Barrington and East Providence officials are scheduled to meet at the statehouse on Tuesday with local legislators to discuss the sewage odor issue facing some Riverside residents.

Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha said he and other Barrington officials were planning to meet with East Providence administrators and legislators from the two towns at 3 p.m. on Tuesday "to try to come up with a resolution."

East Providence officials have placed the blame for a strong stench near a Riverside water treatment facility squarely on Barrington — its waste cleansed at the Riverside plant as part of a long-standing contractual agreement between the municipalities.

Mr. Cunha said Barrington has already been working hard to address the problem. The new manager, who hails from East Providence, said Barrington has been trying new chemical treatments on the wastewater.

He is also calling for an independent third-party analysis on the situation.

"My goal is to find out where the problem is and then find the most efficient and effective solution," he said. "I think part of the problem is likely with Barrington, but not all of the problem."

Mr. Cunha said that prior tests showed problems existed both with Barrington's pipeline carrying sewage to the Riverside treatment plant, as well as the influx pipe at the plant itself.

"My suspicion is that the problem is shared by both towns," he said. "We need time to assess the systems."

Mr. Cunha learned of the sewage issue two weeks after took over as Barrington's town manager on Oct. 15, 2016. He said he began investigating the situation immediately, but by the first week of November his office received a "notice of violation" from East Providence. 

"I assured East Providence officials we were addressing it," he said. 

Barrington has reportedly been attempting different approaches to treating the wastewater. Mr. Cunha said more time is needed to see if the new treatments are working.

"Barrington is not ignoring the problem," he said. 

Mr. Cunha added that he would like to see the Narragansett Bay Commission conduct an assessment on the system.