$3.8 million in federal funding is being made available to Connecticut to help protect the Long Island Sound and the waterways that feed the Sound.  About half of the money will go toward 16 projects. 

One project will facilitate the building of green infrastructures Brookfield.  Long Island Sound Futures Fund Grant Funds of $24,299, matching funds from Brookfield of $13,150 mean a Total Conservation Impact of $37,458.  The Brookfield Public Works will develop design plans and secure permits for a green infrastructure stormwater retrofit at the public works facility in Brookfield.  The town is working on Still River Watershed Plan Implementation.

Another project will reduce pollution in Newtown’s Pootatuck River watershed.   Long Island Sound Futures Fund Grant Funds of $29,216, matching funds from Newtown of $15,717 mean a Total Conservation Impact of $44,933.  The town will develop a watershed plan for the Pootatuck watershed to reduce water pollution in the Pootatuck River Basin of Long Island Sound.  

One project will monitor water quality in nine waterways in the Norwalk River watershed.  Earthplace – The Nature Discovery Center will conduct water quality monitoring to help improve nine waterways affected by pollution in Fairfield County

The grant is made possible through combined funds from the EPA, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and will reach more than 670,000 residents, in Connecticut and elsewhere, through environmental education programs and conservation projects. 

The funds will result in treating 5.4 million gallons of stormwater, installing 23,000 square feet of green infrastructure and preventing 3,000 pounds of nitrogen from entering the Sound. Projects will also open 3.7 river miles and restore 108 acres of coastal habitat for fish and wildlife.