AG and DEM create petition to help with polluted watershed in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha and the Rhode Island department of environmental management spoke at Save the Bay in Providence to outline a new plan to protect the Ocean State’s waterways from pollution by stormwater runoff.

They spoke about the action they are taking to protect the Mashapaug watershed in Providence, which is located in the city’s south side.

“You can see from the air over and over again ponds that were covered in green gunk,” Neronha said.

With recent storms and findings of dirty water conditions, the AG filed a petition with the DEM arguing to address polluted stormwater runoff within the watershed using the Clean Water Act.

The DEM is expected to respond to that petition by unveiling a permitting system that will provide for the management of stormwater runoff from current and future sources.

“We are looking at for implementation that will be a general permit that will outline performance objectives that the property owners that are within the watershed will have to do to really meet the stormwater requirements,” RIDEM Director Terrence Gray said. “We are also going to look at guidance and technical assistance and we are going to build off some of the work the state of Vermont did around Lake Champlain for a guide for small property owners on storm water management.”

Preliminary mapping shows about 70 properties will be impacted by the permitting process.

“We don’t want to impose a very high-cost impact on these businesses. There are a couple of things that could happen here. One is the corrective measures, like sweeping the sidewalk and cleaning out the catch basins and creating basins for infiltration,” concluded Gray.