Norwalk Receives Grant For Costal Resiliency Project

NORWALK, CT — State officials announced Thursday three Connecticut costal resiliency projects have been selected to receive grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, including a Norwalk project.

The grants, totaling more than $2 million, were announced in a news release by U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Jim Himes.

The grants were awarded through the National Coastal Resiliency Fund, which received $492 million in funding over five years from Congress through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

The National Coastal Resiliency Fund awarded grants to the following projects:

• $283,000 to the city of Norwalk to create a city-wide flood resilience plan and provide a framework of nature-based solutions to improve community resilience and enhance coastal habitat.
• $1.2 million for the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection to expand the state’s nature-based resilience capacity.
• $658,000 for the city of West Haven to conduct analysis and targeted public engagement to identify nature-based solutions along the Cove River.

"Connecticut’s shoreline is vital to the economic success and identity of our state, but climate change presents an increasingly dangerous threat to our coastal communities," Murphy said in a news release. "Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can now fund projects that will ensure those communities are safe and resilient, and the shoreline remains an asset for Connecticut for generations to come."

Blumenthal noted Connecticut’s shoreline communities must be prepared and equipped to withstand extreme weather and the ever-growing threat of climate change.

"I am proud to have fought for these investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to preserve and enhance our state’s coastal habitats and reduce the impacts of flooding and erosion," Blumenthal said in a news release "These critical projects will make our communities stronger and help protect them from the devastating impacts of climate change."

"With global warming an ever increasing crisis, coastal resiliency projects are vital to protecting families, natural resources, and animals in Connecticut," DeLauro said in a news release. "In Connecticut’s Third Congressional District, I am proud to see the City of West Haven awarded a grant for Assessing Nature-Based Solutions to Mitigate Flood Impacts along the Cove River (CT). The Cove River connects several regions in Connecticut and requires us to address the threat of floods with real solutions – it is a valuable component of our community. These grants are welcome and will help move our work forward to safeguard our waters and strengthen flood mitigation capabilities here in Connecticut."

"The past Congress has been the most effective ever in addressing climate change," Himes said in a news release, "and these grants, powered by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, are a prime example of how recent legislation is making our towns and cities safer and more sustainable. Communities along Connecticut’s coast have felt firsthand the devastating effects of natural disasters, and I am excited and relieved that they will be receiving this federal funding to better prepare for the future."