UPDATED: Four months after the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) released its draft plan to address decades of stormwater pollution, Arlington has received more than a million dollars in federal funding to purchase green infrastructure.
In a statement released Feb. 12 , the town announced it was granted $1,092,000 through the federal Community Project Funding/ Congressional Directed Spending process for fiscal year 2026 to tackle pollution in the watershed.
The spending bill amassed a total of $6,525,000 distributed to Arlington, Chelsea, Everett, Lexington, Melrose, Stoneham and longtime MyRWA partner, Eastie Farm.
According to the release, the funding will be utilized to purchase green infrastructure designed to absorb and filter stormwater, such as infiltration trenches, tree trenches and rain gardens.
“Stormwater pollution is a significant challenge for our waterways, leading to water quality issues, harming aquatic life, and even impacting recreational activities,” said Arlington Town Manager Jim Feeney. “Implementing green infrastructure helps to mitigate these problems.”
Arlington’s Mill and Alewife brooks are part of the Mystic River Watershed, the latter of which has the largest untreated CSO discharges in any river or stream in Greater Boston.
According to the recent town release, the federal funds will invest into identifying properties that will be ideal for these green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) installations.
Though nothing has been disclosed yet in terms of which specific installations are part of Arlington’s mitigation plans, or where they will be installed, many GSI systems require properties where soils drain well and aren’t near high groundwater tables, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
In fiscal year 2025, Arlington received $950,000 from the federal funding for the same purposes.
This story was published on Feb. 17, 2026.
