The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (“EOEEA”) of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announces its intent to disperse funds to the City of Holyoke, pursuant to the Comptroller’s state grants policy. c. Purpose. Approximately 166 acres of the City of Holyoke are protected from flooding from the Connecticut River by a complex levee system that includes a concrete flood wall, embankments, closure structures (or “stoplogs”), and valves. In late 2024, a fire caused irreparable damage to Stoplog Structure No. 7, an opening in the otherwise continuous concrete flood wall that exists to allow a railroad track to pass through wall. This has left a 23-foot-wide opening in the levee, compromising the City’s flood protection system and putting all residents, businesses, properties, and critical infrastructure within the levee protected area in this location at risk.
