Mashpee has been named the recipient of nearly $1.7 million for town landing improvements to increase resilience to harmful algal blooms in Santuit Pond.
In a press release dated August 1, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced that it is awarding $52.4 million in grants to various communities in Massachusetts to bolster climate resiliency measures. It is the most funding ever awarded through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program (MVP). One of the awardees is Mashpee, which is set to receive $1,669,956 for increasing resilience to harmful algal blooms in Santuit Pond, something both the town and the Tribe have been working toward for a number of years.
“The money is going to Mashpee, but they have a close partnership with the Tribe with this project,” said Danielle Burney, deputy communications director of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA).
The Tribe is a key stakeholder in the project. Santuit Pond and the surrounding land hold great cultural significance for the Tribe, having served as a traditional meeting place and fishing area for centuries. The town's released a 2022 public service announcement regarding the history of Santuit Pond and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and the Southern New England Program (SNEP) has maintained a learning hub webpage on the project regarding historical significance and recent restoration efforts.
The announcement from the governor's office also said that the EEA is providing an additional $7 million to towns affected by inland flooding last year.
The funding awarded for Santuit Pond will go toward the construction of town landing improvements that will help mitigate water quality issues in the area, including improved stormwater management and site reconfiguration. Mashpee has already received two rounds of MVP funding. The town received MVP action grants in 2022 and 2023 to address stormwater runoff. The funds were used to design a concept for Santuit Pond's town landing that offers climate resilience and water quality measures.
The MVP Program has awarded 71 projects in grants, including 62 for municipalities, seven for regional planning agencies and two for tribes. The program provides local leadership with resources and funding from the state to manage climate change issues such as inland flooding, severe storms and rising sea levels.
The newly awarded MVP funds will also support stormwater improvements and reduce phosphorus loads in Santuit Pond.
In May, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's Department of Natural Resources got the green light from the town to seek additional funding through a Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The deadline for grant applications was in May; if awarded, the project will undergo the first treatment in 2025, and the second in 2026. The grant will reimburse 90 percent of project costs. Those grants have yet to be announced.
Mashpee also has plans to include a gated entrance, shoreline vegetation enhancement, tribal artwork and relocated parking.
Additionally, there are plans to reconfigure one of two boat launch areas and to dedicate spaces to non-motorized boats, including kayaks and canoes, walking trails, shoreline fishing and the history and cultural significance of Santuit Pond for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
The US Environmental Protection Agency and Mass Department of Environmental Protection work closely together to regulate stormwater runoff in Mashpee through a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or an M4 permit. The permit pays close attention to watersheds with impaired water bodies, like Santuit Pond.
Governor Maura T. Healey and EEA Secretary Rebecca Tapper announced the additional funding back in September in Leominster, a town that experienced severe inland flooding last year.
“Every year, our communities need more support dealing with climate change, especially when it comes to reducing flooding,” said Ms. Tapper in the press release. “We are going all in to provide every resource.”
Ms. Tapper added that EEA is committed to making “serious investments” in local projects, including Mashpee’s Santuit Pond, in order to improve and protect “the health and safety of Massachusetts residents.”
LAUREN SURBEY - Mashpee Enterprise
