Maryland Awards Climate Resilience Grants to 12 Communities

Funds Support Planning and Design of Green Infrastructure Solution

Deal Island’s living shoreline and marsh enhancement work was supported by a 2021 climate resilience grant. Photo by Nicole Carlozo, Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the award of more than $2 million to 12 climate resilience projects to help communities prepare for, and recover from, climate-related impacts. These competitive grants are designed to help communities plan and design solutions to withstand flooding and other weather-related events. 

The projects selected will identify and prioritize vulnerable communities, incorporate climate change data and information into existing plans and policies, and develop nature-based or natural solutions to control flooding. Funding is provided by Governor Hogan’s Resiliency Through Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Grant funding is awarded for Fiscal Year 2023 to the following local governments and community partners:

• Arundel Rivers Federation – Construct a 600 linear foot living shoreline with dunal and headland features to protect the entrance of Mayo Beach Park in Anne Arundel County from erosion and flooding.

• Calvert County – Support the development of a model using the most recent climate data to demonstrate the increasing precipitation-induced flood risks for Calvert County and inform stormwater management design.

• Town of Charlestown – Develop a Watershed Master Plan that forecasts flood vulnerabilities for a range of extreme precipitation events for current and future land use scenarios.

• Town of Chevy Chase View – Study sources and locations of stormwater flooding and identify options, including green infrastructure approaches, to reduce flood risk.

• Church of the Guardian Angel (Baltimore City) – Design stormwater practices and develop concept designs for replacing impervious surfaces with green infrastructure and reducing strain on a Baltimore City community alley stormwater drain.

• Town of Highland Beach – Design a 600 linear foot living shoreline with breakwater and tombolo features to reduce shoreline erosion and flooding impacts to town infrastructure in Anne Arundel County.

• Maryland Coastal Bays Program – Construct a stream restoration project to protect a Worcester County road from storm damage and enhance fish passage, and design of a living shoreline along eroding fragmented islands to protect the Ocean Pines and Osprey Point communities and recreational boating infrastructure from storm impacts.

• City of Rockville – Support the development of a Flood Resiliency Master Plan.

• City of Salisbury – Develop a master plan for North Prong Park.
• Town of St. Michaels – Support the development of the San Domingo Creek Stormwater and Harbor Infrastructure Assessment and Floodplain Mitigation Study and the West Harbor Road and East Chew Avenue engineering and design project.

Applications for this funding is accessed through the DNR Grants Gateway to provide a single entry point for grantees, and assures access to funding for innovative, local projects. Through the improved connections across similar grant programs, the department seeks to support more comprehensive and integrated projects that achieve at least one of the following outcomes: fostering healthy ecosystems, building resiliency, or providing outdoor learning experiences.