Projects will manage flooding, improve water quality, upgrade parks, and expand tree cover
Arlington, MA, February 10, 2026 — The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) is pleased to announce that six Mystic River watershed communities – Arlington, Chelsea, Everett, Lexington, Melrose, and Stoneham – as well as longtime MyRWA partner, Eastie Farm, received a total of $6,525,000 in federal Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending from Fiscal Year 2026 federal spending bills to support projects that will help manage flooding, provide access to green space, improve water quality, expand tree cover, and empower youth in the Mystic River watershed.
“MyRWA has long been committed to working toward a watershed free of pollution and full of nature so that all of our community members have access to safe and vibrant outdoor spaces and waterways,” says Patrick Herron, Executive Director. “We can’t make this vision a reality without the hard work and ingenuity of our cities, towns, and community-based partners and the support of our state and federal legislators. We are so grateful to Whip Clark, Representative Pressley, Senators Markey and Warren, and the rest of the Massachusetts congressional delegation for their dedication to this important work.”
From Democratic Whip Katherine Clark’s Press Release:
“Families in Massachusetts deserve a cleaner, healthier, and safer future – this critical funding will help us meet that mark,” said Democratic Whip Clark. “I’m grateful for the partnership of our state and local leaders who helped to identify opportunities to advance our Commonwealth’s climate readiness and construct new, welcoming community gathering spaces for our neighbors. Thanks to their collaboration, we are meeting needs here at home.”
“The Community Project Funding process is a chance to put federal dollars directly to work in our communities, and these ten projects are proof of the impact community-led funding requests can have for communities across the 7th,” said Representative Pressley. “The dollars invested and the partnerships forged through the CPF process make a difference in strengthening our climate resilience, creating pathways to careers and generational wealth building, updating critical clean water infrastructure, and more. I’m proud to have secured these critical investments in our most valuable infrastructure—our people—and continue building the more safe, healthy, and equitable district our communities demand and deserve.”
“I’m proud to have worked with the entire Massachusetts delegation to secure over $92 million in funding this year for projects that will make our water cleaner, our environment healthier, our workforce stronger, and expand justice in our communities,” said Senator Markey. “From Provincetown to Williamstown, from Chelsea to Chicopee, it’s critical that we bring federal resources to our communities to make life better for everyone who calls the Bay State home.”
“I fought hard to secure this $30 million in funding because Massachusetts families deserve safer roads and flood infrastructure, cleaner water, a strong fishing economy, and programs that protect our youth. This funding will also preserve Massachusetts’ leadership in cutting edge research. I’m grateful for our Massachusetts leaders’ partnership in securing this funding,” said Senator Warren.
The Town of Arlington was awarded $1,092,000 toward small-scale, cost-effective installations that manage stormwater pollution regionally across the Mystic River watershed. These green infrastructure solutions, selected from a full palette of options, include infiltration trenches, tree trenches, rain gardens, and other green infrastructure Best Management Practices.
The City of Chelsea was awarded $850,000 to support the planned acquisition and transformation of the Forbes site on Chelsea Creek into an affordable housing and waterfront park in partnership with GreenRoots, The Neighborhood Developers, and Mass Audubon, as well as to develop long-term resilience strategies for affordable housing along upper Mill Creek.
The City of Everett was awarded $850,000 toward the construction of a boardwalk in Gateway Park near the confluence of the Mystic and Malden Rivers. The new boardwalk would bring people closer to the Malden River and the riverbank. It accompanies ongoing efforts to improve the park, including planting more trees, shrubs, and perennials to provide habitat for birds, bees, and other pollinators, as well as a stream and wetland restoration and stormwater improvements to improve water quality and provide storage during large rainstorms.
The Town of Lexington was awarded $1,000,000 to improve urban tree canopy in Mystic River Watershed communities. This project is responsive to resident input received during a robust, multi-year community engagement initiative (Wicked Cool Mystic), finding that residents place a high priority on planting trees to cool down their neighborhoods. It will ensure that our communities have best practices (i.e. canopy inventory, management plans) in place with the capacity to take action to manage the urban canopy in dangerously hot neighborhoods.
The City of Melrose, a member of MyRWA’s Stormwater Collaborative, was awarded $852,500 to install green infrastructure to reduce flooding and improve water quality at Melrose City Hall.
The Town of Stoneham was awarded $850,000 to restore wetlands abutting Stoneham High School, providing accessible trails and opportunities for environmental education. The project was identified as a priority by the Resilient Mystic Collaborative’s Stormwater Working Group to help manage local flooding and flood damage, while contributing to regional flood risk reduction.
Eastie Farm considers the empowerment of youth critical towards climate action. They were awarded $1,031,000 to develop young leaders through a workforce preparedness fellowship. Participating fellows will be trained in coastal resilience, the building of food systems, renewable energy operations, regenerative agriculture, and other varied pathways toward green careers.
MyRWA is excited to work closely with our partners to advance these projects and push for a brighter, cleaner, more resilient future in the Mystic.
