The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent selection of New England River for a pilot watershed program is part of its efforts to protect and invest in underserved communities, a regional director said in a news release.
The EPA added the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council for its fifth pilot watershed funded by the agency's Southeast New England Program (SNEP) to address coastal water quality concerns, EPA officials said March 9.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator David W. Cash
| epa.gov/
"EPA is pleased to announce this additional pilot watershed to find effective solutions to urban water quality concerns, including nitrogen pollution, habitat loss, and the impacts of climate change," EPA Regional Administrator David W. Cash said in the news release. "We are particularly proud that this builds on EPA's commitment to ensure our efforts are protecting and investing in underserved communities. I'm excited that the Woonasquatucket watershed has been added to a strong group of partners working under SNEP's pilot initiative."
Cash was appointed EPA Region 1 administrator in February. EPA's Region 1 encompasses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and 10 tribal nations.
The Woonasquatucket River, from the Algonquian word for "where the saltwater ends," flows through almost 16 miles of Rhode Island and was designated an American Heritage River in 1998, according to information on the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council's website.
Adding the Woonasquatucket River to SNEP's inaugural Pilot Watershed Initiative is intended to call attention to urban water quality issues in five Rhode Island towns and cities in the watershed: Glocester, North Smithfield, Smithfield, North Providence, Johnston, Providence and Cranston.
This project is the second in Rhode Island under the EPA's coastal initiative, with the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council selected as the fifth pilot watershed funded through SNEP.
EPA is expected to provide an initial $150,000 in funding for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council to manage efforts to improve river water quality, develop a community-centered climate resilience plan and find a way to handle stormwater and green sustainably- and gray-water systems management and maintenance. EPA plans to provide $750,000 over the next five years to the watershed council.
Republican Rhode Island U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee who spearheaded creation and funding of SNEP for Coastal Watershed Restoration, said he was pleased by the EPA's announcement.
"I'm pleased to see Woonasquatucket River selected for this Watershed Initiative pilot project," Reed said in the news release. "This initiative will help improve water quality, address pollution, and boost climate resiliency. Revitalizing this watershed will also help identify urban water quality issues, challenges and opportunities across several communities within the Woonasquatucket River watershed."
