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Politics & Government

Esplanade Stormwater Project Digs In

The Town of Middletown's multi-stage plan to divert stormwater overflow away from the beach areas of Easton's Bay began last week with the arrival of the excavation crew.

Last week, a Middletown street that at this time of year typically has a tranquil vista of Easton’s Bay became the scene of a major infrastructure project the town is undertaking with the goal of improved water quality in the Bay. Work began along Esplanade last Thursday, and appeared to be moving at a brisk pace.

By end of day Friday, Director Tom O’Loughlin reported that CB Utility had installed a stormwater bypass, laid the metal piping of the wastewater bypass, and had begun a large excavation near the intersection of Esplanade, Crest St., and Shore Drive for the first drainage structure.

The $3 million project is part of the town’s efforts to address the problem of heavy stormwater overflow leading to high bacterial levels that force beach closures in the two public beaches along Easton’s Bay: in Middletown, and the adjacent Easton’s Beach (First Beach) in Newport.

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During the summer of 2011, the State of Rhode Island Department of Health mandated four beach closures for Atlantic Beach Club Beach, and two beach closures for Easton’s Beach. During the summer of 2010, there were six closures for Atlantic Beach Club Beach, and four closures for Easton’s Beach.

The engineering project is designed to redirect stormwater flow away from the beaches to an offshore location via an extended pipe diffuser off Easton’s Point. A new stormwater main will be installed down Esplanade and the road will undergo reconstruction. Other components will involve blasting, trenching and the construction of a temporary causeway. The marine part of the work is expected to begin in early March, according to plans described by O’Loughlin in a public meeting (see PDF) about the project held in early December. All work is expected to be completed by May 2012.

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The Esplanade project is part of a concerted effort to address the water quality issues in Easton’s Bay. Middletown has recently installed 70 new stormwater catch basins throughout town. Also, the City of Newport constructed a $6 million UV plant to kill harmful bacteria in Newport's stormwater before the city's outflow enters Easton's Bay.

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