DEC Announces $125,000 Available to Reduce Flood and Stormwater Risks in Catskill, Hudson, Kingston, and Piermont

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the availability of $125,000 for the design of a project to reduce shoreline or stormwater risk in one or more of the communities of Catskill, Kingston, Piermont, or Hudson, New York. Each of these communities participated in the Climate-Adaptive Design studio, a program that links Cornell University graduate and undergraduate students in landscape architecture with flood-risk Hudson Riverfront communities to explore design alternatives for more climate resilient and connected waterfront areas.

"Governor Cuomo prioritizes helping flood-risk communities adapt to extreme weather events while protecting New York's natural resources," Commissioner Seggos said. "This funding will help take new, innovative design concepts such as floodable parks and flood-adapted buildings to the level of an engineered project that can be implemented."

Funding for this grant is provided by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and is administered by DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program in partnership with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) through a Request for Proposals (RFP). Eligible projects must reduce risks from shoreline or stormwater flooding and erosion while enhancing habitat value, which may include options for strategic relocation, resilient waterfront structures and infrastructure, natural and nature-based shoreline design, and stormwater green infrastructure.

Eligible applicants include engineering, landscape architecture, or other relevant consulting firms. Applicants must demonstrate support from the local municipality (village of Catskill, city of Hudson, city of Kingston, or village of Piermont) and the property owner, public or private, for the application. Non-profit organizations may also be project partners.

Susan Sullivan, NEIWPCC Executive Director, said, "NEIWPCC is pleased to be able to assist these communities along the Hudson River shoreline implement innovative climate-adaptive designs to help protect against sea-level rise and flooding resulting from climate change."

The deadline for proposals is April 19, 2019, at 12 noon. The RFP is available on NEIWPCC's website. General information about the RFP can be found on the DEC website.

In the Governor's 2019-20 Executive Budget Proposal, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo sustained the record-high EPF at $300 million for the fourth year in a row, providing funding for open space conservation, parkland stewardship, and other environmental protection projects.

The Hudson River Estuary Program helps people enjoy, protect, and revitalize the Hudson River and its valley. Created in 1987, the program focuses on the tidal Hudson and its adjacent watershed from the dam at Troy to the Verrazano Narrows in New York City.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/press.html