For Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2023-2024, MassDEP selected 10 grant recipients through a rigorous competitive process. $3,119,923 in federal Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 319 funding will be matched by an additional $2,079,949 in non-federal funds. Of that, $618,450 was provided by grantees as cash or in-kind match and $1,461,499 was provided by MassDEP as a capacity building initiative. The $5,199,872 total investment will fund projects to protect and restore water quality in Massachusetts by addressing the prevention, control, and abatement of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution to waterbodies.
2023-2024 Grants
- Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe | Santuit Pond Nutrient Reduction Project | $700,000
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Town of Mashpee have collaborated to take a strategic, watershed-based approach utilizing a combination of structural and non-structural best management practices (BMPs) to improve water quality in Santuit Pond. This project will reduce persistent water quality degradation in Santuit Pond due to excessive in-pond nutrient loading by sequestering phosphorus over a 145-acre area of sediment where anoxia occurs most frequently. Alum treatment will be applied to the pond to reduce internal phosphorus loading to achieve substantial progress toward the watershed-based plan goal of an 81 percent reduction in phosphorus load established for the pond. This project will build on ongoing outreach and engagement activities targeted at residents in the neighborhoods surrounding Santuit Pond, Town officials, and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
- Mystic River Watershed Association |Distributed Small-scale Infiltration Trenches for Phosphorus Load Reduction in an Urbanized Watershed | $869,640
The Mystic River Watershed Association will take a strategic, watershed-based approach to construct a total of 60 infiltration trenches in six (6) municipalities in the Mystic River watershed, offering cost-effective phosphorus reduction in a highly urbanized setting. This strategy is based on a model pioneered by the Town of Arlington in consultation with the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center and EPA.. Municipalities will gain capacity to continue similar projects into the future, as municipalities work to meet the ambitious phosphorus reduction goals set out in the Alternative Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report for the Mystic River watershed, released in 2020 by EPA and MassDEP.
- Town of Monson |Improving Water Quality in Chicopee Brook, Monson | $203,965
This project will improve water quality and ecological conditions for Chicopee Brook by installing stormwater BMPs at Cushman Field and support improved landscape management at Veterans Field. These recreational facilities, located along Chicopee Brook in Monson’s downtown, are identified in the Chicopee Brook Watershed Plan as highest priority sites for stormwater management BMPs. For Cushman Field, proposed BMPs include the installation of a 5,750-square foot bio-infiltration basin and larger drainage pipe to capture storm flows from Main and Washington Streets and stabilization of the unpaved road to reduce sediment transport. At Veteran’s Field, the recommendation to develop a 10-foot “no mow” zone along 500 feet of Chicopee Brook will be combined with a transition to organic land care practice.
- The Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center – Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment (Wastewater Division) |Quantifying Nitrogen Load Reductions from Marine Watersheds in Barnstable County Using Urine Diversion – Testing the Concept and Counting Costs | $416,997
This project will install 20 urine diversion (UD) systems in nitrogen-impaired watersheds. The applicant will document actual nitrogen load reductions by watershed and generate performance data of UD systems to support the inclusion of UD as a general use nutrient management strategy. The County will also develop and maintain a publicly accessible map tool to communicate real-time progress toward watershed TMDLs. This project will help develop the management infrastructure needed to support collection, transport, and recycling and/or disposal of urine, and document costs and energy usage to maintain a community urine diversion program.
- Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts |Expanded Western Massachusetts Agricultural NPS Program | $455,125
The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts will build on a recently completed Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 319 project (project number 22-02/319). This project will engage farmers in the implementation of BMPs to reduce contaminant runoff to impaired waterbodies in Western Massachusetts. This award will help boost participation in programs offered by MassDEP, USDA, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and other financial assistance programs.
- City of Pittsfield |Francis Avenue Stormwater Management Project | $151,944
This project will implement the West Branch Housatonic River Watershed-Based Plan (WBP). This project will install a stormwater BMP as part of a newly designed community park in the West Side neighborhood in Pittsfield, addressing listed impairments for trash, debris, nitrogen and pathogens in the West Branch and enhance the environmental health of the local community. It will involve and educate the community throughout the project's duration through community-based social marketing and community events that address trash and debris.
- Berkshire Regional Planning Commission |Berkshire NPS Coordinator Program | $100,000
This project will conduct regional NPS implementation project development via a Regional NPS Coordinator Program for Berkshire County. BRPC will carry out NPS-focused capacity-building work in and for local communities to change the perception of the rivers from liabilities to assets, and to engender environmental stewardship. The work will include engaging local communities through robust outreach and education, training, and capacity building. Through these efforts, local communities will be empowered to become active stewards of their rivers with the ability to identify potential NPS issues and engage in solutions to improve both water quality and the quality of life in their neighborhoods. This project will result in the development of WBPs and the submittal of high-quality proposals for future grant projects.
- Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District |Buzzards Bay NPS Coordinator Program | $100,000
This project will facilitate regional watershed planning efforts to address nitrogen and other sources of NPS pollution that impact Buzzards Bay watershed communities in the SRPEDD regional planning area. The project will conduct community outreach to identify sources and mitigation strategies for nitrogen pollution in the watershed. SRPEDD will support communities through the planning, development, and implementation of WBPs to improve water quality and build the capacity of local communities to manage their environmental resources more effectively.
- Martha’s Vineyard Commission |Martha’s Vineyard Island-wide Nonpoint Source Pollution Coordinator Program | $100,000
This project will establish an island-wide communications network of local and regional water resource stakeholders, recruit a Regional NPS Coordinator to participate in ongoing watershed-based planning, and establish an education and outreach program that will focus on engaging island youth as well as training volunteers. These goals are intended to ensure that all members of local communities on Martha’s Vineyard have access to key information, resources, and opportunities to have their water resource needs met, and will result in the development of WBPs.
- Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. |Updates and Technical Support for Massachusetts Watershed-Based Plans | $22,252
This project will build on the success of the Massachusetts Watershed-Based Plan web-based tool (WBP Tool). The funds will provide technical and programmatic support to the MassDEP NPS Management Section in the Watershed Planning Program for the WBP Tool.