On June 7, the Buzzards Bay NEP awarded two grants totaling $48,920 in federal grant awards for habitat restoration and water quality protection projects in Buzzards Bay. These two grants will help the towns of Gosnold and Dartmouth to better manage boat waste and to investigate causes of salt marsh degradation. The grants are being matched by $43,950 in municipal and private contributions that will support the water quality protection efforts and restoration of important habitat.
The Town of Gosnold will receive $13,920 to purchase a stationary, self-service boat waste pumpout unit for the Cuttyhunk Vessel Pumpout Station. The pumpout, to be operated and maintained by the Town’s partner, the Buzzards Bay Coalition, will be made available at no cost to recreational boaters. It will be located at the dock entrance to Cuttyhunk Harbor and available seasonally from Memorial Day to mid-September. Boat sewage may contain bacteria and viruses, nutrients and chemicals that can be harmful to water quality and public health. With the nearest boat waste pumpout facility more than nine miles away, this project provides the opportunity to prevent the discharge of raw sewage into Cuttyhunk Harbor and Buzzards Bay by providing pumpout options to the thousands of summer boaters in Cuttyhunk.
The Town of Dartmouth will receive $35,000 to perform a restoration study to determine the causes of deterioration in the 16.6-acre Cow Yards salt marsh, located at the mouth of the Little River in Dartmouth. The salt marsh, owned and permanently protected by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, is experiencing an extensive loss of vegetation and subsidence of the marsh surface. The Town will hire an engineering firm to assess existing conditions and hydrology within the salt marsh, identify restoration recommendations and evaluate feasibility of implementing the recommendations.
Ensuring adequate boat waste pump-out facilities in Buzzards Bay is a priority for the Buzzards Bay NEP and a goal of the the Buzzards Bay CCMP. The Dartmouth project is also very timely as we have been receiving reports of die offs in other salt marshes around Buzzards Bay. More information about the grants can be found at this mass.gov link.
Information about past grants awarded by the Buzzards Bay NEP can be found on this interactive map. Information about salt marsh loss in Buzzards Bay can be found in this post: https://buzzardsbay.org/reports-salt-marsh-loss-buzzards-bay/.