Grant to help failing seawall in Padanaram

Aug 17, 2021

Dartmouth has received $107,255 from the state to address the failing seawall around the perimeter of Apponagansett Park and Arthur Dias Town Landing in Padanaram, according to a news release from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Office of Coastal Zone Management Coastal Resilience Grant Program.

The failing seawall leads to regular flooding during spring tides and coastal storms, according to material provided by the state. 

The town will use the funds to assess alternatives and develop resilient nature-based structural design, the release said.

The award was part of $4 million in grants announced by the Baker-Polito administration to help Massachusetts coastal communities prepare for severe weather events and the impacts of climate change, including storm surge, flooding, erosion and sea level rise.

The funding will support 19 projects in coastal communities across the state.

“Climate change presents challenges for Massachusetts coastal communities, which face increasing storm damage and flooding risks during high tides and coastal storms,” Baker said in a prepared statement. 

“Our administration remains committed to providing necessary financial and technical support to proactively protect coastal infrastructure from these increasing threats, which is why we have proposed nearly $1 billion in funding for critical environmental initiatives like climate resilient infrastructure through our federal ARPA spending plan,’’ he said.