The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is taking a closer look at Volpe Pond in Barrington, after the small body of water turned colors late last month.

Residents and passers-by placed calls to the Barrington Town Hall, the Barrington DPW and the RI DEM office after they noticed that the water at Volpe Pond appeared to have turned gray.

Residents ask "Why is Volpe Pond gray?"

"Last week, we received complaints from residents regarding silt runoff from the landfill closure project turning Volpe Pond gray," stated an email from DEM spokeswoman Gail Mastrati. "Our office of compliance and inspection is currently investigating these complaints."

Barrington DPW director Joe Piccerelli said there is a simple explanation behind the pond's color change.

"It's the clay," said Mr. Piccerelli.

The director said more than 30,000 cubic feet of clay has been trucked into the former landfill, which is located uphill from the pond. The clay has been spread across the parcel, which fills a large section of property between Upland Way and Maple Avenue.

Mr. Piccerelli said heavy rain and a breach at a retention pond on the site carried clay into Volpe's Pond. Mr. Piccerelli said the clay is safe, and while the water may look gray, there is no detrimental impact to the water quality.

Cynthia Fuller, a former member of the town's conservation commission and a longtime environmental consultant, agreed with Mr. Piccerelli.

Ms. Fuller said it is likely that the rain washed some of the clay from the landfill capping project into the pond. She added that the clay will settle to the bottom of the pond in due time.

"The water will clear up," she said. 

Ms. Fuller also said that the town would be wise to double-check with the project engineers to ensure that the clay was clean before it was deposited at the work site. The pond water was likely not tested prior to the capping project, she said.

(Calls to the engineering company, Pare Engineering, and the contractor, JH Lynch, were not returned.)

DEM's office of waste management issued a permit to the town in April 2016 related to the closure of the landfill. The town also received a construction general permit in Sept. 2016. The permits require the town to install and maintain erosion and sediment controls.