T
he Healey-Driscoll Administration has announced $5.2 million in grants to support Massachusetts coastal communities in combating climate change impacts. The Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is funding 16 innovative projects through the Coastal Resilience Grant Program, designed to enhance local planning and shoreline management.
These projects will help build resilience and sustainability along the state's coastlines as communities face more frequent storms, storm surge, flooding, erosion, and sea level rise. Governor Maura Healey emphasized that climate change is not only an environmental threat but also an economic one, underscoring the urgency of proactive measures to safeguard coastal communities.
The Coastal Resilience Grant Program provides funding and technical assistance to evaluate local vulnerabilities to coastal flooding and erosion, raise community awareness, plan for changing conditions, redesign vulnerable facilities and infrastructure, and restore shoreline systems. Grants will advance feasibility assessments, public outreach, design, permitting, and implementation of projects.
Since 2014, the program has invested over $51 million in 235 resilience improvement projects across 60 communities. The latest grants include projects in Barnstable, Brewster, Falmouth, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Marblehead, Marion, Marshfield, Revere, Salem, and Westport.
Some of the specific projects receiving funding include:
* A beach nourishment project in Marshfield to enhance flood and erosion protection for nearby infrastructure
* A feasibility study in Falmouth to evaluate the performance and longevity of beach and dune nourishment designs under storm conditions
* A planning study in Hanover to address flooding vulnerabilities to the Beal Water Treatment Plant, wellfield, and proposed PFAS treatment facility
* A comprehensive coastal flood protection strategy for Hingham Harbor to address storm damage and sea level rise
These grants will empower communities to develop and implement innovative strategies that strengthen their defense against climate impacts.
