DEM Seeks Public Input In Warwick Pond Pollution Study

WARWICK, RI — The Department of Environmental Management is seeking public comment on a new water quality restoration study of Buckeye Brook and the tributaries to Warwick Pond.

The waters are impaired, meaning they do not meet water quality standards for their designated uses such as fishing, recreation, and support of wildlife

In a previous study of Warwick Pond and its tributaries, the DEM found metals such as iron, copper, lead and cadmium; iron-fixing bacteria downstream from T.F. Green Airport and the old Truk-Away Landfill; discharges of propylene glycol from the airport, and pollution from untreated stormwater.

As part of an effort to improve conditions, the DEM is now working on a so-called TMDL study. TMDL stands for Total Maximum Daily Load — the amount of pollution a waterbody can receive every day while still meeting water quality standards.

The DEM said it is concerned about the impact to biodiversity, and that benthic macroinvertebrates are a particular focus. The broad category of aquatic life includes insects such as dragonfly and mayfly larvae. Such larvae can not survive in polluted water.

This is the second public comment period for Buckeye Brook and tributaries to Warwick Pond. The agency took previous feedback and incorporated it into a new draft TMDL document, and now it’s looking for input from the public again.

Written comments on the draft TMDL may be submitted by September 1 to Skip Viator at skip.viator@dem.ri.gov or via mail to Skip Viator, DEM, Office of Water Resources, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908. The public comment period opened on August 2, 2021.

The draft TMDL is available online on DEM's website. An executive summary describing the project can be found here.

Recently the toxic cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, was found in Warwick Pond, and people were warned to stay away from the waterway.