DEEP Awards Willimantic Dam Project A Major Grant

WILLIMANTIC, CT — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Thursday today announced that a project at the Willimantic Dam is among the recipients of the second round of grants from the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund.

That is the agency’s "one-stop shop" for resilience funding.

Through this round, DEEP is awarding $5.1 million to 14 municipalities, regional entities and non-profits to support projects that will proactively protect homes, businesses, and critical community lifelines from worsening floods, extreme heat and wind, and other natural hazards.

Windham Water Works is to get – $415,000 to finalize design and seek funding for climate-informed improvements to the Willimantic Dam, including flood-proofing the water intake and pump station, to protect the water supply of a "rural community."

The DCRF supports projects that protect communities by providing grants for planning, design, and matching funds for construction. The investments in community resilience help Connecticut minimize recovery costs from extreme weather events while maximizing the amount of federal funds coming to the state, officials said. For this second round, DEEP received 52 applications requesting $39.5 million in total. As additional funding becomes available, DEEP may consider making additional awards for high-scoring projects from this applicant pool on a rolling basis.

"As Connecticut faces another summer of potentially historic extreme weather, the importance of investing in proactive resilience measures is clearer than ever," DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. "DEEP announced the first awards from the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund in 2023 to provide funding for communities to create project pipelines for resilience. With this next round of funding under an expanded program, we are excited to meet communities where they are, to help them identify their risks, and design and develop successfully projects that can mitigate those risksWe are particularly pleased to see funding in this round for construction projects that will build resilience across Connecticut."