Town gets grant to improve Stony Brook culverts

The town has received a state grant of $149,000 to collect field data preparatory to replacing three undersized culverts on Lincoln Road, Pierce Hill Road, and Tower Road over Stony Brook.

The Lincoln appropriation is part of a $2.9 funding package provided by the Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration to 21 towns with the goal of strengthening resilience against extreme weather events, improve water quality, reduce flood risks, and restore crucial wildlife habitat.  

“Massachusetts has over 25,000 culverts, most of which are undersized. By replacing these outdated culverts with larger, safer structures, we can better prepare our communities for severe weather,” Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said in a statement. “Investing in these projects now will save our cities and towns money on disaster recovery in the future.” 

The existing Stony Brook culverts also act as barriers to fish passage, and larger culverts would reconnect 2.3 miles of the brook’s cold-water fishery and state-designated Outstanding Resource Water, enhancing wildlife populations in important wooded wetlands, Conservation Director Michelle Grzenda said. Certain stretches of the brook have been known to provide habitat for trout, and historical surveys have documented additional species including bluegill and American eel, she added.

The Lincoln Road crossing features a stone box culvert of undetermined age, while the Pierce Hill and Tower Road crossings have corrugated metal pipe culverts showing evidence of erosion. All three structures are undersized by current engineering standards and function as barriers to aquatic organism passage, Grzenda said.

“We’re very excited to have received this grant award,” she said. “I also want to gratefully acknowledge the Charles River Watershed Association for their invaluable assistance in the grant application process, which made this important watershed restoration initiative possible.”