Hudson RiverNet
News from the Hudson River Estuary Program

Funding for Climate Resilience and Watershed Connectivity Projects

DEC has announced $349,922 in contract awards for three projects to help Hudson River communities improve climate resiliency, mitigate localized flooding, and restore stream habitats. Funding for the projects is provided by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and is administered by DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program in partnership with NEIWPCC.

Two Climate-Adaptive Design projects will create designs and conceptional engineering plans for climate resilient and connected waterfronts in the City of Hudson, and the Village and Town of Ossining. A project to improve stream habitats and road infrastructure will develop municipal management plans for road-stream crossings and dams within the Towns of Red Hook and Milan. The following projects were awarded:

City of Hudson Climate-Adaptive Design
A $125,000 contract was awarded to Hudson Valley Collaborative for a project in the City of Hudson that will use a nature-based approach to protecting shoreline and tidal wetlands from sea-level rise, while maintaining active recreation and cultural activities. Hudson Valley Collaborative will engage a diverse group of stakeholders to seek community consensus on the design, which will prioritize ecological solutions that restore the intertidal marshland, as well as the access points for public boat docks and launches.

Ossining Shoreline Revitalization and Community Connectivity Improvements
A $125,000 contract was awarded to Henningson, Durham and Richardson Architecture and Engineering, P.C. (HDR) for a living shoreline project at the Henry Gourdine and Louis Engel Waterfront Parks in Ossining. An inclusive stakeholder engagement process will be used to provide input on specific design elements such as eco-friendly reefballs or similar elements to stabilize the shoreline and create fish habitat to promote recreational fishing opportunities.

Restoration of Watershed Connectivity and Improved Road Infrastructure
T&B Engineering and Landscaping Architecture, P.C. was awarded a $99,922 contract to develop municipal management plans for road-stream crossings and dams within the towns of Red Hook and Milan in Dutchess County. The project will improve water quality, reduce flood risks, and reconnect habitat for migratory and resident fish in the Hudson River Estuary. The plans will include all crossings in both towns. The project will include outreach and collaboration with each town and community to produce a municipal management plan for both Red Hook and Milan including a documented inventory, prioritization of the inventory, and conceptual designs for the top three priority crossings for each municipality.