December 2025

The Resilience Roundup highlights announcements and events along with links to the previous month's state, regional, and national resilience news. 

Learn more about CIRCA at circa.uconn.edu

and the Resilient Connecticut Project at resilientconnecticut.uconn.edu

CIRCA Summit Materials Now Available

CIRCA held its annual Resilient Connecticut Summit on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Branford House at UConn Avery Point Campus in Groton, CT. The summit — titled “Resilient Connecticut: Weathering Change — Building Connecticut’s Resilient Future” — brought together state and local leaders, researchers, and practitioners to share strategies for statewide climate resilience. Materials from the event, including slides and recordings, are now available online HERE.  

Final Piper and Webster Brook Report Available 

CIRCA, in collaboration with SLR Consulting, has released the Final Resilient Piper and Webster Brook Report, completing resilience planning efforts for Newington, New Britain, and Berlin. The report identifies flood vulnerabilities along the Piper and Webster Brook Corridors, evaluates adaptation strategies, and provides actionable recommendations for the three municipalities. The report includes modeling outputs, community engagement insights, and funding pathways to support the implementation of resilience projects. To view the full report, click HERE. 

CIRCA Presents at the Connecticut Association of Flood Managers (CAFM) Conference 

Nicole Govert and Mary Buchanan presented at the 2025 CAFM Conference, sharing updates on the Resilient Connecticut program and highlighting two projects: Resilient Piper and Webster Brooks and Resilient Jewett City. The presentation highlighted CIRCA’s collaboration with communities to reduce flood risk through data-driven planning and resilience strategies. John Truscinski, CIRCA’s Director of Resiliency Planning, also participated in a panel at the conference on the implementation of Public Act 25-33, offering insight into what the new requirements mean for towns in the years ahead. For conference details, view the CAFM website HERE.  

CIRCA Presents at the CACIWAC Annual Conference

CIRCA contributed two presentations at this year’s CACIWAC Conference, which supports Connecticut’s Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissioners through ongoing education and resources. Professor James O’Donnell presented on the challenges of climate modeling for predicting localized impacts, noting strong confidence in sea level rise projections but continued uncertainty around precipitation patterns. He emphasized that warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers—punctuated by intense localized storms—will shape future vulnerabilities.  CIRCA’s Louanne Cooley and Kayla Vargas also presented on how natural and manmade factors influence stream dynamics, with a focus on beaver management, riparian corridors, and culvert constraints. Their session highlighted how towns can enhance climate resilience by understanding flood-prone waterways and integrating nature-based solutions with updated infrastructure planning. For conference details, view the CACIWAC website HERE. 

Announcements

Governor Lamont Announces $7.5 Million in Grants Awarded to 18 Municipalities and Regional Organizations To Support Sustainable Waste Reduction

Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes today announced that the Lamont administration is awarding $7.5 million in grants to 18 municipalities and regional organizations under the second round of DEEP’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Grant Program. The grants follow an open application period that Governor Lamont launched in April, inviting Connecticut municipalities, councils of government, and regional waste authorities to seek state funding for the purposes of supporting waste reduction and diversion initiatives spanning programmatic, operational, and technical assistance areas. These awards build on DEEP’s work to meet municipalities and regional organizations where they are as they work to bring down municipal solid waste costs.

Grants

Long Island Sound (LIS) Resilience Planning Support Program (3rd Round)

Expressions of Interests: December 1, 2025 - January 30, 2026

A third round of the Long Island Sound (LIS) Resilience Planning Support Program opened December 1, 2025. Up to $1.5 million is available. The Program provides planning support to advance resilience-focused projects by matching communities within the LIS Coastal Boundary across NY and CT with qualified contractors to assist with assessing local environmental risks, conceptualizing project ideas, and conducting preliminary planning efforts. The support is provided at no cost to the communities and no match is required!

CT DEEP: Long Island Sound Ecosystems Grant Program

Application Deadline: December 16, 2025

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is pleased to announce the new Long Island Sound Ecosystems Grant Program. This funding is intended to support the planning and implementation of projects focused on coastal habitat restoration and green stormwater infrastructure across the state. There are two primary goals of the program: 1) to promote large-scale habitat restoration and enhance restoration planning, while also helping coastal communities and ecosystems adapt to changing environmental conditions; and 2) to further promote the application of green stormwater infrastructure techniques to reduce nonpoint source pollution, improving water resource quality.

