The Town of Mattapoisett has been granted $67,800 by the state, to improve preparations for and resilience against coastal storms and climate change impacts.

The Coastal Resilience Grants, whose recipients were announced on Wednesday, August 9, are provided by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs' Office of Coastal Zone Management. Sixteen towns overall were awarded grants ranging from $36,340 (Duxbury) to Kingston ($497,725). The grants totaled over $2.2 million.

According to the press release, Mattapoisett's grant will be used to complete a final design and permitting of recommended improvements to the water main crossing between Pease's Point and Point Connett, to ensure that service and water quality is maintained during storm events.

At a public meeting of Mattapoisett's Water Department in June, Water Department Superintendent Henri Renauld explained that a water pipe at Peases Point needed to be replaced, due to vulnerabilities from age and erosion from tropical storms and hurricanes.

The pipe that the Water Department is planning to replace begins at Peases Point, crosses the beach behind three homes on Beach Road, and comes to connect to a water main at the intersection of Beach Road and Bay Road.

Two options were proposed at the meeting; directionally drill the water main and relocate the pipe away from the beach area, or install a new water main north of Fresh Pond. The group favors the first option, and wants to put a new pipe just north, and nearly parallel, of the current one.

The new pipe would also be buried about twice as deep, close to 10-feet as opposed to the current five or six feet. It would also be lined, both inside and out, and have a lifespan of about 75 years.

The money provided by the Coastal Resilience Grant will be used to create designs and work out final cost estimates.

“Protecting and preparing Massachusetts’ extensive residential and commercial developments, port facilities, habitats and natural resources from changing climate conditions along our coast is a priority for our administration,” said Governor Charlie Baker.

The Coastal Resilience Grant Program provides financial and technical support for local efforts to increase awareness and understanding of climate impacts, plan for changing conditions, redesign vulnerable community facilities and infrastructure and implement measures to increase natural storm damage protection, flood and erosion control and community resilience.