Baker-Polito Administration Awards Over $19 Million in Funding for Dams and Coastal Infrastructure

Baker-Polito Administration Awards Over $19 Million in Funding for Dams and Coastal Infrastructure

Awards made in 23 Different Cities and Towns for 26 Projects

 

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today announced approximately $19.2 million in grants through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ (EEA) Dam and Seawall Program, continuing efforts to address failing dams and strengthen coastal infrastructure. This funding will support 23 municipalities and nonprofit organizations as they seek to advance 26 critical infrastructure projects within their communities. Grants have been awarded for projects within the following communities: the Towns of Acton, Bridgewater, Dracut, Falmouth, Hopkinton, Hull, Middleborough, North Attleboro, Oak Bluffs, Plymouth, Raynham, Scituate, Somerset, Stow, Swansea, and Winchendon, and the Cities of Fall River, Fitchburg, New Bedford, Newburyport, North Adams, Springfield, and Weymouth.

 

“As we continue to witness the impacts of climate change on the Commonwealth, it is important that we work to address the state’s aging infrastructure, such as dams, seawalls, and other structures,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “By investing in these types of critical structures, we will make Massachusetts communities more resilient to withstand stronger storm events and other impacts and ensure better safety and performance for years to come.”

 

“Our Administration is proud to assist our municipal partners as they work to address failing dams and seawalls, which can be a costly endeavor that puts a significant financial strain on local budgets,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “Through our continued partnership, we will be able to make critical repairs and other necessary work to improve important infrastructure and make our communities more resilient to climate change.”

 

Grants are awarded to advance designs and permits, as well as to construct the projects. This round of grants will support 15 design and permitting projects and 11 construction projects. With these new grants, EEA’s Dam and Seawall Program has now made over $114 million in total grants and loans to address deficient dams, seawalls, and levees since the program began in 2013.

 

“The Baker-Polito Administration has made tremendous progress in addressing dams, seawalls, and levees by investing more than $100 million in funds to cities and towns since 2015,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card. “Many of these structures were never intended to withstand the conditions we experience today, such as more intense storms and rising sea levels, requiring us to act now to implement resilient solutions to better protect our communities from future events and issues.”

 

The grant recipients and awarded projects are below (alphabetical by awardee within categories):

 

Organization Name	Structure Name/Project Title	Total Amount
Dam Design and Permit
Dracut	Beaver Brook Dams- Collinsville Dam, Victory Lane Dam, Beaver Brook/Navy Yard Dam	$187,500.00
Fall River	Sawdy Pond Dam Improvement Program	$148,500.00
Fitchburg	McTaggart's Pond Dam Removal Project	$38,925.00
Middleborough	Stony Brook Pond Dam Improvements	$108,750.00
New Bedford	Turners Pond Dam Improvements	$101,550.00
Newburyport	Lower Artichoke Reservoir Dam Conceptual Design	$83,925.00
North Adams	Mount Williams Reservoir Dam Improvements	$250,000.00
North Adams	Notch Reservoir Dam Improvements	$250,000.00
Plymouth	Jenney Pond Dam Repairs	$113,520.00
Raynham	Kings Pond Dam/ Gardiner Street Bridge	$168,050.00
Somerset	Somerset Reservoir Dam and Diversion Channel Improvements	$149,349.56
Springfield	Breckwood Pond Dam Phase II Engineering Evaluation and Alternatives Analysis	$90,000.00
Swansea	Milford Pond Dam	$120,000.00
Dam Design and Permit Total	13	$1,810,069.56
Coastal Design and Permit
Marine Biological Laboratory (Falmouth)	Waterfront Park Seawall Repair	$30,000.00
Weymouth	River Street/Lane Beach/Boat Ramp Parking Lot Flood Mitigation	$183,375
Coastal Design and Permit Total	2	$213,375.00
DESIGN AND PERMIT TOTAL	15	$2,023,444.56
Dam Construction
Acton	53 River Street Dam Removal Project	$1,000,000.00
Bridgewater	High Street Dam and Town River Crossing	$1,000,000.00
Hopkinton	Lake Maspenock Dam Downstream Left Wall Stability Repair	$337,500.00
Mill Pond Initiative, Inc. (Winchendon)	Whites Mill Pond Dam Decommissioning and Stream Restoration Project	$740,250.00
North Attleboro	Falls Pond Dam Structural Repairs & Invasive Species Management	$156,750.00
Somerset	Somerset Reservoir Dam Repairs	$1,000,000.00
Stow	Lake Boon Dam Repair	$1,000,000.00
Dam Construction Total	7	$5,234,500.00
Coastal Construction
Hull	Nantasket Avenue Seawall Repair Phase I	$3,000,000.00
Oak Bluffs	East Chop Drive Resilient Infrastructure for Coastal Bank Protection	$3,000,000.00
Scituate	Oceanside Drive Seawall Reconstruction (Segment 1)	$3,000,000.00
Scituate	Oceanside Drive & Turner Road Seawall Reconstruction (Segment 2)	$2,932,500.00
Coastal Construction Total	4	$11,932,500.00
CONSTRUCTION TOTAL	11	$17,167,000.00
GRAND TOTAL	26	$19,190,444.56

 

"The reality of rising sea levels and the increased risk of flooding in Massachusetts prompted the legislature to create the Dam and Seawall Repair or Removal Fund," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "Seawall and dam infrastructure is critical for safeguarding the wellbeing of communities throughout the Commonwealth. Even in-land communities, like Hopkinton in MetroWest, will benefit from restored functioning and heightened protections against flooding from nearby lakes and waterways."

 

“As we work together to build a greener and more resilient Commonwealth, I want to applaud the Baker-Polito Administration for working with us in the Legislature to combat climate change and meet critical environmental infrastructure needs,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (D-Westport). “Because of our enduring partnership, we have made incredible progress, working together to invest over $100 million since 2015 to repair and bolster our dams, seawalls and other coastal infrastructure necessary to better protect our communities and confront the impacts of climate change for many years to come.”

“Our coastal infrastructure is key to keeping our communities safe from the impacts of severe weather,” said State Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “With hundreds of miles of coastline to protect on the South Shore, today’s announcement of over $10 million to construct and design seawalls in the district is a significant step forward. I am deeply appreciative of the Baker-Polito Administration for their investment in the South Shore.”

 

“Thank you to the Baker-Polito administration for this allocation of funding,” said Representative Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset). “My communities of Somerset and Swansea will use this money to improve aging infrastructure that help protect our homes and businesses from the devastating effects of flooding.”

 

“Global heating is affecting our infrastructure and we must plan now for even greater changes in the future,” said Representative Paul A. Schmid III (D-Westport). “Fall River thanks the Baker-Polito Administration for this award which will help improve the Sawdy Pond Dam.”

 

For more information regarding EEA’s Dam and Seawall Repair or Removal Program, please visit the program’s webpage.