Proposals Sought For RI Wastewater Facility Improvements

BRISTOL, RI — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is holding a pair of public workshops as it accepts proposals to improve the state's wastewater treatment facilities. The department will accept project proposals from now until Jan. 30.

The Department of Environmental Management and Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank announced on Monday that $5 million in matching grants is available for the projects to protect the facilities from storm surge, winds and other natural hazards. Due to climate change, these issues are only expected to get worse in the future, the department said. The funds come from the 2018 Green Economy and Clean Water Bond, which was approved by nearly 80 percent on last year's ballot.

"Strengthening the resilience of our public wastewater treatment facilities is critically important, given a changing climate that will continue to bring more intense storms and increased rainfall to our area," said Janet Coit, the DEM's director. "Thanks to the Green Economy and Clean Water Bond fund, we’re investing in our state's wastewater infrastructure to help ensure a more resilient Rhode Island today and in the future."

Proposals will include changes such as hardening, relocating, repairing, replacing or providing redundancy to publicly owned wastewater facilities such as pump stations, sewers and more. More information on eligible projects is available on the department's website.

"Water quality and the health of our bay and the ocean are critical to Rhode Island’s economy," said Jeffrey Diehl, the CEO of the Infrastructure Bank. "The resiliency grants will assist wastewater utilities in making critical upgrades that take into account future events such as sea level rise, extreme weather events, and other hazards."

Increasingly severe storms have repeatedly damaged the state's wastewater facilities, the department said. Each day, 19 facilities across the state pump more than 120 million gallons of residential, commercial and industrial wastewater. Because many facilities and pump stations were designed to use gravity to their benefit, their low-lying elevations put them at a greater risk for flooding and storm damage.

The two workshops will be held in January to discuss the request for proposals period. The first will be held on Jan. 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Bristol Town Council Chambers on the second floor of Burnside Building on Court Street. The second will be held on Jan. 13 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the DEM's headquarters at 235 Promenade St. in Providence.

The department encourages online applications, but they can also be submitted via mail to the DEM Permit Application Center at 235 Promenade St., Second Floor, Providence, RI 02908. For more information, email Bill Patenaude at bill.patenaude@dem.ri.gov.