Environment

SNEP Network Projects

Advancing regional resilience through community trainings and technical assistance.

What is the SNEP Network?

The SNEP Network is a collaboration of local environmental organizations, academic institutions, regional planners, and consultants working to improve community resilience across Southern New England. In partnership with the Southern New England Program (SNEP), SNEP Network partners work collaboratively to provide municipalities, tribes and organizations access to free training and technical assistance to advance stormwater management and ecological restoration goals.

The Network's mission is to empower communities to achieve healthy watersheds, sustainable financing and long-term climate resilience through management of stormwater and restoration projects. We focus on strengthening and building community capacity at the local level to move towards implementation, financing and the creation of sustainable revenue streams.

SRPEDD has been a SNEP Network partner since 2022. In collaboration with other partners, we are supporting communities in our region in the following key areas: providing ongoing trainings, developing planning resources, and completing targeted technical assistance projects.

Trainings and Resources

Climate Resilient Bylaw Review Training

Is your community climate resilient? Outdated bylaws (or ordinances) and regulations may be preventing you from implementing win-win nature-based climate solutions. Recorded sessions and in person trainings will walk you through how to review your bylaws for resilience.

Learn More

Buffer Restoration Guide

Plants growing along the banks of a waterbody play an important role removing pollutants from runoff. This online toolkit recommends altered landscaping practices and restoration strategies to improve water quality. With SNEP Network partners, we worked with the Town of Middleborough to design buffer restoration renderings at the site of a former DPW facility on the Nemasket River, which are featured under the "Proposed Projects" section of the guide.

Access the guide

Bylaw Review Tool & Storymap

Local land use planning can ensure ongoing development does not impact your community's capacity to adapt to future climate impacts. This Storymap will walk you through how to use an excel-based tool to review your local regulatory framework and identify opportunities to enable resilience.

Explore the storymap

Nature Based Solutions Storymap

A Storymap was created for stakeholders in the Canoe River Aquifer (see Community Technical Assistance Project, below) to communicate how nature based solutions (NBS) can protect water resources to the public. It explains what NBS are with examples and the associated benefits, and is applicable to anyone advocating for this resilience strategy in their community.

Explore the storymap

NBS Case studies & resources

Explore additional trainings and resources offered by the SNEP Network:

Access recorded webinars & trainings

View upcoming training schedule

Explore SNEP Network Resources

Community Technical Assistance

Canoe River Aquifer Resilience

SRPEDD and partners are working with the 5 communities that rely on the Canoe River Sole Source Aquifer to advance nature based solutions that will improve community resilience to climate change impacts. A set of priority projects have been identified with the project steering committee. We are now working directly with the communities to advance top priority projects.

Learn more and explore the project map

Buttonwood Brook Urban Watershed Mapping (New Bedford & Dartmouth)

Stormwater conveyance systems in urbanized areas may disrupt natural drainage flows, but targeting treatment interventions requires an understanding of where your stormwater is coming from. As part of an ongoing project spearheaded by the Buzzards Bay Coalition (BBC) to improve water quality in Buttonwood Brook, the SNEP Network is providing consulting services to delineate drainage areas and estimate relative pollutant contributions for several stormwater outfalls along the brook. BBC will use the results to prioritize stormwater treatment retrofits with the watershed communities.

Learn more about BBC's project

Marion Stormwater Planning

SPREDD staff are supporting the Town of Marion as they embark on a facilitated stormwater planning series with other communities in the region. The SNEP Network is providing in-depth training on implementing nature-based stormwater management systems, and guiding the community through the development of concept designs for retrofit options for a treatment system on Spragues Cove.

Learn More about the training

Explore Marion's Journey

Completed Project: Upper Nemasket H&H Study

As part of ongoing watershed planning and improvements taking place in the communities surrounding the Assawompset Ponds Complex and Nemasket River Watersheds, the SNEP Network provided consulting services to better understand how water flows through the system. Horsley Witten Group prepared a model of the Upper Nemasket River in order to evaluate potential flow improvements achieved through a set of potential management interventions.

ACCESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Communities within the SNEP region can request technical assistance related to stormwater/watershed management, ecological restoration, climate resilience or sustainable financing for any of the above, through and online portal.

Access the Technical Assistance Portal

For larger technical support requests, the Network releases an annual Solicitation for Community Assistance Projects. Municipalities, tribes and non-profits in the SNEP Region can apply for free in-depth technical assistance to advance stormwater management, ecological restoration, sustainable financing, and climate resilience.

The Round III Community Assistance Project Solicitation is now closed.

Learn more about Community Assistance Projects