Mayor Smiley and Senator Reed to Announce $3.2 Million for Southeast New England Environmental Restoration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 24, 2024
Public Event: Friday, Oct. 24, 1:30 p.m., Roger Williams Park Casino, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, RI 02907
Contact: Tom Ardito, Restore America’s Estuaries
Director, SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants
tardito@estuaries.org 401-575-6109
Providence, RI —On Friday, October 24, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and US Senator Jack Reed will be joined by federal, state and local partners to announce $3.2 million in grants and technical assistance for local organizations working on high-priority environmental projects, provided through the Southeast New England Program (SNEP). SNEP, funded by Congress and managed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), works to restore clean water, healthy ecosystems, and sustainable communities in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.
The event will highlight six Rhode Island organizations receiving a total of $1.5 million for large-scale environmental restoration projects through SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants, and 25 Rhode Island organizations receiving a total of $200,000 for work in coastal and watershed stewardship through SNEP Restoration Capital Mini-Grants. Both grant programs are funded by EPA New England and administered through a partnership with Restore America’s Estuaries, a national non-profit organization. A similar event in New Bedford on Monday highlighted 8 Massachusetts organizations receiving similar awards.
In addition to the grants, the SNEP Network, managed by the New England Environmental Finance Center at the University of Southern Maine, will announce ten new technical assistance partnerships with Rhode Island communities to reduce water pollution and conserve coastal ecosystems.
Event Speakers:
- Providence Mayor Brett Smiley
- US Senator Jack Reed
- US Representative Seth Magaziner
- Providence City Council President Rachel Miller
- Terrence Gray, P.E., Director, RI Dept. of Environmental Management
-
Darcy Young, Executive Director, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
- Alex Gulachenski, Senior Program Manager, New England Environmental Finance Center, SNEP Network
- Tom Ardito, Director, SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants, Restore America’s Estuaries
Following the announcements, the City of Providence and its partner Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI) will lead a public tour of green infrastructure at Roger Williams Park. Clean water in the Park ponds has been a focus of work by the City and ASRI for several years, with significant support from SNEP. One of the grants announced today will provide $254,000 to ASRI for continued water quality restoration, while a $312,000 SNEP grant will help the City to tackle stormwater problems at scale.
The work in Providence is just one example of SNEP’s support for clean water, healthy ecosystems, and thriving communities throughout Southeast New England. Since 2012, SNEP has provided $70 million in funding and technical assistance to help municipalities, non-profit organizations, state and tribal governments, and other organizations accomplish these goals. By funding partnerships, promoting information-sharing, and helping to develop new technologies, SNEP is building capacity for better management of the regional environment while providing on-the-ground benefits for communities and ecosystems.
“With support from SNEP, Providence is taking meaningful steps to modernize our stormwater systems and better prepare our city for the impacts of climate change,” said Mayor Brett P. Smiley. “These investments are helping us build a cleaner, healthier and more resilient city for all who live, work and visit. I want to thank Senator Reed and the SNEP team for their continued partnership and commitment to a stronger, more sustainable Providence.”
“I created the Southeast New England Program to bring together a diverse coalition of partners and advance their best ideas to improve the health of Narragansett Bay and its regional watershed. Over the years, my program has delivered millions of dollars to Rhode Island-based organizations and communities to make key upgrades that strengthen clean water infrastructure and boost resiliency and lasting environmental health,” said Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Today we celebrate this latest wave of $1.7 million in SNEP grants for Ocean State projects that will make our communities healthier and stronger and we recommit to our continued work to protecting and improving the health of Narragansett Bay and its surrounding streams and waterways.”
“For over a decade, Senator Reed’s Southeast New England Program has supported projects to harden Rhode Island communities against climate-related threats,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “I am very glad to celebrate a new round of SNEP investments in local projects that will restore ecosystems and keep our communities thriving.”
“Every Rhode Islander deserves clean water and a healthy environment,” said Representative Seth Magaziner. “I am proud to stand with my colleagues in the Rhode Island Congressional delegation to deliver $1.7 million of federal funding that will prevent flooding, restore ecosystems, and ensure cleaner drinking water for years to come.”
