DEEP Grant Targeting Aquatic Invasive Species Cleanup In Vernon

VERNON, CT — Several bodies of water in Vernon are to benefit from thew Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's inaugural round of grant funding through the Aquatic Invasive Species Grant Program.

The awards were announced Tuesday. A total of $360,000 is going to 21 projects to reduce impacts of aquatic invasive species on inland waters in Connecticut.

For Vernon, a total of $14,061 has been designated for the Tankerhoosen River, tributaries in Dobsonville and Talcottville, Valley falls Pond, Walker Reservoir East, and the Papermill Ponds.

A total of $24,910 has ben designated for aquatic invasive plant management for Middle and Lower Bolton Lakes.

The Aquatic Invasive Species Grant Program was made possible in 2019 when the Connecticut General Assembly established an Aquatic Invasive Species Stamp fee (Public Act 19-190) applied to all registered boats using Connecticut waters, to provide a dedicated funding source for the “Connecticut Lakes, Rivers and Ponds Preservation Account."

The account funds programs designed to protect the state's lakes, ponds and rivers by addressing aquatic invasive species and cyanobacteria blooms.

DEEP officials said that aquatic invasive species, such as Zebra mussels and Hydrilla, are considered a serious threat to the state's inland aquatic ecosystems. They negatively impact native plants and animals, they are extremely costly to control, and the dense mats formed by invasive plants make boating, fishing, and swimming difficult. This has a direct impact on both the quality of outdoor recreation in Connecticut, and the state’s outdoor recreation economy, of which boating and fishing are the largest contributors.

For the first round of funding, DEEP had a total of $360,000 to award for eligible control, research and education and outreach projects. The maximum grant award was $50,000. Requests for larger grants (up to $75,000) were considered, but only for exceptional and well-justified proposals. Matching funds were required and had to equal or exceed 25 percent of the total amount of funding received from DEEP under the grant program.

Municipalities, state agencies (including state colleges and universities), and not-for-profit organizations were eligible to receive grants through the program.

The DEEP received a total of 46 project applications requesting funding. Of those, 21 projects were selected for funding based on our criteria.