New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced $255,240 for two projects to improve water quality, increase flood resiliency, and conserve natural resources in Ulster and Rensselaer counties. Funding for these projects is provided by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and is administered by DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program in partnership with NEIWPCC.
Funded projects for Rensselaer County include road stream crossing management planning.
Trout Unlimited (TU) was awarded $129,776 to identify priority road-stream crossing replacement projects that reconnect high-quality aquatic habitats and improve community flood resiliency and road infrastructure conditions within the towns of Berlin, Grafton, and Brunswick. The project will include the evaluation of road stream crossing survey data, an evaluation and prioritization of the results of the survey, and the development of conceptual and final designs for the highest priority aquatic barriers in each town. The survey results will be compiled into an inventory document and a web-based map resource for each town to further support future budgeting and planning efforts.
For more information about additional funding opportunities through the Hudson River Estuary Program, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5091.html.