Grant to help Newport study sea-level threat

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Newport has been awarded a $75,000 grant to help study the threat of rising sea levels and protect flood-prone areas of the city.

City Manager Jane Howington tells The Newport Daily News (http://bit.ly/ZXzLuF) the money is coming from the van Beuren Charitable Foundation. She says the city also is applying for a matching grant from the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.

The University of Rhode Island’s Sea Grant program says data from the Newport tidal gauge shows the sea level has risen about eight inches in the past 100 years. The program says it’s likely to rise another foot in the next 20 to 50 years.

Howington says the grant money can be used for public education, identifying threatened areas and for projects such as improving drainage systems.

___

Information from: The Newport Daily News.

Related Content