February 4, 2004
Contact: Sue Baker
For Immediate Release 738-2000, ext. 6200
City receives $300K grant to help pollution abatement efforts
WARWICK – Mayor Scott Avedisian announced today that the city has received a $300,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Management to construct a stormwater management system as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to reduce pollutants entering Greenwich Bay.
The grant, together with a 40 percent match from the city, will pay for design and construction of 12 stormwater systems in the Brush Neck Cove sub-watershed on White, Asylum and Boyle avenues, Avedisian said. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, in cooperation with the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District, is responsible for the design/engineering portion of the project. The city’s $200,000 match is in the form of labor and equipment provided primarily by the city’s Department of Public Works, with support from Planning Department staff.
The project is meant to continue the goals and recommendations of the city’s Strategic Plan for the Reclamation of Greenwich Bay by reducing the amount of pollutants that enter Brush Neck Cove and Greenwich Bay. The systems, which will include infiltration trenches or dry wells, will remove pathogens and nutrients from stormwater runoff and help to improve oxygen levels in the bay and its coves. In-line, innovative storm water treatments will be used in conjunction with the systems to capture sediments, oils and greases.
The overall goal of the project, Avedisian said, is to eliminate shellfish bed closures and to remove Brush Neck Cove and Greenwich Bay from the state’s list of impaired waters.
“The fact that we
received the largest grant of any of the 29 that were awarded throughout the
state speaks to the city’s, and the Department of Environmental Management’s,
commitment to restoring the bay,” Avedisian said. “This project
is a critical component of our ongoing efforts to improve the environment and
to help those who rely on shellfishing for their livelihood.”