CT DEEP: Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program

Application Deadline: December 17, 2025

The Department's Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program (UGCG) is available to distressed municipalities, targeted investment communities, registered non-profit organizations, and municipalities that are an environmental justice community. The program provides funding assistance to develop or enhance urban green spaces for public enjoyment and/or environmental education. Promotion of open space in an urban setting may include, but may not be limited to, the development of a community garden or reclaiming and enhancing existing open space for the public's use. Grants are awarded to projects that demonstrate the highest ability to benefit urban communities in close proximity to population centers.

DEEP's CT Recreational Trails Grants Program

Application Deadline: December 18, 2025

Established in 2015, per CGS Section 23-103, as amended by Public Act No. 15-190, to provide funding to any private nonprofit organizations, municipalities, state departments and tribal governments in support of trail projects. Grant amounts vary and will depend upon the availability of currently uncommitted state funds. Requests should be less than 1 million dollars. Grants can pay up to 80% of total project costs, a 20% match is required. 

USDA: Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island

Application Deadline: Rolling

This program supports rural communities, nonprofits, and federally recognized tribes in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island that need help preparing for or recovering from an emergency that threatens safe, reliable drinking water. Eligible areas are rural towns with populations of 10,000 or less, tribal lands in rural areas, or colonias with household incomes below the state’s non-metro median. Funding may be used for waterline repairs, new wells, treatment plants, or other improvements to restore or secure water supplies. Applications are accepted year-round through your local USDA Rural Development office or online.

EPA Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia

Application Deadline: January 11, 2026

The Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant program will assist local waste management authorities by supporting improvements to local post-consumer materials management, including municipal recycling programs, and assisting local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems.

DEEP Climate Resilience Fund

Application Deadline: January 15, 2026

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is accepting applications for the next round of the DEEP Climate Resilience Fund. DEEP is making available up to $44 million in state and federal funds to support planning, project advancement, and construction to help Connecticut’s communities build resilience to extreme weather. This opportunity is open to municipal governments, local public utilities, non-governmental organizations, Tribal nations, and other eligible entities. See the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for additional information on funding categories and eligibility. As part of this effort, DEEP also released a draft request for proposals to identify energy resilience projects that can reduce the likelihood and duration of occurrences of disruptive events.

Climate Smart Communities Initiative

Application Deadline: March 12, 2026

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2026 CSCI grants opportunity for US-based climate resilience projects. CSCI awards provide funding and technical assistance to advance community-based climate resilience in US communities or regions that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The total grants budget is $1.5-2 million, and grants typically range from $75,000 to $115,000 based on the scope of work proposed in the application. CSCI anticipates awarding between 16-20 grants for the 2026 cycle.

CT DEEP Climate Action Plan Stakeholder Convening

December 11, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

This virtual workshop aims to bring together stakeholders from across the state of Connecticut to learn about Connecticut’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) and to actively engage in a collaborative dialogue on the different implementation strategies outlined in the plan. This session will focus on three key sectors — transportation, buildings, and natural and working lands — and will serve as a platform for knowledge-sharing and feedback on near- and long-term tactics the state could pursue to achieve Connecticut's climate goals. Stakeholder input gathered during the workshop will inform and strengthen the development of equitable, effective, and actionable pathways for near- and long-term emissions reduction. 

Connecticut’s Lidar and Orthoimagery Revisited

December 11, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Speakers: Andrew Peters, Catherine Bohn, Dan Bubser, Dewberry

Host: Emily Wilson, UConn CLEAR & Alfredo Herrera, CT GIS Office

This webinar will offer an overview of the entire statewide project that started in 2022 and running through 2026. Dewberry will give a review of the data products produced from the 2023 data. The discussion will explore the current ways the data is being used and its future possible applications. Lastly, it will look ahead to the 2026 acquisition and delivery.

Red Flag Warning: Understanding Connecticut’s Wildfire Ecology, Forest Health, and Planning for a Changing Future

January 15, 2026

Speakers: Chris Renshaw, UConn Fire Chief & Emily Wilson, UConn CLEAR

Bringing together extensive knowledge about wildfire, firefighting, and natural resources in Connecticut, UConn Fire Chief Chris Renshaw discovered overlapping conditions that show how Connecticut could suffer a similar fate to Maui, Hawaii, where a surprise and devastating wildfire caused destruction and loss of life. A new story map and map viewer explain the overlapping conditions of fire ecology, forest health, changing weather, and housing density, and compare them to recent brush fires across the state. During the webinar, Chris and Emily will explain the situation through the story map and discuss what Connecticut fire departments and residents can do. A must attend for land managers, elected officials, and fire service personnel. Find the Wildfire in Connecticut Story Map and the CT Wildland-Urban Interface/Intermix Viewer on the CT Wildland Fire section of CT ECO: Click HERE to find out more.

