The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, passed by Congress in 2021, authorized funding to improve infrastructure and climate resiliency throughout the United States. Under the legislation, the Long Island Sound Partnership received $21.2 million per year over the next five federal fiscal years (2022 – 2026) to fund local IIJA initiatives specifically targeting Clean Water Infrastructure, Healthy Ecosystems, and Strong Communities. A total of 16 grants have been awarded to state agencies and organizations. Some of these awards have helped to support grant programs, which has resulted in more than 85 projects through subawards to date. Below is a list of how the funds are being spent.
Project Organizer: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Cumulative Grants Amount: $13,900,000
NYSDEC will expand an existing program to provide financial assistance to homeowners across Suffolk and Nassau Counties to upgrade old septic systems. Updated septic systems can reduce the amount of nitrogen in the effluent by half, which will reduce nitrogen concentrations in groundwater and ultimately nitrogen pollution to Long Island Sound. To date, NYSDEC has used IIJA funds to support five septic system replacements in Nassau County.
Project Organizer: Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEEP)Grant Amount: $2,833,284
CT DEEP’s new water quality monitoring boat, the Research Vessel Sound Outlook, was delivered in June 2026. The vessel was built by Brix Marine from Port Angeles, Washington. It is a catamaran style vessel with a 44–foot-long, 16-foot-wide aluminum hull, and has a laboratory space three times the size of Research Vessel John Dempsey, the previous boat used. The RV Outlook includes modern amenities like special laboratory refrigerators to store water samples, and computer desks to allow continuous measurements of water quality while conducting water quality sampling.
Project Organizer: New York State Department of Environmental ConservationCumulative Grants Amount: $13,900,000
NYSDEC has expanded its competitive grant program to fund projects that help improve the water quality of the Long Island Sound. To date, NYSDEC has selected North Shore Land Alliance to receive IIJA funds to purchase more than four acres of land within Oyster Bay Cove, provided funds to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Bronx River Combined Sewer Overflow wastewater reduction project, and provided funding to the Port Washington wastewater treatment and Combined Sewer Overflow upgrades project. NYSDEC will continue to utilize IIJA funding in future rounds of the WQIP Request for Proposals.
Project Organizer: NYSDECGrant Amount: $15,849,000
NYSDEC is acquiring properties within the Long Island Sound watershed, expanding existing habitat conservation areas. Conserving these properties will improve coastal water quality and preserve habitat for wildlife. To date, NYSDEC has acquired two properties, including additions to the Conscience Bay-Little Bay Tidal Wetland Area in Setauket, Suffolk County, and is currently working on pursuing additional acquisitions.
Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $300,000
CT DEEP will develop a plan to remove a defunct dam from Pequabuck River and mitigate contaminated sediment behind the dam in Bristol, CT, restoring 8.5 miles of free-flowing river for fish passage and removing contaminated sediment that has accumulated behind the dam. Additional collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Transportation is ongoing to restore further sections of the river.
Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $250,000
CT DEEP and partners removed a defunct dam from the Norwalk River located in Wilton, CT, reopening nearly 10 miles of river for fish passage. Vital ecosystems and habitat around the river, as well as historic spawning grounds were restored during the process.
Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $150,000
CT DEEP had designs engineered to construct a Denali Steep-pass fishway at Shewville Dam in Ledyard, CT. The installation will allow for restoration of migratory fish runs and connectivity for species such as alewife, allowing them to return to upstream habitats while planning for removal of Shewville Dam.
CT DEEP aims to expand the restoration effort of 82 acres of degraded saltmarsh in the Bride Brook estuary, located in Rocky Neck State Park, East Lyme, Connecticut. The restoration will involve removing a tidal restriction to allow full tidal flushing and dredging approximately 4,200 cubic yards of material from Bride Brook. The dredged material will be used to raise the elevation of the adjacent marsh to test the efficacy of Thin Layer Deposition (TLD) as a restoration tool. The project will restore critical habitats for fish and bird species and enhance the resilience of the marsh against sea level rise. This funding, which will be directed towards the purchase of vegetation plugs and soil amendment (crushed concrete), will supplement the dredging activities required to complete the testing of TLD as a restoration tool.
Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $7,800.000
CT DEEP awarded a total of over $7.8 million to 18 Connecticut municipalities and non-profits focused on improving water quality, enhancing ecosystem resilience, and improving fish passage. These innovative projects will protect and restore valuable coastal marsh habitat, remove impediments to migratory fish passage, and advance innovative green stormwater infrastructure – advancing a shared goal of protecting and improving the health of the Sound that provides ecosystem, recreation, and economic benefits to the citizens of Connecticut. More information on the projects selected here: CT DEEP LIS Ecosystem Grants
Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $61,180
CT DEEP contracted work to implement stormwater best management practives at Chatfield Hollow State Park in Killingworth, CT, where Schreeder Pond historically has had numerous beach closures due to high bacteria levels. The focus of this project will be to identify locations of concern for stormwater and implement stormwater BMPs to mitigate these effects and improve water quality and public safety to Chatfield Hollow.
Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $618,000
CT DEEP will facilitate the design of habitat restoration and living shoreline projects at Hammonasset Beach State Park. This project is intended to secure contractual services of a qualified project contractor (e.g., environmental management, engineering and/or construction organization) to develop designs for living shoreline, culvert work, and related tasks. These related tasks shall include, but are not limited to: conducting wind, wave, and sediment transport analyses to understand the underlying causes of erosion along the eastern shoreline of Hammonasset; conducting hydraulic and hydrologic modelling for the tidal marsh areas surrounding three culverts if additional funds remain; and assessing the viability and functionality of the culverts at Hammonasset to accommodate future sea level rise.
Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $600,438
CT DEEP will hire Save the Sound to oversee the completion of the conceptual design phase and 30 percent engineering plans for the coastal resiliency restoration project to restore and protect the Ash Creek tidal estuary. The Barrier Spit, Great Marsh Island, and Little Marsh Island areas of Ash Creek are at significant risk of further degradation as a result of storms and tides. Ash Creek tidal estuary will be rehabilitated by utilizing a range of nature‐based solutions including, but not limited to; grading, habitat restoration, and installation of rock sill living shorelines.
Project Organizer: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)Cumulative Grants Amount: $21,100,000
MassDEP is providing financial assistance to municipalities in Massachusetts that are part of the Long Island Sound watershed to complete (or plan for) nitrogen-reduction upgrades to wastewater treatment plants. To date, MassDEP has funded work in Chicopee, Gardner and Pittsfield and currently has a grant competition underway to distribute ~$7,200,000 supporting additional work to reduce nitrogen discharging from Massachusetts facilities into the Long Island Sound watershed.
Project Organizer: Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE)Cumulative Grants amount: $10,998,378
The Long Island Sound Community Impact Fund (LISCIF) provides technical and financial assistance to communities for addressing environmental issues and to improve the quality and accessibility of the Long Island Sound. Since LISCIF’s inception, RAE has distributed approximately $4.2 million across three competitions for community-led projects in Connecticut and New York. There are two more rounds of competitive funding that will be administered in 2027 and 2028 in addition to several free virtual and in-person training opportunities RAE coordinates for local organizations and municipalities (even those that do not submit proposals for funding).
Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $62,632
CT DEEP will lead the hiring of seasonal staff to provide language support to the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) survey managed by a partnership NOAA, coastal States and members of fisheries council’s representative of the local regions. This project is not the survey itself but rather the translation for including non-English speaking participants. Eliminating language barriers helps improve the accuracy of data collected from the MRIP’s annual recreational fishing surveys at public fishing access sites. Among other purposes, the data improves setting catch limits and supports the longevity and health of fish stocks in Long Island Sound for generations to come.
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Project Organizer: CT DEEPGrant Amount: $241,185
CT DEEP plans to evaluate the coastal resiliency benefits to the critical recreational assets at Hammonasset State Park of the existing Meigs Point groin, proposed improvements to the groin, and the opportunity for the existing or improved groin to support an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant fishing pier. The increased public recreational opportunities, improved ADA compliant access to coastal natural resources, exposure to vibrant and healthy ecosystems, and enhanced environmental education opportunities will be met with the Meigs ADA boardwalk and fishing pier project.
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