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MassDEP outlines $82.6 million in NRD settlements and upcoming restoration grants

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Waste Site Cleanup Advisory Committee · February 27, 2026

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Summary

MassDEP’s NRD program has settled more than 30 claims totaling about $82.6 million and currently manages 14 active NRD cases and 10 active grants. Staff announced a Mystic River watershed grant (≈$130,000) and two restoration projects expected to go to construction in 2026 in Tewksbury and Woburn.

Michelle Craddock, the Natural Resource Damages (NRD) program coordinator at MassDEP, told the advisory committee the Commonwealth has settled over 30 NRD claims totaling about $82.6 million. Some settlements were state‑only claims and others were joint with federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA.

Craddock said 14 NRD cases are at various stages of injury assessment, settlement negotiation or restoration implementation, and that NRD funds currently support 10 active grants and interdepartmental service agreements for projects that include dam removal design and permitting, salt marsh restoration and fish‑passage construction. Most grants are managed by municipalities or local nonprofits.

She highlighted an upcoming grant opportunity for restoration projects in the Mystic River watershed expected to open in late spring with just under $130,000 available; eligible communities could include Somerville, Chelsea, Malden, Everett and Revere. Craddock also noted two restoration projects funded with NRD settlement funds targeting construction in 2026: two wetland and floodplain restoration projects in Tewksbury (using Suttonbrook Superfund NRD funds) and a nature‑like fish passage at the outlet of Foreign Pond in Woburn (funded by Industriplex Superfund NRD funds) to reopen diadromous fish access to upstream habitat.

Craddock asked interested communities to monitor the NRD website and COMMBUYS for grant postings and offered to add municipal contacts to distribution lists for future outreach.