Restoring and protecting the Commonwealth’s rivers, wetlands and watersheds for the benefit of people and the environment.

Outline• Who we are & how we

operate

• Our accomplishments

• Stream Continuity Program

• Partnerships & Coordination

• Messages

Photo – action shot

Shawsheen River, Andover

Who we are• 15 staff. 13 in Boston; 2 at

Westfield State University

• Project managers have 10+ years of experience

• Senior staff have 15-20 years of relevant experience

• Expertise in hydrology, wetland ecology, engineering, fish biology, natural resource economics, water quality

DER’s Focus Areas

• Dam removal

• Culvert replacement

• Tidal wetland restoration

• Wetland restoration in retired cranberry bogs

• Streamflow restoration

• Water conservation

• Water quality protection

30 projects in planning; 5-7 completed each year

Culvert upgrade training, Northborough

Photos of project teams

DER’s Partnership Approach

Turner Dam Removal, Pepperell Turner Dam Removal project team

Coonamesett River project team Coonamessett River Restoration, Falmouth

Hallmarks of DER’s Work

• Projects help communities adapt to climate change; increase resilience; save money

• DER provides

– Hands-on assistance identifying and scoping projects

– Oversight through design, and permitting

– Fundraising

– Support through construction DER works with municipal, state, NGO, business landowners and land managers

• Leverage every state $ for $5-$8 federal / NGO

DER is a funnel for resourcesHurricane Sandy

Coastal Resilience $$$

Projects

DER works statewide

Example Accomplishments

• 50+ dams removed

• >2000 acres coastal wetlands restored

• 350 acres retired cranberry bogs restored and in planning for restoration

• Initiated new culvert replacement program for municipalities– 67 grant applications

received for FY19

Hopewell Mills Dam Removal, Mill River, Taunton

Economic Output

• Projects generate 75% return on investment and 12.5 jobs for every $1 million invested

• Average cost to remove dams and upgrade culverts less than repairing in-kind, long-term

• DER’s leveraging makes climate adaptation less expensive for towns; saves money in the long term through increased resilience; makes state dollars go further

Hunters Pond Dam, Scituate

DER Fiscal Year 2017 Leveraged Funds$ 13,115,000 Ratio of 8:1

10%3%

3%

30%

54%

FY17 DER Capital funds$1,550,000

NRD$395,000

Corporate$470,000

NGO$4,350,000

Federal$7,900,000

Project Examples

Cotton Gin Mill Dam Removal, East Bridgewater

Example: Tidal Wetland RestorationMuddy Creek--Rt. 28 road crossing

Chatham/Harwich

Pre-restoration

Post-restoration, 2016

Example: Tidal Wetland RestorationMuddy Creek--Rt. 28 road crossing

Chatham/Harwich

Example: Muddy Creek / Rt. 28 Bridge

Tidal Restoration

Harwich: $413,000.

$2.5 million sewer cost avoided

Chatham: $413,000

Federal: $5.1 million

State / DER: $50,000

Total: $5.975 million

Outcome:

• 72 jobs created

• 55 acres restored

• Safer bridge resilient to storms and sea level rise

Muddy Creek/ Rt 28 bridge, Harwich / Chatham

Example: Dam RemovalShawsheen River, Balmoral Dam

Andover

Pre-restoration

Example: Dam RemovalShawsheen River, Balmoral Dam

Andover

Construction

Example: Dam RemovalShawsheen River, Balmoral Dam

Andover

Post-restoration, 2017

Build municipal capacity to replace undersized culverts through technical assistance, training, tool development, incentive grants, and coordination with regulatory agencies.

Town Brook, Plymouth

Stream Continuity Program, 2014

$750,000 total annually *• All Phases of Culvert Replacement

• Field data collection• Design and permitting• Construction

• Additional funds included as available, e.g. mitigation funds, grants, in-lieu fees

*subject to state capital plan approvals

Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program

• Grants ranged from $22,500-$150,000.

• Culverts in high ecological areas and provide public benefits

• Only projects intended to meet the goals of the SCS.

• No match required—incentive funding.

Funded Projects

CRMA Funded Projects (2 yrs)

• 24 Projects (26 Grants)• 5 Field Data Collection/Structure Selection• 3 Preliminary Design and Engineering• 15 Final Designs• 1 Construction

Brookfield

Boxford

Ashfield

Culvert Replacement Training Sites

Brookfield, MA

Competitive opportunity for municipalities

DER technical assistance through construction & financial support (when possible)

Town manages project & DPW/Highway Dept. participates in DER led trainings.

Brookfield

Boxford

Ashfield

Culvert Replacement Training SitesGoal: Reach as many towns as possible

Create avenues for town networking & easy access to training

MA River Continuity Partnership

Paul Nguyen

Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards, 2011

Open arch0.82 Openness ratio

Natural substrate

Banks, dry passage

Comparable depth and velocity, up & downstream

2 feet Embedment

Large span, 1.2x bankfull width

North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative

Project Area

www.streamcontinuity.org

Create a network in the North Atlantic region

Develop a Unified Stream Crossing Assessment Protocol

Create an infrastructure to support collection of road-stream crossing data

Workshops:

Improving Stream Crossings: Flood Resilient, Fish Friendly

2013

Take Home Messages• We coordinate on-the-

ground projects at the nexus of habitat restoration, public safety, climate adaptation

• We use a partnership-based approach

• We prepare projects to access state and federal grant programs (MVP, MEMA, Dam / Seawall)

• Timing is right to ramp up and make these projects part of standard approach of adapting to climate change in the Commonwealth

Culvert upgrade training, Northborough

Unmet Need• Road managers and towns

lack knowledge, skills, capacity to plan and carry out projects like dam removal, culvert replacement

• 67 municipalities applied for culvert replacement grants in FY18 ($5.8 million total)

• 200+ dam owners requested help since 2011

• State and local planning for adaptation is underway, and assistance with implementation is needed

Walker Brook, Becket

Thank you!

Eel River Headwaters Restoration, Plymouth

Kristen FerryHabitat Restoration Program Manager617-626-1264Kristen.Ferry@mass.gov

Extra Slides

Division of Ecological Restoration Restoration and Adaptation

Aquatic Habitat Restoration

Streamflow Restoration

Riverways

• Dam removal• Culvert

replacement• Restoration of

retired cranberry bogs

• Coastal wetland restoration

• Water conservation

• Impoundment releases

• Changes in water rate structure

• Urban river restoration

• Innovative stormwatermanagement

• Technical assistance to watershed groups

All in the context of climate change and community resilience

1. Increase pace and scale of dam removal

Select dams for ecological, resilience, adaptation benefits. Help owners navigate the dam removal process and access MVP, Dam / Seawall Grant Program, federal grant funding.

Cotton Gin Mill Dam Removal, East Bridgewater

2. Coordinate salt marsh restoration projects for ecological and resilience benefits

Help municipalities plan and implement projects that restore tidal flow, improve water quality, and provide adaptation. Prepare projects for small bridge program, MVP, and other grant programs.

Muddy Creek / Rt. 28 crossing, Harwich / Chatham

3. Expand Municipal Culvert Replacement Technical Assistance Program

Build municipal capacity to replace undersized culverts through technical assistance, training, tool development, incentive grants, and coordination with regulatory agencies.

Town Brook, Plymouth

4. Ramp up restoration of retired cranberry bogs

Partner with landowners and funders to design, implement, and construction projects. This will provide a Green Exist Strategy for farmers seeking to transition out of cranberry production. These projects increase water storage, improve water quality, and provide public recreation as well as fish and wildlife habitat.

Tidmarsh Farms, Plymouth