BOSTON – The town of Braintree was recently named one of several Massachusetts communities set to receive funds through the state’s Department of Environmental Protection for projects dealing with stormwater runoff and erosion.
Braintree will be receiving $375,000 through the program, which will be used to pay for construction of new infrastructure in Watson Park to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff discharging into the Monatiquot River and the Weymouth Fore River.
The grant program focuses on implementation of measures to control nonpoint source (NPS) pollution to both surface and groundwater. Unlike pollution from industrial facilities and sewage treatment plants, NPS pollution is unregulated and comes from a variety of sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and ground waters. Two of the recommended projects will implement best management practices (BMPs) to mitigate the effects of polluted stormwater runoff and two projects will support public outreach and education and involve healthy watershed projects.
The Watson Park stormwater project had previously been named the recipient of $772,580 in grants last year through the state’s Office of Coastal Zone Management to help with planning and implementation costs.
State Senator John F. Keenan 