Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $2.4 Million to Support Culvert Replacement and Restoration Projects

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced over $2.4 million to support ecological restoration projects across Massachusetts. These projects, funded by the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Division of Ecological Restoration (DER), will strengthen community resilience to climate change, reduce flood risks, improve infrastructure and public safety, and restore crucial wildlife habitat and water quality. 

“Funding restoration projects is key to building a climate-ready future,” said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “These awards will support municipalities and partners in restoring healthy waterways and enhancing resilience against increased precipitation and extreme weather. For residents, that means cleaner water, lower flood risks, and safer communities ready to withstand the challenges ahead.”

“Ecological restoration is a crucial piece of the puzzle for solving the interconnected crises of biodiversity loss and climate change,” said DFG Commissioner Tom O’Shea. “By partnering with communities to upgrade culverts, we will reconnect habitats for fish and wildlife and boost public safety. These projects are a win-win for people and nature—we are proud to be ushering them along.”

DER’s Stream Continuity Program is awarding over $2 million to 17 municipalities through the Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance (CRMA) Grant Program and the Culvert Replacement Training Site Initiative. This funding will help municipalities replace outdated culverts with new, improved crossings. These upgrades will improve fish and wildlife passage, reduce flood risks, and improve public safety. The funding will also support DER’s Culvert Replacement Training Site Initiative, which aims to build a network of road managers skilled in replacing culverts that meet the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards. This will include training opportunities, site visits, and technical assistance. In August, DER awarded $2.1 million. Together, this amounts to nearly $4.2 million invested in culvert replacement, small bridge improvements, and technical assistance in 2024. 

DER is also awarding $344,000 to two restoration projects through its Priority Projects Program. This program supports wetland and river restoration that will have the greatest benefit to the state ecologically, socially, and economically. Priority Projects underway include removal of aging, unsafe dams; restoration of freshwater wetlands in former cranberry farmlands; replacement and removal of undersized and degrading culverts; and restoration of tidal flow to degraded coastal habitats.

“We are proud to support these projects and work hand-in-hand with partners to achieve our shared restoration goals,” said DER Director Beth Lambert. “We are excited to see communities tackle these much-needed projects and look forward to the many benefits ecological restoration will bring to Massachusetts’ people and environment.”

"The Herring River Estuary Restoration Project is a game-changer—evolving from a visionary concept on Cape Cod into one of the Northeast’s most impactful environmental efforts,” said State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Cape & Islands). “Restoring tidal flow to 890 acres of salt marsh will mean healthier waters, a huge boost in biodiversity, an investment in Wellfleet’s storied aquaculture industry, and stronger defenses against coastal flooding. This isn’t just restoration; it’s innovation at work, thanks to an incredible partnership between local, state, and federal teams. With the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s backing, we’re setting a powerful precedent in ecological restoration that will resonate for generations, ensuring Cape Cod’s natural treasures thrive for all who call it home or who simply love this place.” 

“I am pleased to see Dudley and Monson awarded these grants to ensure that culverts in the towns are restored,” said State Senator Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). “Culverts are essential to ecological protection efforts and funds like these from the Department of Fish and Game allow local municipalities to participate in these efforts.”

"Ecological restoration projects are crucial investments that will strengthen community infrastructure in the face of climate change-related threats,” said State Representative James Arena-DeRosa (D-Holliston). “Replacing these culverts will ensure healthier wildlife habitats and roadways, and I want to thank the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Secretary Tepper for awarding these funds to the Town of Hopkinton to address a key roadway prone to flooding.”

The following 14 municipalities were awarded funding through DER’s CRMA Grant Program:

Town of Becket; Center Pond Brook Culvert Replacement: $65,000

• The Town of Becket will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work for the replacement of a deteriorated, undersized, and partially-collapsed culvert on Benton Hill Road over Center Pond Brook, a Coldwater Resource and a direct tributary to the West Branch Westfield River, a federally designated Wild and Scenic River. 

Town of Buckland; Tributary to Deerfield River Culvert Replacements: $87,770

• The Town of Buckland will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work to replace three deteriorated and undersized culverts, one of which failed during a storm event in 2023. These culverts are located on Elm Street over an unnamed tributary to the Deerfield River, a coldwater fish resource. 

Town of Clarksburg; Bear Swamp Brook Culvert Replacement: $180,000

• The Town of Clarksburg will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work to replace a deteriorating and undersized culvert on West Road over Bear Swamp Brook, a Coldwater Resource. 

Town of Dudley; French River Tributary Culvert Replacement: $20,000

• The Town of Dudley will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work to replace an undersized culvert over a tributary to the French River on New Boston Road, a primary access road for the Town.

