Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $825,000 in Grants to Improve Water Quality

BOSTON — Building on its commitment to protect and improve water quality, the Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced $825,000 in grants to the Towns of Barnstable, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Falmouth, Mashpee, Wellfleet and Yarmouth. These grants will support projects aimed at reducing nitrogen pollution, which mostly comes from wastewater. Nitrogen can cause serious problems in the water, such as harmful algae blooms that can affect both the environment and public health. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) selected these projects to help the towns meet compliance with the state’s updated Title 5 and Watershed Permitting regulations, which took effect on July 7, 2023. 

“We are working with communities to implement practical solutions that protect and restore our water resources,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Clean water is essential for public health, our coastal economy, and the natural beauty that defines Cape Cod. This funding will help communities take meaningful action to address nitrogen pollution while promoting long-term environmental health.”

“This funding represents a critical step in helping Cape Cod communities address the longstanding challenges of nitrogen pollution,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “By supporting local initiatives, we are protecting our treasured coastal ecosystems and ensuring that future generations can enjoy clean and healthy waterways. The health of Cape Cod’s waters is directly tied to the well-being of its residents, its economy, and its unique environmental heritage.”

Massachusetts Title 5 regulates the design, installation, inspection and maintenance of septic systems and other onsite wastewater disposal systems to protect public health and the environment, particularly groundwater and surface water quality. MassDEP’s Natural Resource Nitrogen Sensitive Areas (NRNSA) Grant Program enables municipalities on Cape Cod to develop solutions to combat cultural eutrophication, a process driven by excessive nitrogen pollution that leads to harmful algae blooms and degraded water quality. There are currently 31 watersheds across the Cape that have been designated as NRNSAs under Title 5. 

The eight recipients of MassDEP’s NRNSA grants are:

• Town of Barnstable – $37,615
• Town of Brewster – $133,605
• Town of Chatham – $133,500
• Town of Dennis – $175,000
• Town of Falmouth – $94,000
• Town of Mashpee – $65,000
• Town of Wellfleet – $36,280
• Town of Yarmouth – $150,000

"Protecting our fragile natural environment has always been one of my top priorities," said State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro). "We’ve worked hard to bring sustained funding to subsidize the astronomical costs of nitrogen-pollution-reduction programs across Cape Cod, including the establishment of the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund in 2018. I am thrilled that the MassDEP is awarding grants to these six Cape Cod towns. If we keep up with these efforts, we can restore our waterways and relegate excessive nitrogen pollution to the history books."

For more information, visit MassDEP’s NRNSA Grant Program. 

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