“These investments are a win for Rhode Island’s environment, economy, and communities. By supporting local organizations and their efforts to restore our watersheds, protect our coasts, and strengthen resilience to climate change, we’re helping to ensure a cleaner, healthier future, said DEM Director Terry Gray. “DEM is proud to be a partner with EPA’s Southeast New England Program and to help deliver federal funding that empowers local action and delivers real results for our state.”
“Since 2019, communities in the SNEP region have increased their capacity to reach their water quality goals through training and tailored assistance from SNEP Network partners”, said Martha Sheils, Director of the New England Environmental Finance Center and the SNEP Network. “Thanks to continued support from EPA’s Southeast New England Program, the SNEP Network will support a record 18 new projects this coming year. We are scaling up our impact by forming cohorts of communities with shared needs into learning hubs and leveraging SNEP Network tools and trainings that move projects forward to funding and implementation.”
“Restore America’s Estuaries is happy to partner with EPA’s Southeast New England Program in funding these important projects,” said Daniel Hayden, RAE President and CEO. “Since 2018, we’ve directed more than $21 million toward work that addresses community priorities while accomplishing regional goals. Together, these SNEP grants have significantly improved the coastal environment of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.”
2025 SNEP Grant Recipients
SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants will fund 14 projects this year, of which six are in Rhode Island:
Audubon Society of RI / Stormwater Innovation Center | Carp Management and Water Quality Demonstration Project | Roger Williams Park, Providence | $254,253
City of Pawtucket | Daggett Avenue Green Infrastructure Corridor | Pawtucket | $250,000
Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association | Hillsdale Road Culvert Replacement, Construction Phase | Richmond | $399,960
Groundwork Rhode Island | Sacred Heart Park Stormwater Management | Central Falls | $10,000
RI Dept. of Environmental Management | Lake Management to Protect RI Watersheds from Invasive Hydrilla | $250,000
City of Providence | Providence Stormwater and Sewer Utilities Pre-Implementation Project | Providence | $312,000
2025 SNEP Network Community Assistance Recipients
The SNEP Network is a partnership of 15+ organizations, led by the New England Environmental Finance Center, that provides free on-the-ground local technical assistance, training, and regional resources to advance community projects. This year’s community assistance projects in Rhode Island are:
Aquidneck Island Land Trust | Culvert Assessment Training & Capacity Building |Participating Communities: Middletown, Portsmouth, Newport |SNEP Network Partners: Blackstone Watershed Collaborative, Save The Bay
Town of Barrington | Stormwater Enterprise Fund Feasibility Assessment | SNEP Network Partners: Elizabeth Scott Consulting, NEEFC. Additional support: University of Rhode Island
Town of East Greenwich| Resilience Action Identification and Prioritization | SNEP Network Partners: Elizabeth Scott Consulting, The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island. Consultant: Throwe Environmental
City of East Providence | Stormwater Retrofit Planning & Design | SNEP Network Partner: Save The Bay
City of Newport | Resilience Action Identification and Prioritization | SNEP Network Partners: Elizabeth Scott Consulting, The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island, Groundwork Rhode Island. Consultant: Throwe Environmental
City of Pawtucket | Resilience Action Identification and Prioritization | SNEP Network Partners: Elizabeth Scott Consulting, Blackstone Watershed Collaborative. Consultant: Throwe Environmental
City of Pawtucket | Stormwater Retrofit Planning & Design | SNEP Network Partner: Blackstone Watershed Collaborative
City of Providence | Technical Assistance to Advance Sustainable Funding and Financing for Stormwater and Sewer Management| SNEP Network Partner: Narragansett Bay Estuarine Research Reserve, Elizabeth Scott Consulting
Town of West Warwick| Culvert Assessment Training & Capacity Building | SNEP Network Partners: Blackstone Watershed Collaborative, Save The Bay
Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council/Town of Johnston| Stormwater Retrofit Planning & Design | SNEP Network Partner: Audubon Society Rhode Island/Stormwater Innovation Center
For more on EPA’s Southeast New England Program, see www.epa.gov/snep
For more about SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants, see www.snepgrants.org
For more on the SNEP Network, see www.snepnetwork.org
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