DEP grant adds capacity to meet July 1 208 Plan deadline

Barnstable County received a $950,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Protection to provide implementation support for the Section 208 Plan Update.

The Cape Cod Commission received $700,000 to build additional decision support tools and its Watershed Team Technical Assistance Program.

With these funds, the Commission will help communities meet the July 1, 2016 deadline for developing watershed reports consistent with the 208 Plan Update. Additional support will be retained through consultants familiar with the 208 program and its watershed approach to assist towns with their plans.

The funding provided must be spent by June 30 or it reverts to the commonwealth. A number of contracts for additional expertise and technical services have already been executed. The Commission is prepared to work with all towns to meet the July 1 deadline for submission of watershed reports. The same grant provides the $250,000 state match for the Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative’s comprehensive water quality monitoring program. This monitoring work is an important piece for implementation of the Section 208 Water Quality Management Plan, providing baseline data on water quality for Nantucket Sound, the east side of Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay. County funds supplement this program.

The DEP press release can be found at the following link: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/ news/releases/grant-of-950000-supports-waterquality-on-cape-cod.html