New England Communities Receive EPA Grants to Improve Environmental, Public Health

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New England office is awarding 13 grants across the region under its 2011 Healthy Communities Grant Program to support community projects addressing environmental and public health issues.

The goal of the Healthy Communities Grant Program is to competitively select projects that will achieve measurable environmental and public health results in communities across New England. Eligible projects must meet Target Investment Areas and Target Program Areas. In 2011, the Target Investment Areas included Environmental Justice Areas of Potential Concern, and Narragansett Bay Watershed areas. Target Program Areas included Narragansett Bay Watershed-Based Water Quality Management and Urban Natural Resources.

Recipients included the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, which received $39,235 for its “MA/RI Municipal Management Stormwater Assistance Initiative” project. The project will improve the water quality of Narragansett Bay and its tributary rivers by improving the effectiveness of municipal storm water management. In Rhode Island, Save the Bay was awarded $34,556 for its “Flood Hazard Reduction and Water Quality Improvement in the Upper Narragansett and Mount Hope Bay Watersheds” project. The project will assess coastal adaptation techniques and include activities to provide at-risk towns with planning tools for adapting to predicated climate changes.