The Baker-Polito Administration has announced over $10 million to assist communities and groups across the Commonwealth in addressing deteriorating dams and refurbishing critical coastal infrastructure.
The awards, funded by the Dam and Seawall Repair or Removal Fund and the Governor’s annual capital budget, include engineering or construction phase support for seven dam repair projects, five dam removal projects and eight coastal protection reconstruction projects.
“Through the Dam and Seawall Repair or Removal Fund, we hope to protect our communities and natural resources from the effects of strong storms and ensure dams and seawalls across the state are not a threat to public safety, ” said Governor Charlie Baker.
“Our administration is focused on proactively increasing the resiliency of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure and helping cities and towns prepare for the impacts of climate change.”
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Dam and Seawall Program will award $2.91 million to Attleboro, Fall River, Gardner, Gloucester, Holbrook, the Jones River Watershed Association, the Kestrel Land Trust, the Nature Conservancy, Scituate, the Sherwood Forest Lake District, Westfield and Weymouth for dam projects, and nearly $7.7 million to Marshfield, Plymouth, Quincy, Salem, Scituate and Yarmouth for coastal protection projects.
The awards include both grants and loans to help finalize the designs, to reconstruct critical infrastructure, or to remove obsolete or unneeded structures.