Diana has announced the Merrimack Valley Stormwater Collaborative has been named a recipient of $145,000 in the Fiscal Year 2014 round of the Community Innovation Challenge (CIC) grant program.
The CIC program, now in its third year, was established in 2012 to incentivize innovative projects at the local level. More than $10 million has been invested into 242 cities and towns across the Commonwealth with the support of the Massachusetts General Court and Executive Office for Administration and Finance.
With the leadership of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commisssion (MVPC), the Town of North Andover, and the cities of Haverhill, Lawrence and Methuen, are among the communities participating in the Stormwater Collaborative, which will explore solutions to the problems associated with untreated stormwater that are low-cost and promote regional cooperation and communication.
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The MVPC, a public, nonprofit organization which represents 15 communities across the Merrimack Valley, has for decades been committed to assisting the area in planning matters on transportation, land use, the environment and economic development. It has joined with local public works and engineering personnel on comprehensive management programs pertaining to stormwater, which, when left untreated, often contains dangerous pollutants and can contaminate local water supplies.
“This grant will prove invaluable in assisting efforts across the Merrimack Valley to address the environmental and health concerns that come with untreated stormwater,” Diana said. “It is an incredibly important initiative and I join my legislative colleagues from the Merrimack Valley in celebrating the awarding of this generous grant.”
