The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) announced $343,852 in grants for projects to restore aquatic connectivity, reduce local flood risks, and improve water quality in Stephentown and Philipstown. Funding for these projects is administered by NEIWPCC in partnership with NYSDEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and supported by New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund.
“New York is advancing important efforts to mitigate localized flooding and improve water quality in Hudson River tributaries while protecting and improving the state’s natural resources,” interim NYSDEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said. “The funding will jumpstart the implementation of two projects to restore aquatic organism passage and habitat connectivity. We commend our partners at NEIWPCC, Stephentown and Philipstown for advancing these critical projects.”
Susan Sullivan, NEIWPCC executive director, said, “NEIWPCC is pleased to help these communities remove barriers that block the natural flow of rivers and streams to improve aquatic passage for river herring and American eel.”
Trout Unlimited was awarded $143,853 for a culvert removal and replacement project on Calvin Cole Road in Stephentown that will reconnect three and a-half miles of high-quality upstream habitat for aquatic organisms. In addition, the replacement project will mitigate chronic flooding issues. The site was identified as a priority in the Stephentown Road Stream Crossing Management Plan, funded by the Hudson River Estuary Program in 2021.
The Walter Hoving Home, Inc. was awarded $200,000 for a culvert replacement project on Avery Road in Philipstown. The project will result in shovel-ready stamped engineering plans, permit materials, and construction documents to remove a culvert under Avery Road known to be a local flood hazard during heavy storm events on Philips Brook. Replacement of this structure will remove an additional constriction just downstream of a current Hudson River Estuary Program-funded dam removal project with observed eel presence.
View NYSDEC’s video “Dams & Culverts: Reconnecting Our Waterways” demonstrating culvert right-sizing and dam removal.
The projects are expected to start this fall.