Cambridge Project Nets Big Grant

CAMBRIDGE, MA - A Cambridge project was awarded by $45,000 to create environmentally friendly road designs.

The Baker-Polito Administration today awarded $174,395 in grants to four projects across the Commonwealth to conduct watershed pollution assessment and planning work to address water quality impairments in local water bodies, a release said. The projects, selected each year by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), are located this year in Monterey, Berkshire County, Cambridge and Worcester.

“Environmental protection and preservation of our natural resources is a priority for our Administration,” said Governor Charlie Baker in a statement. “These grants will help local officials identify problem areas and implement plans to ensure that watersheds and waterways are safe and healthy for all to enjoy.”

“The testing of threatened water bodies is a key first step in our overall water resource protection initiative across the Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “We’re pleased to offer this support to communities that want to collect information to help them assess and manage vital local waterways and wetlands.”

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 issued 132 grants under both the 604b and the federal Section 319 water quality management programs, totaling more than $16 million, to address non-point source pollution problems.

“Our natural resources can be contaminated by bacteria and nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “These grants will help local organizations assess the problem and come up with commonsense solutions.”

“Stormwater runoff pollutes our sensitive water resources, so it’s important to find the source of this contamination and eliminate it,” said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. “These grants will help communities find the source and implement green infrastructure that will help to address the problem.”

The term “non-point source pollution” refers to contaminants that are carried to a waterway as a result of precipitation and stormwater runoff from the land or infiltration into the soil. Common types of non-point source pollution include phosphorus and nitrogen from lawn and garden fertilizers, bacteria from pet waste and waterfowl, oil and grease from parking lots and roadways and sediment from construction activities and soil erosion.

Cambridge's project is to develop conceptual green street design plans for three public rights-of-way and to integrate these plans with the city’s five-year roadway improvement plan.