Sewer pipe ruptures in Warwick, spilling wastewater into Narragansett Bay

PROVIDENCE – State environmental authorities are extending an emergency shellfishing closure in upper Narragansett Bay after a sewer line rupture in Warwick.

The closure has been in place since heavy rains last week. The state Department of Environmental Management was set to lift it this Friday, but a 24-inch sewer line on Lake Shore Drive in Warwick broke open Monday afternoon, spewing an estimated 450,000 gallons of untreated wastewater into Warwick Pond. The pond connects to Buckeye Brook, which flows into Narraganset Bay.

Residents are also being advised to avoid swimming, kayaking or fishing in Warwick Pond, Buckeye Brook, Mill Creek and Mill Cove.

Three sewer pipe ruptures in four years

The rupture is the third in four years in the system, operated by the Warwick Sewer Authority, to impact the Buckeye Brook watershed. In August 2018, a sewer pipe in Oakland Beach collapsed and 300,000 gallons of wastewater spilled into Cedar Swamp and Buckeye Brook. The following November, a partial collapse of a sewer pipe on Sandy Lane dumped 26,000 gallons of wastewater into Little Pond. The sewer authority was fined $27,500 in the wake of those incidents.

Afterward, the city was required to evaluate its infrastructure and prioritize areas in need of repair. The line on Lake Shore Drive was not put on the priority list, according to Joe Habarek, administrator of surface water protection for the DEM.

“As part of our investigation, we’ll be looking at why this particular sewer line wasn’t identified as an immediate need,” he said.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, the line had yet to be repaired or bypassed and wastewater was still spewing from a corroded section into a storm drain that empties into Warwick Pond.

“They’re trying to get some temporary bypass pumps out there,” said Habarek. “They're still working on that and hoping to have it in place today.”

He described it as a “very significant spill.” The 450,000-gallon estimate was based on total flow through the pipe and was calculated Tuesday morning. The number could be higher, as the discharge was ongoing, or lower because not all of the wastewater flowing through the pipe had escaped through the ruptured section.

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Upper Narragansett Bay closed to shellfishing

The portion of the Bay subject to the shellfishing closure is known as “Conditional Area A. Its northern edge runs between Conimicut Point in Warwick and Nayatt Point in Barrington and its southern border stretches from Rocky Point in Warwick to Colt State Park in Bristol.

The DEM will test for bacteria levels in the Bay and Warwick has been instructed to take similar samples in Warwick Pond and Buckeye Brook to get more detailed information on wastewater volumes and concentrations. Once that testing is complete, the closure area will likely be reduced, said Habarek.

As to the length of the closure, that’s still unclear. Generally speaking, a closure is lifted 21 days after a discharge event has ended or seven days after bacteria levels in shellfish samples have come below public health safety limits.

Warwick is not the only city in Rhode Island to experience recent problems with its sewage system. The DEM issued Woonsocket a series of notices starting late last year for a slew of operations and maintenance problems at its wastewater treatment plant. Most recently, in June, the DEM issued an advisory after partially treated sewage was discovered flowing into the Blackstone River from the plant.

A DEM spokesman said that the Warwick incident is likely due to aging infrastructure.

“Generally speaking, Rhode Island municipalities have old infrastructure,” said Michael Healey. “This is an example that we need to be constantly investing in this by and large ancient infrastructure. Otherwise, this is the kind of thing that can happen.”

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Warwick sewer rupture closes upper Narragansett Bay to shellfishing