Rhode Island will receive $6
million, part of which will be used to enhancing the Narrow River in South
Kingstown, Narragansett and North Kingstown.
Posted by Lauren
Costa (Editor), in the Narragansett
South Kingstown Patch
 |
| The Narrow River, also known as the Pettaquamscutt River, is a narrow tidal inlet that opens into the Atlantic Ocean at Narragansett Beach. Credit: Narrow River Preservation Association |
In
advance of the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, Secretary of
the Interior Sally Jewell announced on October 24 that $162 million will be invested
in 45 restoration and research projects that will better protect Atlantic Coast
communities from future powerful storms.
The projects will aim to restore
marshes, wetlands and beaches, rebuild shorelines, and research the impacts and
modeling mitigation of storm surges.
The investments are consistent with
President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Strategy Report and the
Administration’s commitment laid out in the Climate Action Plan to build
resilience by restoring natural features along shorelines to help better
protect communities from future storms.
Two projects submitted by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service in Rhode Island were among those approved for
funding.
A $4 million project submitted by
the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex was also approved, and will
focus on improving coastal habitats in Rhode Island, in particular salt marshes
and maritime shrublands. These habitats are especially important to a wide
range of wildlife, and salt marshes provide important buffers for storm events,
aide in water quality enhancement, and provide open space for communities.
These estuaries are vital as a “nursery” for saltwater fish and provide for
abundant recreational and commercial fishing opportunities.
The project will focus on enhancing
the Narrow River in South Kingstown, Narragansett and North Kingstown, as well
as the Maidford River in Middletown.
Efforts on the Narrow River and
Pettaquamscutt Cove will focus on determining the current health and condition
of saltmarsh habitats and coastal shrub communities as influenced by flow
regimes, invasive species, erosive forces working on saltmarsh shorelines, and
how best to improve their productivity and restore them.
The project will also identify
opportunities for the use of dredging to restore estuarine aquatic habitats,
provide for the restoration and protection of saltmarsh habitats, and to
identify the beneficial use of dredge materials for saltmarsh restoration, and
beach sand replacement over time.
In addition, the Coastal Program
received $2 million to support evaluation and removal of three dams on the
lower Pawcatuck River and the Fisheries office received $80,000 for removal of
the Shady Lea Mill Dam on the Mettatuxet River and creation of a new riparian
corridor.
The projects will improve fish
passage, aquatic habitats and river connectivity as well as reduce river flow
elevations during storm events. Ultimately this will provide flood resilience
for local communities, improve sediment transport to downstream estuaries, and
improve fresh and marine fisheries stocks.
Secretary Jewell also announced that
the Department would issue a Request for Proposals on Oct. 29 for an additional
$100 million in grant funding under the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency
Competitive Grant Program announced in August. States, local communities,
non-profit organizations and other partners can compete for funding for
innovative projects under the program, which is being administered by the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Information on the competition can be
found at www.doi.gov/hurricanesandy.
"The National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation will use its networks of partners to promote the grant opportunity,
aid potential grant applicants in shaping proposals that meet our objectives
and to identify opportunities to leverage the $100 million with other funding
sources to rebuild, restore, and research natural defenses that protect
communities," Jewell said. "I am certain that we will see innovative
ideas and projects that will help us be much better prepared the next time a
super storm rolls up the Atlantic coast."
