REHOBOTH – The city has received an $87,500 state grant to improve water quality in the Palmer River watershed.
The award, announced Tuesday by Governor Maura Healey’s office, said the grant will be used to quantify nutrient levels in runoff, identify locations for optimal stormwater management practices and update stormwater and zoning ordinances to reduce stormwater impacts.
The grant will also cover training to maintain best management practices, build community capacity, and engage with residents and local farmers, according to the Governor’s Office.
The grant is part of a total of more than $628,700 provided to communities and nonprofits to assess and treat stormwater pollution in coastal waters and develop comprehensive plans to restore coastal habitat.
They are provided by the Office of Coastal Zone Management of the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and are awarded to the Ipswich River Watershed Association, Needham, Newton, the Saugus River Watershed Council and the Wildlands Trust, in addition to Rehoboth.
In Rehoboth, the Palmer River Watershed Initiative is a project of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts in collaboration with the Rehoboth Agricultural Commission, the Bristol County Conservation District, and federal and state environmental agencies. The goal of the initiative is to reduce E. coli bacteria in the Palmer River, which is believed to be from agricultural sources.
The grants will fund projects to assess, intercept and treat stormwater runoff, which is a leading cause of water pollution. Reducing stormwater pollution is essential to protecting water quality and coastal habitat, and keeping beaches open for swimming and clam beds open for harvesting, according to state officials.
A focus of the grant program is to support the implementation of green stormwater infrastructure that mimics natural processes to capture and filter stormwater before it reaches local waterways. Grants also support the development of comprehensive habitat restoration plans.