Federal Grants to Address Middletown Water Quality Issues

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) on Friday announced the funding of $654,000 in federal Clean Water Act grants for four water quality restoration projects throughout the state, with about $300,000 going to two Middletown projects.

The grants are from Clean Water Act Section 319 non-point source program administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency, according to a DEM prepared statement. The awards will be administered by DEM's Office of Water Resources through its non-point source pollution management program.

In Middletown, the grants will help fund two projects:

• $31,000 to the town for the study and identification of best management practicess to address phosphorous loading in the North Easton's Pond and Bailey Brook Watershed.
• $265,000 to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, in partnership with the town, to treat state and town road stormwater runoff in the area near Two-Mile Corner (where East Main and West Main roads meet), with gravel wetland to be constructed on The Valley Property.

"Both grants will directly assist the town in meeting its goals and responsibilities regarding treatment of storm water," said Ron Wolanski, Middletown Director of Planning and Economic Development.

Under state and federal regulations, the town and RIDOT share in the responsibility for addressing non-point sources of pollution, including storwater runoff, noted Wolanski.

"The RIDOT project will address bacteria impairment of Bailey Brook, and assist with reducing phosphorus loading in North Easton's Pond. Both issues have been identified by RI DEM as needing attention," said Wolanski. "The town study will look at the entire watershed to identify sources of phosphorus loading and identify best management practices to treat runoff to be installed at high priority locations."

Grants also have been awarded to the towns of Bristol and North Kingstown, and to the RI Department of Transportation, for projects to control and treat , the DEM press release stated. The grants will fund construction of stormwater treatment structures in Bristol, Middletown and North Kingstown, and a feasibility study to identify the best approach for reducing phosphorus pollution in an area of Middletown.The grants require a 10- to 30-percent match from the municipalities, DEM officials noted.

"RIDOT will be responsible for (its) match on their grant. The town will have a 10 percent match on its grant, which will be addressed mostly with in-kind services, such as GIS work, and possibly some cash," said Wolanski.

has continued to be a major contributing factor in water quality degradation in Rhode Island. DEM has documented widespread water quality problems caused by stormwater runoff, including beach closures and areas closed to shellfishing.

The design standards for handling and treating stormwater runoff have been updated and revised jointly by the DEM and the Coastal Resources Management Council, and are featured in the new RI Stormwater Design and Installation Standards Manual that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2011. The new stormwater manual includes water quality performance standards for new development and certain types of redevelopment that stormwater management practices must meet in order to minimize impacts to the state's waters, both surface water and groundwater, according to the DEM press release.

DEM officials also noted they received 34 grant proposals requesting approximately $4.8 million in funding. In awarding the four grants to the three communities, highest priority was given to construction and design projects that sought to control or abate non-point source pollution impairments that have been characterized by a water quality restoration plan, and projects to control non-point source pollution in impaired waterbodies that require a restoration plan.

Priorities were given to watersheds in which significant public investment has been made, but which require additional investment to meet restoration goals.

Wolanski said the town study will likely begin within the first few months of the New Year, after the grant agreement has been signed with the state DEM and a consultant has been hired by the town. Overall, the process should take about six  months, he said.

The timetable for the RIDOT project, Wolanski noted, "will depend on the construction schedule for Two-Mile Corner."