Newport and Middletown secure $1.2 million for water quality projects
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has awarded over $3.1 million in grants to improve water quality and aquatic habitats across the state, with significant projects planned for Newport and Middletown.
The grants, largely funded by the voter-approved 2022 Green Bond, will support 15 projects addressing stormwater pollution, flood prevention and habitat restoration.
In Newport, the city will receive $400,000 to separate storm sewer connections from the existing combined sewer and storm overflow system. This project will reduce water volumes into Newport Harbor and divert stormwater to a new, separate storm sewer system that will be treated via green infrastructure along Bellevue Avenue.
Middletown secured two substantial grants totaling $800,000 for critical infrastructure improvements. The city will use $400,000 for the Green End Stormwater and Flood Improvements project, which includes implementing new stormwater management best practices to intercept and treat runoff from Miantonomi Avenue that flows into North Easton Pond, part of Newport’s drinking water system.
The project will also replace a small culvert on Green End Avenue that has caused local flooding for decades.
An additional $400,000 will be used to replace an undersized culvert on Berkeley Avenue in Middletown. The new culvert will improve stream continuity and aquatic habitat, manage peak flows, and increase the resilience of inland habitats and community infrastructure.
Grants are divided into three categories: controlling diffuse source and stormwater pollution, flood prevention and mitigation, and restoring riparian buffers and aquatic habitats.
Other notable projects include a $255,000 grant to Burrillville for a vacuum truck to remove debris from the city’s stormwater system and $166,257 to Hopkinton for a high-efficiency street sweeper.
In Warren, $350,000 will go toward covering and stabilizing a former landfill in Jamiel’s Park. Goals include improving water quality in Belcher Cove and reducing coastal erosion.
The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council received two grants totaling $255,311 to restore natural riparian habitat and stabilize riverbanks along the Woonasquatucket River.
DEM received over 30 funding applications under the call for proposals published in December 2023. The selected projects demonstrate a commitment to innovative solutions to long-standing environmental problems.
The grants also include $198,815 to control and treat invasive aquatic plants in lakes and ponds in Rhode Island, addressing a growing concern for the state’s freshwater ecosystems.
Full list of grant recipients
City of Barrington – Waterway End of Street Retrofit ($44,000): Barrington, in partnership with Save the Bay, will retrofit an existing stormwater management structure to better address stormwater pollution and improve regular maintenance. The retrofit includes the installation of tree trench BMPs in the drainage area to reduce the volume of stormwater runoff and a sediment pre-basin at the end of Water Way.
Bonnet Shores Fire District – Wesquage Pond ($75,000): The Bonnet Shores Fire District will complete planning, design and permitting for a limited reed control program and future construction of hydraulic and stormwater controls for Bonnet Point Road to manage peak flows and mitigate flooding. One aspect of the project includes balancing pipes in Wesquage Pond to provide additional discharge capacity to Narragansett Bay during peak flows.
Bristol County Water Authority (BCWA) – Upper and Lower Kickemuit Dam Demolition ($100,000): BCWA is in the process of removing the Lower and Upper Kickemuit Dams in Warren to restore the Kickemuit River to a more natural state while improving water quality and aquatic habitat conditions. This funding is concurrent with a $400,000 DEM Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grant for this project.
City of Burrillville – Vacuum truck ($255,000): Burrillville will purchase a vacuum truck to remove debris from the city’s stormwater system. Regular debris removal reduces pollutant loads in receiving waters and improves the lifespan of infrastructure.
TProperty of Hopkinton – High Efficiency Street Sweeper ($166,257): Hopkinton will purchase a high efficiency street sweeper to remove debris from the streets. This is recommended for rural road conditions. Removing debris from the streets will reduce the amount that enters waterways and improve maintenance of the stormwater infrastructure.
City of Middletown – Green End Stormwater and Flood Control Improvements ($400,000): This project will install new stormwater BMPs to intercept and treat stormwater from Miantonomi Avenue that flows into North Easton Pond, and will replace an undersized culvert on Green End Avenue that has caused local flooding problems for decades. North Easton Pond is part of Newport’s drinking water system.
City of Middletown – Berkeley Avenue Culvert ($400,000): This project will replace an undersized culvert on Berkeley Avenue with a new culvert that will improve stream continuity and aquatic habitat, manage peak flows, and improve the resilience of inland habitats and community infrastructure.
City of Newport – CSO Separations ($400,000): The City of Newport will disconnect stormwater connections to the existing combined sewer and storm overflow (CSO) system to reduce runoff into Newport Harbor and divert stormwater to a new, separate stormwater system that will allow for infiltration treatment via the green infrastructure along Bellevue Avenue.
City of Pawtucket – Daggett Avenue Green Infrastructure ($400,000): Pawtucket will install green stormwater drainage infrastructure along Daggett Avenue to reduce runoff, improving water quality in the nearby Ten Mile River and reducing flooding in the immediate area.
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management – Pawtuxet Depot Floodplain Restoration ($110,000): DEM’s Division of Planning and Development will restore floodplain habitat and create public recreational access to the Pawtuxet River at a Cranston site previously used as storage. The project will remove approximately 20,000 square feet of impervious surface and restore 4.5 acres of floodplain habitat.
Town of South Kingstown – Indian Run Brook Restoration ($66,350): South Kingstown will mitigate stormwater impacts on the impaired Indian Run Brook, which flows through city-owned property between the Neighborhood Guild and Village Green Park. The project will remove impervious surfaces and create green space for stormwater harvesting.
City of South Kingstown – Indian Lake – 2025 Hydrilla Treatment ($155,000): The Town of South Kingstown will receive these funds to support a second year herbicide treatment against the invasive aquatic plant Hydrilla in Indian Lake. The first year treatment was organized by DEM and funded by a separate grant from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This project is considered a priority to keep the population under control and prevent further spread of this aggressive invasive plant.
City of Warren – Jamiel’s Park Landfill Cover and Coastal Restoration ($350,000): Jamiel’s Park is a 12.5-acre city-owned property that provides recreation and green space on a brownfield site that formerly served as a private landfill. Warren will use the funds for Phase III of a long-term project that will cover and stabilize the former landfill with the following goals: (1) improve water quality in Belcher Cove; (2) reduce coastal erosion; (3) reduce coastal and inland flooding; and (4) mitigate further deterioration of the marsh along the Palmer River.
Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) – Lower Woonasquatucket River Habitat Restoration ($27,898): WRWC will use the funding to control invasive species at Cathedral Art Metal Company, Inc. and in areas along the Promenade/Kinsley area of the Woonasquatucket River and to restore the areas with native plants.
Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council – Manton Riverbank Restoration ($227,413): WRWC will use the funds to stabilize and restore approximately 700 feet of eroded riverbank along the Johnston-Providence border. DEM has awarded WRWC a Section 319 Nonpoint Source grant ($224,000) for this project. In addition, WRWC has secured significant outside funding to complete the overall project.
