Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Act; Restoring Salt marsh and Estuarine Function in the Narrow and Maidford River drainages, Rhode Island

This award is a Single Source Award to the Nature Conservancy. This announcement is for notification purposes only. This award is issued to provide financial assistance to implement partnership-developed priority projects in Hurricane Sandy disaster areas that will restore environmental resources through collaborative efforts with local communities. The project is expected to improve flood resiliency, restore ecosystem function, enhance the resiliency of saltmarshes to sea level rise, provide enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, and to reduce potentials for flood damage. At the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, evaluation of the Maidford River of site conditions, including but not limited to saltmarsh habitat conditions, drainage, flows, and sediment characterizations, wetland assessment, bathymetry profiles and topographic surveys and modeling to evaluate the feasibility of installing a new road crossing structure on the Maidford River including treatment of beach conditions to allow for continued outflow of the river and to better accommodate flood flows. This will be followed immediately by design, permitting (as required) and construction of the proposed structure(s). At the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge, final planning for dredging and thin layer deposition on saltmarshes will be undertaken, followed by contract issuance, oversight, and execution. Dredging a portion of the Narrow River channel will help reduce excessive buildup of sand in the channel which causes channel braiding and erosion of saltmarshes; and will provide a source of material to place on some marsh surfaces to raise their elevations; will improve marine fisheries habitat, so that the effects of sea level rise on marsh loss can be abated.