The following press release was published by the US EPA on Oct. 14. It is reproduced in full below.
BOSTON (Oct. 14, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will provide $599,993 through EPA's Southeast New England Program (SNEP) to support four projects that will provide benefits to portions of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Charlestown R.I., and the Buzzards Bay watershed.
The funding, part of a new SNEP Pilot Watershed Initiative, is the first installment of an expected $3,000,000 across the four projects over the next five years. The project partners are also expected to leverage an additional $1,127,380 in matching funds. These projects are intended to demonstrate how concentrated, collaborative efforts and holistic planning can more effectively address common environmental challenges in coastal southeast New England. Demonstrating watershed scale solutions is a key piece of SNEP's Five-Year Strategic Plan and ultimately an important part of promoting safe and clean water, healthy habitats, and thriving communities.
"While every community in the Southeast New England region is unique, each of the projects announced today will address common environmental challenges that cities, towns, and tribes face, such as nitrogen pollution, habitat loss, and excess stormwater," said Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro. "Developing solutions that can be demonstrated in one area and adapted to others is vital to tackling these challenges in an efficient, forward thinking way. I'm excited to see what these four strong groups of partners can accomplish in their watersheds in the coming years. And equally excited to see how their lessons learned will be transferred to and used by other communities across the entire SNEP region."
The funding announced today will support the following four projects:
In 2012, Congress charged EPA with conserving and restoring southeast New England's coastal environment, and in 2014 began providing funding to develop a Southeast New England Program (SNEP). The SNEP Watershed Grants program provides needed funding to local organizations that are restoring clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems while strengthening local communities.
More information: EPA's Southeast New England Program (SNEP), including the Five-Year Strategic Plan and Pilot Watershed Initiative https://www.epa.gov/snep
Source: US EPA
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