FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2023
Hartford, CT – The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and some of its municipal members have received a total of $1,450,000 million in grants through the inaugural round of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Climate Resilience Fund (DCRF). The inaugural round of DCRF grants will support 21 innovative climate resilience plans and projects across 17 Connecticut municipalities and councils of governments.
By 2050, Connecticut is projected to experience stronger storms, longer, more frequent droughts, in addition to increased coastal flooding. “Our goal is to look at ways we can mitigate the impacts of these type of storms and natural disasters,” said Matt Hart. “This funding will allow us to conduct a study to assess how we can reduce flooding and better manage the impacts of stormwater across our region. This study will be the first critical step in a long-term effort to address stormwater impacts on more of a regional basis to combine resources and capture an economy of scale.”
Federal funding for climate resilience has reached historic levels since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. To set up Connecticut communities for success with federal funds, all grantees will assess how they will fund the local match portion of any federal grant award for construction and implementation costs.
Resilience Project Development Grants
- Capitol Region Council of Governments, $250,000: The CRCOG will work with multiple municipalities in the CRCOG region to conduct stormwater authority feasibility assessments.
- City of New Britain, $300,000: The city will identify comprehensive flooding solutions in the Willow Brook watershed, in partnership with Resilient Connecticut.
- Town of West Hartford, West Hartford, and Hartford, $700,000: The Town of West Hartford will lead engineering studies and preliminary designs for reducing flooding near Kennedy Brook and Kane Brook in West Hartford and Hartford in partnership with Resilient Connecticut.
Resilience Planning Grants
- City of Hartford, $243,500: The City of Hartford will develop a citywide flooding/climate resiliency assessment using existing data and create a prioritized list of resilience projects for future advancement.
- Town of Manchester, $200,000: The Town of Manchester will develop a townwide flood resilience plan focusing on understanding how extreme precipitation events will affect the town and identifying recommendations for next steps to reduce risks.
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The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) is a voluntary Council of Governments formed to initiate and implement regional programs of benefit to the towns and the region. It is guided by the chief elected officials of our 38 Metro Hartford municipalities. The mayors, first selectmen, and town council chairmen who make up our governing Policy Board recognize that the future of our individual members is tied to the future of our region. Our members have collaborated for more than 50 years on a wide range of projects to benefit our towns individually and the region. CRCOG serves the Capitol Region and all our municipalities by:
- Helping members improve governmental efficiency and save tax dollars through shared services and other direct service initiatives;
- Promoting efficient transportation systems, responsible land use and preservation of land and natural resources and effective economic development;
- Strengthening the Capitol City of Hartford as the core of a strong region, and as our economic, social, and cultural center;
- Advocating for the region and its towns with the State and Federal governments;
- Strengthening our regional community by helping coordinate regional agencies and programs;
- And assisting local governments and citizens in articulating, advocating and implementing the vision, needs, and values of their regional community.
