Providence Park Features New, Green Storm Runoff Features
By: Tim Studebaker
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – When it rains, the water that falls eventually finds its way into streams and rivers. Sometimes, that means flooding and dirty water.
Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council Executive Director Alicia Lehrer says, “Storm water is becoming a much bigger issue. We are getting more storms, fiercer storms. Sea level rise is becoming an issue. Flooding is becoming an issue.”
Several new features at Riverside Park in Providence, which sits right next to the Woonasquatucket River, are meant to help slow down storm runoff and cut down on some of the pollutants reaching the river. Lehrer says it’s a natural solution to help the City of Providence comply with DEM-mandated storm water discharge requirements. Signs throughout the park help to explain how it all works.
Lehrer says, “The purpose of it is to teach people what green infrastructure is, what it looks like. Mostly, we just call it nature at work.”
They’re using rain gardens, a rooftop garden called a green roof, specially designed ditches called bioswales, and more. The upgrades come with some other benefits. For example, they cool down the park in the summer.
Lehrer says, “If we’re removing blacktop and putting in plants, that reduces the urban heat island effect.”
Lehrer also says the plants help clean the air and make the park more inviting, and give wildlife a place to live.
© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2018