Georgetown Climate Center - TEA-CART: A Tool for Making Climate-Smart Transportation Investments

The Georgetown Climate Center, in partnership with Cambridge Systematics, developed the Transportation Evaluation and Carbon Reduction Tool (TEA-CART). This free, publicly available online resource enables practitioners in state and local Departments of Transportation to quickly assess how capital plan investments may influence the future emissions performance of the transportation system.

MyCoast Connecticut Pilot Launches in Groton, New London, and Stonington

The Westerly Sun - December 1, 2025

Connecticut Sea Grant (CTSG), the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CTNERR), and the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) have partnered together to launch MyCoast Connecticut in New London, Groton, and Stonington as a pilot program. MyCoast is a community science tool that encourages residents to take pictures of flooding, storm damage and high tide, in order to support local emergency preparedness and help to strengthen the coastline. It comes in the form of an app alongside their website that users can submit pictures to which are uploaded to a database that is accessible for everyone to view.

CIRCA Climate Summit Focuses on Resilient Connecticut

NBC CT - December 2, 2025

The Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation, or CIRCA, is trying to better protect our communities by addressing climate impacts in Connecticut. An event was held at Avery Point on Long Island Sound in November, with the goal of working toward a more resilient Connecticut, and preparing future generations for climate change. One focus: Flooding in low lying areas. CIRCA Executive Director Jim O’Donnell said they’re exploring flood sensors when waters rise. “So an automatic alert system, which we could implement, that would alert people through emails, or flashing lights, or something, could be a low-cost, near-term, quickly-implementable solution that is not perfect, but it reduces disruption and the cost associated with it," O'Donnell said.

New England Warming Faster than Most Places on Earth, Study Finds

The Guardian - December 4, 2025

The US region called New England is widely known for its colonial history, maple syrup and frigid, snow-bound winters. Many of these norms are in the process of being upended, however, by a rapidly altering climate, with new research finding the area is heating up faster than almost anywhere else on Earth. The breakneck speed of New England’s transformation makes it the fastest-heating area of the US, bar the Alaskan Arctic, and the pace of its temperature rise has apparently increased in the past five years, according to the study. “The temperature is not only increasing, it’s accelerating,” said Stephen Young, a climate researcher at Salem State University, who conducted the study, published in the Climate journal, with his son Joshua Young.

As Seas Rise, So Do the Risks From Toxic Sites

Inside Climate News - November 20, 2025

Flooding from surging seas is likely to inundate thousands of U.S. hazardous sites in coming years as global temperatures rise, placing the nation’s most vulnerable at greatest risk. On a sunny morning in May, Luna Angulo walked alongside a towering chain-link fence topped with razor wire on San Francisco Bay’s eastern shore. She lingered near locked gates posted with warnings to keep out of the “hazardous substance area,” where long-shuttered chemical plants had dumped toxic waste on marshlands, and recounted the refinery explosion that changed her life.

U.S. Dams, Levees, Stormwater, and Wastewater Systems get D to D+ Grades, Need Almost $1 Trillion in Upgrades

Yale Climate Connections - November 24, 2025

“America’s infrastructure is the foundation on which our national economy, global competitiveness, and quality of life depend,” begins the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure from the American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE, a trade group. The report, issued once every four years, gave America’s infrastructure an overall grade of C, up from a C- grade in its 2021 report. ASCE credited the improvement to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021, plus federal partnerships with state and local governments and the private sector. But dams, levees, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure components received D to D+ grades. That’s concerning given that climate change is increasingly stressing dams, levees, wastewater, and stormwater systems through heavier precipitation events. What’s more, the federal government has shown little interest in sustaining the funding needed to continue improving infrastructure.

The Resilience Roundup highlights CIRCA's presence in the news, provides links to recent local/state/national news articles related to resilience and adaptation, and announces upcoming events and seminars.

The Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation's (CIRCA) mission is to increase the resilience and sustainability of vulnerable communities along Connecticut's coast and inland waterways to the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather on the natural, built, and human environment. The institute is located at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus and includes faculty from across the university. CIRCA is a partnership between UConn and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP).