Department of Environmental Management hopeful to be able to lift no-contact advisory for Blackstone River in coming days

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Department Environmental Management is “hopeful” it can lift a no contact advisory for the Blackstone River by the end of the week.

“The facility is in the process of installing additional solid-removal equipment that should be completed within the next two days. At that point, DEM will reevaluate our no-contact advisory, hopefully to lift it,” a Department of Environmental Management spokesman told ABC 6 News.

The spokesman did say that DEM crews monitoring the situation are reporting that the effluent quality of the facility has improved significantly.

The department said it hasn’t reached out conclusions on what caused the discharge and that investigation continues.

“DEM’s regulations state that wastewater treatment failures resulting in a non-contact advisory such as the one affecting the Blackstone River result in formal enforcement actions, which typically include a penalty to be paid,” said the spokesman.

The no contact advisory has been in effect for more than a week after it was discovered sewage was leaking into the Blackstone River from the Woonsocket facility.