GZA helps 6 MA communities win critical dam and seawall funding

NORWOOD, Mass., August 24, 2021--GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. (GZA), a leading multi-disciplinary firm providing ecological, geotechnical, environmental, water, and construction management services, today congratulated the Massachusetts municipalities of Chicopee, Essex, Gloucester, Leominster, Salem, and Springfield on grant awards received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for critically needed dam and coastal infrastructure repairs.

The communities, which were assisted by consultants and engineers from GZA’s Amesbury and Springfield offices, are among 28 cities and towns across the Commonwealth being awarded $17 million by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Dam, Levee and Seawall Program to repair dams, seawalls, and other critical water infrastructure.

GZA CEO Patrick Sheehan said, “The cost and challenges of maintaining critical infrastructure of all kinds continue to rise for cities and towns across Massachusetts. GZA was pleased to work with municipal officials to assist them in identifying grant opportunities ,provide the engineering and cost analysis to secure funding, and advance these critically important climate resilience projects through permitting and design or into final construction.’’

Grants received by GZA clients include:

· City of Chicopee, Plainfield Street Flood Control System design and permitting: $126,000

· Town of Essex, Conomo Point Seawall Replacement Project construction: $1,739,915

· City of Gloucester, Gloucester High School Flood Mitigation Barrier construction: $2,379,000

· City of Leominster, Colburn Pond Dam at Barrett Park design and permitting: $163,500

· City of Salem, Columbus Avenue Seawall Reconstruction Project construction: $952,605

· City of Springfield, Upper Van Horn Reservoir Dam Improvements design and permitting: $249,975

Dam safety engineering and coastal and riverine flood protection infrastructure have been two of GZA’s core disciplines for more than three decades. The company has been involved in designing, constructing, inspecting, and performing seismic evaluations of more than 1,000 dams through the United States, ranging from hydropower dams regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), to former mill pond dams, levee systems, and high-hazard water supply dams. GZA professionals are actively participating in leading professional societies and associations such as the Association of State Floodplain Managers, American Shore & Beach Preservation Association, Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO), US Society on Dams (USSD), and National Hydropower Association (NHA).

GZA’s coastal infrastructure expertise includes designing the first offshore wind development port in the United States, innovative “living shoreline” climate mitigation projects in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, and dozens of port, marina, beach nourishment, and structural coastal protection projects nationally. The company’s waterfront and coastal practice includes planners, landscape architects, ocean and coastal engineers, civil, geotechnical and structural engineers, oceanographers, meteorologists, ecologists and natural resource specialists, and hydrographers.

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About GZA

GZA is a multi-disciplinary, employee-owned firm providing Geotechnical, Environmental, Ecological, Water, and Construction Management services. GZA’s more than 700 professionals are based in 30 offices in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Great Lakes States. Our corporate headquarters is at 249 Vanderbilt Avenue, Norwood, MA 02062. For additional information, please call Angela Cincotta, Chief of Marketing and Communications at 781-278-5777.