East Providence, Barrington agree on steps to address odor concerns

Independent third-party will be hired in dispute over wastewater facility stench

By Mike Rego
Posted 2/9/17

EAST PROVIDENCE — East Providence and Barrington officials appear headed towards a resolution on the matter of the ever-present odor coming from the wastewater treatment plant located in the …

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East Providence, Barrington agree on steps to address odor concerns

Independent third-party will be hired in dispute over wastewater facility stench

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — East Providence and Barrington officials appear headed towards a resolution on the matter of the ever-present odor coming from the wastewater treatment plant located in the Riverside section of the city.

At the East Providence council meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 7, the body held its latest discussion on the matter, which has for years turned the noses of residents on the city’s south end. It is the position of East Providence officials the stench, created by escaped hydrogen sulfide gases, is being caused because Barrington isn't properly treating the waste at the point of entry into the city’s system. Barrington’s waste is treated in East Providence as a part of a long-standing agreement between the municipalities.

Last week, Tom Azevedo, project manager at the wastewater plant for its operator, Suez Environmental, led the council through a brief presentation. He noted the facility was commissioned for use in 1954, upgraded in 1972 to meet federal Environmental Protection Agency mandates, then again most recently 2010 at a cost of $52 million to elevate pollution of Narragansett Bay.

Mr. Azevado said Barrington’s waste is delivered through a forced system via a 24-inch diameter pipe that is three-and-a-half miles long with a retention time of some seven hours. The average amount of waste from Barrington entering the system is about a million to a million-and-a-half gallons per day or approximately 18 to 20 percent of the flow coming to the facility. As others had stated previously, Mr. Azevedo contended Barrington could help diffuse the situation by treating its waste as it enters its sewer line.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Ward 4 councilman Brian Faria, who along with Ward 3 councilman Joe Botelho represents the affected area in Riverside, said the parties involved have acknowledged the same set of facts.

“We met with a state delegation, Barrington officials and the DEM (Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management) has agreed on the cause and to the solution to the situation,” Mr. Faria added, saying DEM associate director for environmental protection Terrence Gray has been involved in the consultations.

Acting city manager Tim Chapman said the city and Barrington have agreed on a series of actions to attempt to remedy the situation. The municipalities will hire an independent third-party to take and analyze samples of the waste to determine its exact cause. He said Barrington will pay for that process. Mr. Chapman added Barrington has also agreed to begin treating the waste at the point of entry for a period of two months, starting some time in February and using products recommended to it some time ago.

When asked if all were in agreement Barrington was the source of the stench, Mr. Chapman said, “We are today.”

The manager said DEM will maintain regulatory authority over the situation, adding about the agency “they were pretty adamant, thanks to the pushing of East Providence officials, that this is caused by the Barrington connection.”

Mr. Chapman concluded, “I think we’re at a resolution and Barrington seems to be on board.”

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.