MassDEP to Offer $225,000 North River Restoration Grant; Applications Expected Oct. 1

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection officials on a webinar announced a forthcoming North River Restoration Grant funded with $225,000 from a natural resource damages settlement tied to a 2019 acid release at the Barnhart Manufacturing site.

Michelle Craddock, MassDEP's Natural Resource Damages Program Coordinator, said the grant materials are expected to be posted on MassDEP's NRD website and the Commonwealth procurement portal COMMBUYS around Oct. 1. "We're estimating that the release date for the grant opportunity will be on October 1st," she said. Craddock said a two-week written question period will follow and that MassDEP intends to post answers by Oct. 23.

The funds derive from a 2021 settlement between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Barnhart Manufacturing Company and North River LLC; Craddock said $225,000 from that settlement is designated for restoration projects. "We received $225,000 in settlement funds to be used towards natural resource damages restoration projects," she said. The NRD program assesses injury to public trust resources and funds projects that restore, replace or acquire the equivalent of injured resources and services.

Eligible projects must have a strong, demonstrable link to the resources injured by the release, be tangible on-the-ground restoration work (feasibility, design, permitting, construction, monitoring and community involvement), and be located in Colrain within the Deerfield River watershed with a focus on the North River subwatershed. Craddock said projects required by law, projects that restore unrelated resources, and standalone monitoring or research not tied to restoration are ineligible.

The solicitation will include the application form and attachments covering supplemental terms and conditions, conflict-of-interest disclosure, invoicing and reimbursement rules. Craddock said the anticipated application due date is 5 p.m. on Nov. 15; awards are expected to be announced in early February with contracts starting around March 1. Contracts would follow Commonwealth standard terms and reimbursement procedures, and grant duration is typically three years from execution.

MassDEP staff said matching funds are not required but are encouraged and NRD funds may be used as match for other grants. Applicants that do not own a site should provide a letter of support or commitment from the landowner. Craddock said MassDEP will evaluate applicants first for mandatory eligibility and then score eligible projects on focus (proximity to injured resources), benefits (degree of restoration and multiple resource benefits) and implementability.

Applicants asked several clarification questions during the webinar. Becky Budd, Restoration Program Manager at the Connecticut River Conservancy, asked whether MassDEP could issue partial awards or fund project phases for expensive dam removals; Craddock replied the agency is "pretty flexible," and advised applicants to describe funding strategies and phased scopes in their submissions. Eric Halloran, president of the Deerfield River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the person who reported the spill, asked whether preliminary sediment surveys and feasibility work for a large dam could be funded; Craddock said such feasibility-phase work has been funded previously and that a letter of support from the dam owner (currently Barnhart) would strengthen an application.

Liam, a land conservation specialist at Franklin Land Trust, asked whether acquisition projects would be limited to fee interest or could include conservation restrictions; Craddock said acquisitions or conservation restrictions could potentially be eligible and that she would confirm the details. Craddock also clarified the consent judgment limits the geographic focus to Colrain: "It's only, and it's limited to Colrain," she said.

MassDEP encouraged partnerships among state, federal and local governments and nonprofits and said applicants may submit multiple distinct restoration applications. The agency said it will post the grant announcement and application materials on the NRD web page and via COMMBUYS and will accept written questions during the two-week comment period after posting. For additional information, Craddock said applicants may contact her before Oct. 1 or consult the posted solicitation when it appears.

The webinar closed with an offer from MassDEP to share the presentation and to accept follow-up calls or emails ahead of the posting date.