Letter: Will we need to re-save the bay?

Posted 6/6/17

To the editor:

Summertime is finally here. It’s time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Many people will take advantage of water activities on Narragansett Bay. The bay is currently …

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Letter: Will we need to re-save the bay?

Posted

To the editor:

Summertime is finally here. It’s time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Many people will take advantage of water activities on Narragansett Bay. The bay is currently in great condition after decades of hard work by a multitude of people and many organizations. The bay not only benefits recreation, it also supports the fishing industry and is important to tourism. 

We’ve made so much progress in cleaning up the bay, I just wonder if we aren’t a little bit complacent? What would it take to backslide? All it takes is one pollution problem, and we start moving in the wrong direction — heading backwards.

A concerning situation has arisen on Portsmouth on East Main Road and Sprague Street. The firm of O’Reilly Auto Parts wants to locate adjacent to and north of the Dollar General. In a California press released dated Dec. 1, 2016: “O’Reilly Auto Parts to pay $9.84 million on hazardous waste case. Stores throughout the state improperly disposed of used oil and other hazardous wastes.” 

When these materials and wastes are stored improperly, they often spill or leak. Some of the storage areas were outside on blacktop and concrete. The rain comes along and washes everything from these surfaces into our storm drains.

Save The Bay published a booklet called “Bay-Friendly Living.” On pages 28 and 29 is a section on: “Respect the storm drain. What you can do: Dispose of such hazardous waste as paint, motor oil and pesticides properly. It all flows downstream. Even miles from the shoreline, everything that goes down a storm drain finds it ways to our local waters. Storm drains lead to our bays, rivers and lakes.” Therefore, the pollution is ending up in our storm drains and from there it ends up in the bay.

The very first director of Save The Bay was John Scanlon. I had the privilege to work with him a few years after he stepped down as director. He told me that he was looking forward to a time when the bay would be healthy. Then he said that we had to be vigilant and protect the gains that we had worked so hard to achieve.

We ned to protect the bay from pollution. We need the legacy that we pass down to be a clean bay.

Peggy L. Mercer

3217 East Main Road

Portsmouth

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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.