Town of Hancock; Kinderhook Creek Culvert Replacement: $71,000

• The Town of Hancock will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work to replace a deteriorated and undersized culvert on Kinderhook Creek, which converges with Jones Brook and Rathurn Brook and turns into a Coldwater Resource before eventually flowing into the Hudson River. 

Town of Leominster; Haynes Brook and Slack Brook Culvert Replacements: $250,000

• The Town of Leominster will conduct field data collection to assess the replacement of three deteriorated and undersized culverts on Elm Street, Exchange Street, and Kingman Drive over Slack Brook and Haynes Brook, a Coldwater Resource.

Town of Leyden; Hibbard Brook Culvert Replacement: $126,600

• The Town of Leyden will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work to replace a deteriorated and undersized culvert that currently experiences frequent overflows during storms on West Leyden Road over Hibbard Brook, a Coldwater Resource. 

Town of Merrimac; Cobblers Brook Culvert Replacement: $30,000

• The Town of Merrimac will conduct field data collection to assess a deteriorated and undersized culvert on Church Street over Cobblers Brook, which is located within an area of important habitat. 

Town of Monson; Twelvemile Brook Culvert Replacements: $83,500

• The Town of Monson will conduct field data collection and design/engineering work to replace two undersized culverts on Nieske Road and Reimers Road over Twelvemile Brook and a tributary, where flooding has been an issue. The stream has also been identified as a Coldwater Fisheries Resource and is a priority habitat area for rare species. 

Town of New Marlborough; Tributary of Umpachene River Culvert Replacement: $72,850

• The Town of New Marlborough will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work to replace a deteriorated and undersized culvert on Canaan Southfield Road over North Meadow Brook, which is an important habitat for rare species. 

Town of Pepperell; Sucker Brook Culvert Replacements: $125,000

• The Town of Pepperell will conduct design and engineering work to replace two undersized culverts on Sartell Street and Sheffield Street over Sucker Brook, a Coldwater Fisheries Resource. 

Town of Southborough; Willow Street Culvert Replacements: $220,400

• The Town of Southborough will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work to replace two deteriorated, undersized, and perpetually clogged culverts on Willow Street over an unnamed stream. 

Town of Tyngsborough; North Meadow Brook Culvert Replacements: $370,000

• The Town of Tyngsborough will conduct field data collection and engineering/design work for two deteriorated and undersized culverts on Dunstable Road and Red Gate Road over North Meadow Brook, an important habitat for rare species. 

Town of Washington; Johnson Hill Road Culvert Replacement: $62,000

• The Town of Washington will conduct field data collection, design and engineering, and permitting activities to replace a deteriorated and undersized culvert on Johnson Hill Road over a tributary to the West Branch of Westfield River, which is important habitat for rare species. 

The following three projects were awarded funding through DER’s Culvert Replacement Training Site Initiative:

Town of Hopkinton; Unnamed Tributary to Whitehall Brook Culvert Replacements: $115,000

• The Town of Hopkinton will conduct field data collection work to replace two undersized and deteriorating culverts on Fruit Street over an unnamed tributary to Whitehall Brook, which is important habitat and where flooding has been an issue. 

Town of Longmeadow; Longmeadow Brook Culvert Replacement: $75,000

• The Town of Longmeadow will conduct field data collection to replace a culvert on the West Road trail in the Frannie Sebbins Wildlife Refuge over Longmeadow Brook, a Coldwater Fisheries Resource and priority habitat.  

Town of Palmer; Ware River Tributary Culvert Replacements: $105,000

• The Town of Palmer will complete preliminary design & engineering work to replace two undersized and deteriorating culverts on Bacon Road and West Ware Road over an unnamed tributary to the Ware River, which is important habitat and where flooding has been an issue. 

The following two projects were awarded funding through DER’s Priority Projects Program:

Herring River Estuary Restoration Project; Friends of Herring River: $144,000

• The Herring River Estuary Restoration project is one of the largest tidal estuary restorations ever undertaken in Massachusetts and the North Atlantic coastal region. It will restore approximately 890 acres of degraded salt marsh and estuarine habitats, a significant area of shellfish habitat, and improve access for fish to hundreds of acres of ponds. This award will support administrative, technical, regulatory compliance, outreach/communications, monitoring, and project coordination tasks as construction proceeds.   

South Middleton Dam Removal Project; Lynn Water and Sewer Commission: $200,000

• The South Middleton Dam Removal Project on the Ipswich River in Middleton will remove a Significant Hazard dam in Poor Condition to reconnect 57 miles of river and tributary habitat for resident and migratory fish, including 119 acres of river herring spawning habitat. This award will support the rehabilitation of the City of Lynn's drinking water intake facility located upstream of the dam, which would otherwise be impacted by its removal. 

###