The Town of Buckfield, ME identified a problematic culvert on one of their rural roads. The culvert had multiple instances where it had overflowed and caused road damage. The Town had made numerous repairs as well as had installed several overflow/bypass culverts to no avail. The culvert was also deteriorating and water was flowing underneath it. When they heard about the Maine DEP grant program to assist with culvert replacement, they contacted ARWC to discuss their chances of obtaining a DEP grant. It happened that the culvert was on a highly rated trout stream. It was also a serious deterrent to fish passage due to its size and deteriorated condition.

ARWC Environmental Planner, Jeff Stern, worked with the town to apply for both a DEP grant and an Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). USFWS assisted by surveying the site and producing concepts and cost estimates for the replacement. Both grants were received. However, before the culvert could be replaced, a large fall storm washed it out. That also made the project eligible for federal FEMA funding. The FEMA process delayed construction, but ultimately provided considerably more funding for the project.