Commission Receives $50K Grant to Assist Local Water Quality Management Efforts

The Cape Cod Commission was awarded $50,000 to create a stormwater management coalition to help Cape communities meet stormwater management requirements.

The grant award was formally announced by Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew A. Beaton during his June 22 keynote speech at the OneCape Summit in Hyannis.

Work toward a coordinated effort started informally through a subgroup of the Barnstable County Coastal Resources Committee. The Cape Cod Stormwater Coalition will build on this work. The grant will fund work to inventory existing stormwater management resources, a needs assessment, collaborative strategies for towns and a Cape-tailored set of policies and standard operating procedures.

“As with wastewater, stormwater management will benefit from a coordinated regional approach,” Cape Cod Commission Executive Director Paul Niedzwiecki said. “And the two are related. Improved stormwater management can help towns meet nitrogen reduction goals.”

The grant was part of more than $193,000 awarded by the Baker-Polito Administration for five projects to assess watershed pollution and plan for work to address water quality impairments. The other projects selected by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are located in Provincetown, Belchertown, Kingston and Waltham.

“Our administration understands the important role that environmental protection and natural resource preservation plays not only today, but for generations to come,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The work supported by these grants will measure water quality and help fund necessary plans to improve and protect vital local watershed resources.”

The grants are funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through Section 604b of the federal Clean Water Act. Since 2007, MassDEP has funded 62 projects under the 604b water quality management program, totaling more than $2.8 million to address non-point source pollution problems.

The Cape projects in brief:

• Cape Cod Stormwater Coalition – $50,000
  The Cape Cod Commission
  The Commission will use grant funds to establish a regional stormwater management coalition to assist Cape Cod communities in meeting stormwater management requirements. This effort will emphasize partnership-building and information sharing among Cape Cod communities.
• Provincetown Harbor Stormwater Mitigation – $40,000
  Town of Provincetown
  The town will utilize grant funds to prepare preliminary designs to continue installation of permeable pavement on Commercial Street as part of Provincetown Harbor Stormwater Mitigation Project.

“I am encouraged to see that both the Provincetown Harbor Stormwater Mitigation Project and the Cape Cod Stormwater Coalition have been awarded grant funding to further assist their water quality management efforts,” said State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro).