Climate Grants Announced
State Awards Grants to Neponset River Watershed Communities to Prepare for Climate Change
Sept. 6, 2023 —
Recently, the Healy Administration announced $31.5 million in funding for projects to prepare for climate change. More than $1.2 million will be used right here in the Neponset River Watershed to improve and protect public health and safety in the face of drought, flooding, heat waves, and extreme storms.
Neponset Watershed projects include:
- Dedham/Neponset Regional Climate Resilience and Flood Model Project (Phase 2): $608,134
- Dedham Manor Neighborhood Flood Mitigation project: $93,750
- Norwood Stormwater Detention design at Hennessey Field: $432,000
- Sharon’s Lake Massapoag climate resiliency plan: $75,000
Readers have heard this from NepRWA before— climate impacts don’t respect municipal boundaries, so no community can go it alone when preparing for climate change. With that in mind, we are thrilled to begin Phase 2 of the Neponset Regional Climate Resilience and Flood Model Project, which will take place over the next two years.
Through the project, NepRWA will continue working with Weston & Sampson (WSE), the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and 10 municipalities to map out strategies to reduce climate-driven flooding and facilitate collaboration across town lines to develop projects that will benefit the entire region in a cost-effective way. The Town of Dedham will once again serve as the lead municipal coordinator.
Climate change does not affect everyone the same way, and our approach prioritizes diversity and inclusivity. The project includes the facilitation of a community advisory group to elevate the top climate-related concerns of residents. In particular, the Project Team is looking to ensure significant representation from community-based organizations working with those who are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change, such as persons of color, residents with limited English-language proficiency, differently-abled individuals, and seniors, among others. It is critical that climate-resilience efforts advance in a just and equitable way, and the only way for decision-makers to do that is to hear directly from residents early and often.
You can read more about Phase 1 of this project here.
For more information about any of these projects, please contact NepRWA Managing Director for Community Resilience, Kerry Snyder, at snyder@neponset.org or 781-575-0354 ext. 300.
