DEM Hosts Jan. 8 Meeting on Ten Mile River Restoration Plan

East Providence's Central Pond, Turner Reservoir, and Omega Pond don't meet state water quality standards, requiring the city to amend its Stormwater Management Program Plan.

Pawtucket and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will also be required to update their stormwater plans, outlined in an executive summary posted to the DEM's website. 

The DEM will hold an informational meeting Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Weaver Library, 41 Grove Ave. in East Providence to discuss the draft water quality restoration plan for the Ten Mile River.

The water bodies do not meet state water quality standards for total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, pathogens, and aluminum, cadmium, lead, and iron, according to a release from the DEM.

"As a result of the elevated phosphorus levels, the river and its impoundments frequently experience excessive growth of rooted aquatic plants and algae, low dissolved oxygen levels and cyanobacteria blooms.  These nuisance conditions impact aquatic life, and in the case of cyanobacteria blooms, make the river unsafe for recreation," the release reads.  

Wastewater and stormwater discharges represent the two most significant sources of pollution to the river. The Ten Mile River is effluent dominated, meaning that a majority of the river’s flow when it's not raining consists of treated wastewater discharged from two publicly-owned treatment works located in North Attleborough and Attleboro,Massachusetts, according to the DEM.  

The watershed is also heavily urbanized with total coverage by impervious surfaces (pavement) in the Massachusetts portion of the watershed at 20 percent and in Rhode Island at over 40 percent, causing urban runoff containing pathogens, metals, and phosphorus to flow mostly untreated into the Ten Mile River, the DEM reports.

Since the Ten Mile River is a bi-state river system, RIDEM has sought to coordinate with MADEP and US EPA throughout the TMDL development process beginning with development and implementation of a watershed wide sampling plan in 2007 and 2008 (with technical support from US EPA). RIDEM has also coordinated with MADEP and US EPA counterparts on the overall technical approach for establishing allowable pollutant loads, and on development of pollution abatement recommendations.