News Releases from Region 01
EPA and Partners Announce $5 Million for Southeast New England Program for Coastal Watershed Restoration
BOSTON - EPA today joined state and local dignitaries to announce $5 million in federal funding to continue efforts of the Southeast New England Program for Coastal Watershed Restoration. The program brings together innovation and partnerships to apply an ecosystem approach to protecting and restoring the coastal watersheds of southeast New England from Westerly, R.I. to Chatham, Mass., including Narragansett Bay and all other Rhode Island coastal waters, Buzzards Bay and southern Cape Cod, and the islands of Block Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.
EPA has committed $4,999,500 for coastal watershed restoration in southeast New England through several partnerships.
Specific funding highlights include: $1 million to the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program and $1 million to the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program for priority projects in these watersheds; approximately $1.5 million through EPA's Healthy Communities Grant Program funding nine projects; and approximately $1.5 million in contracts for work that contributes directly to protection of coastal water quality and provides better understanding of future efforts and practical solutions.
Rhode Island Highlights:
Four funded projects will provide tangible benefits for Narragansett Bay, including a $200,000 allocation for the Rhode Island Dept. of Health to pursue a groundbreaking effort to train New England laboratories to use EPA's "Rapid qPCR" method for confirming beach water quality in hours rather than days. This project will include partnership efforts with Clean Ocean Access, Save the Bay, Town of Bristol and City of Newport.
The R.I. Dept. of Environmental Management (RI DEM) is receiving $200,000 to launch a multi-partner effort, focused on building the foundation for key environmental indicators meaningful to the public. Partners in this project include the University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute (URI-CI), Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection, R.I. Environmental Monitoring Collaborative and Watershed Counts.
Massachusetts Highlights:
Project highlights from the past year include efforts to address high nutrient levels in stormwater impacting New England waterways. There were two pilot projects on Cape Cod, in Chatham and in Hyannis, where innovative stormwater retrofit "best management practice" systems were installed, and which are targeted for nutrient reduction. EPA expects that these pilots will provide valuable data and information about the percent reduction of nutrients that can be achieved with this technology, which in turn potentially can be applied to other municipalities and watersheds across New England.
During the next year EPA will develop a stronger partnership with the US Geological Survey, helping to leverage existing monitoring efforts as well as providing technical support on stormwater and other technologies. EPA, USGS, the Cape Cod Commission and state agencies, will work in the Cape Cod towns of Barnstable, Dennis, Falmouth, Mashpee and Orleans to conduct site investigations for the potential design of permeable reactive barrier technology application.
Under EPA's Healthy Communities grant program in New England, approximately $1.5 million has been allocated for nine proposals that were selected for funding. Four of those projects focus on improving Narragansett Bay, while five projects focus on improving Buzzards Bay and watersheds on Cape Cod.
Using funding of $199,664, The Nature Conservancy will apply to the Taunton River watershed a proven, successful approach used by the Cape Cod Commission, for engaging the public in determining locally appropriate nutrient management strategies, with a particular focus on building collaboration and partnerships throughout the region.
The Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District is receiving $170,000 to develop a green infrastructure map of the Taunton River Watershed, giving municipal officials case studies and training in using customized overviews of natural features in their communities that serve to protect water quality, groundwater recharge, flood control, and biodiversity.
The Buzzards Bay Action Committee is receiving $200,000 to update the GIS database of the Buzzards Bay stormwater atlas to help monitor outfalls and further track and monitor potential illicit discharges including using a smart phone application to help document monitoring and identification.
Buzzards Bay Coalition is receiving $100,000 to support the 2016 and 2017 Baywatchers Monitoring Program. The project will expand sampling into the winter months, where samples will be collected at each winter monitoring event.
The County of Barnstable, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, will receive $66,468 to directly compare the effectiveness of nitrogen removal in rain gardens and conventional stormwater systems at three Cape Cod land parcels, each of which contains both systems, allowing for a direct comparison. Efficiency of the two systems will then be compared in terms of cost vs. performance for nitrogen removal. This project will include the support of Woods Hole Sea Grant, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Towns of Bourne, Dennis, and Mashpee.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will receive $198,174 to construct shell reef structures within Popponasset Bay and seed with oyster stock to introduce a large number of filter feeders to the bay as a measure of water quality improvement. The proposed reef would cover approximately 4 acres of shoreline, and would also assist in protecting the shoreline from weather events causing further loss of beach.
The Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group is receiving $135,693 to research and calculate nitrogen uptake by the common invasive reed Phragmites, and to investigate annual cutting and harvesting of the invasive plant as a potential mitigation strategy. This project will also look using Phragmites as a product in agriculture and as a biofuel source.
Quotes on the continued efforts of the Southeast New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program:
Curt Spalding, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New England Regional Administrator: "EPA is grateful for the support by Rhode Island and Massachusetts leaders for this critical program to restore and protect water quality and habitat for southeast New England watersheds and coastal areas. We are pleased at the variety and quantity of projects we can undertake this year to make progress on these issues."
Senator Jack Reed: "Restoration of our wetlands and freshwater rivers and streams is critical to the health of our coastal ecosystem and the resiliency of the Bay. Our waters connect and sustain us and collaboration is key to protecting our watershed. Unfortunately, pollutants and storm runoff don't stop at the border's edge. That is why I spearheaded this program: to bring people together - across communities and state lines - to take a strategic, scientific-based approach to protecting and improving the health of the Bay and our entire coastal watershed," said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee who led efforts to establish and fund the SNEP for Coastal Watershed Restoration by securing $2 million to launch it in fiscal year 2014, and included a total of $5 million in the fiscal year 2015 omnibus appropriations package. "This federal funding will help build on the progress we have made through last year's watershed restoration grants. I commend EPA, DEM, the Department of Health, and all of the stakeholders and community partners who are part of this initiative. I will continue working to secure federal funding to support their efforts and protect the health and beauty of Narragansett Bay, our watershed, and coastal ecosystem."
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse: "We'll need fresh ideas and plenty of team work to deal with threats facing Narragansett Bay and our beautiful coastline," said Whitehouse, co-chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus. "This funding will bring together some of the most skilled scientists in the region with environmental groups and other important partners, and that collaboration will make everyone involved more effective. This is a smart use of federal funding and very good news for Rhode Island."
Congressman Jim Langevin: "Preserving Rhode Island watersheds is critical to strengthening our state's economy and protecting our natural resources, and these EPA funds will not only help accomplish those goals, but will also empower Rhode Islanders to better understand our environment and how it impacts our lives. These projects will ensure that residents in Rhode Island and beyond have the most accurate information and can play an active role in keeping our watersheds clean and safe."
Congressman David Cicilline: "Rhode Island's shoreline and waterways help bring new visitors and economic activity to our state year-round. All of us have an obligation to do more to preserve these critical natural resources," said Congressman Cicilline, who earlier this year led an amendment to add $1 million to the Southern New England Estuaries Geographic Program. "I am delighted to join my colleagues in the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation today to bring back nearly $5 million in federal funds to help restore coastal watersheds throughout Southeast New England."
Congressman Joe Kennedy III: "Along the South Coast of Massachusetts and northeastern Rhode Island, our bays, estuaries and rivers strengthen our economies and define our culture and history. Protecting those waters and restoring the watersheds requires continued investment, and this grant will allow for an innovative approach to those efforts. I applaud the EPA for their continued commitment to this region and for giving Taunton and the surrounding communities the resources they need to create a greener, healthier environment for generations to come."
Congressman Bill Keating: "As an original supporter of the Southern New England Program, I - like every other resident of Southeast Massachusetts - know the critical importance of protecting, conserving, and restoring our coastal watersheds. The 9th District of Massachusetts is the most coastal in the state, and our local economy and livelihoods are directly linked to our environment and natural habitat. I am proud that these grants will support this important research to ensure our watersheds are properly maintained into the future."
Janet Coit, R.I. Dept. of Environmental Management Director: "Rhode Island's natural resources, and in particular Narragansett Bay and our waterways, are treasured and invaluable assets that support our economy, families, and way of life. We are pleased to be a partner in this initiative and look forward to working together to preserve our coastal watersheds for generations to come."
Martin Suuberg, Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection Commissioner: "The Southern New England Program provides an excellent opportunity for Massachusetts and Rhode Island to work collaboratively with EPA to address ecological issues common to our coastal region. The work being funded through this program will help us select sites for future projects and initiatives along coastal Massachusetts."
More information:
Southeastern New England Coastal Watershed Restoration Program: www.epa.gov/snecwrp
List of projects funded by EPA: Buzzards Bay Program's website: (restore.buzzardsbay.org/restoration-funding.html) and Narragansett Bay Estuary Program's website: (www.nbep.org/index.html )