Two federal grants, totaling $2,480,539, for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District are funded through the National Coastal Resilience Fund, which was developed by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., to restore and strengthen the natural infrastructure protecting coastal communities.

“As the climate crisis pushes our natural resources to the brink, my National Coastal Resilience Fund is helping communities in the Ocean State prepare,” Whitehouse said. “This federal funding will support two local resiliency projects and help two coastal communities on Aquidneck Island safeguard important infrastructure and natural resources.”

DEM was awarded $1.8 million to restore Mill Creek in Portsmouth using box culverts and other nature-based solutions. The project will improve the shoreline habitat and protect critical infrastructure from flooding and storm surge, according to state officials.

“This funding is a vital investment in both the protection of our natural resources and the safety of our communities,” DEM director Terry Gray said. “By addressing stormwater and flooding risks at Mill Creek, we not only improve climate resilience but also restore the vital coastal ecosystems that sustain our region.”

A grant of $680,539 was awarded to the Eastern Conservation District to restore 1,200 linear-feet of Elizabeth Brook in Newport. This restoration will help reduce flooding and improve coastal resilience through floodplain restoration and riparian buffer creation.

The project will also support the development of preliminary design plans for stream restoration, wetland creation, and recreational trails to benefit the local community and Naval Station Newport.

Past local recipients of the grant fund include the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, Bristol County Water Authority, the town of New Shoreham, University of Rhode Island and Friends of Green Hill Pond, Save The Bay, and the Coastal Resources Management Council.

The funding has been used to identify sites vulnerable to sea level rise that would benefit from shoreline adaptation, design projects to prevent flooding, and restore dunes and habitats that act as natural buffers for coastal areas.

This round of grants, for 94 projects nationwide totaling $138 million, was made possible with additional funding from the Democrats’ Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invested $492 million over five years for the National Coastal Resilience Fund. The Fund is jointly administered by NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Since its creation in 2018, the National Coastal Resilience Fund has awarded some $616 million to 494 projects across the nation.