climate change, legacy pollution, and historical disinvestments.

CIS is part of a team led by Climate Resilience Consulting that was awarded a contract to provide technical assistance to the City of Missoula’s Stormwater Utility with the City’s Urban Forestry Division. The project will focus on growing the urban tree canopy, increasing access to the waterfront, and enhancing the ability of public-serving buildings like the Public Library to serve as resilience hubs for people to seek refuge during extreme heat events. The project will also work closely with local Tribes to support cultural resilience, such as planting trees that are culturally significant to local Tribes and incorporating Native language signage. The project will also help to address water quality challenges by cleaning stormwater before it infiltrates into Missoula’s sole source aquifer. More than 40,000 households depend on the aquifer for their drinking water, which is very susceptible to contamination.

Anticipated benefits to the City of Missoula include i) mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands; i) reducing stormwater runoff and improving water quality; iii) greater access to the waterfront, shade, and green space; and iv) improved environmental literacy from outreach and engagement programs.