The Town of Wareham is slated to receive a $20,000 federal grant that will help develop and permit engineering plans to treat contaminated storm water runoff that currently discharges into the Wareham River.

The project will treat runoff from two outfalls located in the bulkhead at Besse Park, located off of Main Street in downtown Wareham. The river is currently closed to shellfishing due to pollution caused in part by storm water runoff.

Wareham's grant is one of four totaling $83,460 provided to towns on Buzzards Bay by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The grants are administered through the Mass. Office of Coastal Zone Management through the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program.

“We’re excited to be working with the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program to continue our efforts to improve the water quality through storm water remediation,” said Salvador Pina, director of the town's Community and Economic Development Authority, which secured the grant.

The grant is similar to the one the Authority secured last year to address runoff from Merchants Way, across Sandwich Road from Besse Park, Pina said. He noted that the town is continuing to work with Green Seal Environmental, Inc., in its efforts.

Pina thanked Green Seal Environmental and Russ Kleekamp, vice president of municipal infrastructure for the company, for assistance in writing the grant.

“Storm water remediation is quickly becoming an unfunded mandate, so anything we can do to get outside funding for it is a good thing," Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said in acknowledging the Community and Economic Development Authority's role in obtaining the grant for the town.

Rochester, Fairhaven, and Mattapoisett also received grant funding.

“The Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program works directly with local communities to improve the region’s water quality and habitat, and this year’s grants continue to provide the resources necessary to achieve lasting results,” said Coastal Zone Management Director Bruce Carlisle. “I’d like to recognize the critical support and collaboration that [the Environmental Protection Agency] provides to our National Estuary Programs here in the Commonwealth so that we can continue these efforts.”