EPA Award $5 Million to New England Coastal Watershed Program

EPA Award $5 Million to New England Coastal Watershed Program

The EPA has joined state and local dignitaries to announced $5 million in federal funding in order to continue efforts of the Southeast New England Program for Coastal Watershed Restoration. The program will bring together innovation and partnerships which will apply an ecosystem approach to protecting and restoring the coastal watersheds of southeast New England from Westerly, R.I. to Chatham, Mass.

The EPA has committed $4,999,500 for coastal watershed restoration in southeast New England through several partnerships.

"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 Jack Reed.

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Highlights of the funding include, $1 million to the Narragansett Bay Estuary program as well as $1 million to the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program for priority project in these watersheds.

“We’ll need fresh ideas and plenty of team work to deal with threats facing Narragansett Bay and our beautiful coastline. 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," said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, co-chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus.

For more information on the funding, click here.