Massachusetts Watershed Group Monitoring Grant Program

​In November 2018, the Baker-Polito Administration announced their new Watershed Group Monitoring Grant Program, which supports eligible volunteer watershed groups across the state to conduct baseline monitoring program activities and encourages participation of those groups who wish to build program capacity.  The program is part of a $450,000 investment by MassDEP to support collaborative efforts to improve surface water quality in the Commonwealth’s rivers, streams and waterways.

“The overarching goal of this grant program is to support ongoing monitoring efforts outside the department and enhance the usability of water quality data for MassDEP’s implementation of federal Clean Water Act program requirements. The intent of this grant is to support established watershed groups with existing bacteria monitoring programs, as well as groups who wish to develop their monitoring capacity to include bacteria indicators.”  This program will help increase the availability of bacteria data used to determine the condition of surface waters in Massachusetts.

Environmental Strategies & Management (ES&M) can assist Volunteer Groups with the implementation of their sampling programs, including:

• Compliance with the Massachusetts Inland Volunteer Monitoring General Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) as they implement their sampling program.  
• Completion of the General Quality Assurance Project Plan Adoption Form
• Contracting a laboratory and obtaining data in correct format,
• Submitting data in accordance with the MassDEP-DWM-WPP Data Submittal Template

ES&M’s team of experienced project managers and data managers are here to help.  Please contact Joe Callahan for more information.

Joseph L. Callahan, TURP, CHMM, LSP
Environmental Strategies & Management, Inc.
273 West Main Street, Norton, MA 02766
Office 508-226-1800
jcallahan@esm-inc.com