It may not bring out the television cameras and inspire the kind of enthusiasm that a groundbreaking ceremony or new business acquisition might generate, but Rhode Island General Treasurer and Bristol native Seth Magaziner understands that a properly functioning and safeguarded wastewater treatment facility floats all boats.

“This is the kind of work that needs to go statewide,” Mr. Magaziner said, standing atop the grated surface above the churning contents of an elevated processing area during a tour of the Warren Wastewater Treatment Plant on Friday. “Warren has made itself a leader in climate resiliency, and the rest of the state has to follow suit.”

Mr. Magaziner was in town checking the results of green infrastructure projects that had become possible through collaboration with the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank — work he initiated when first sworn in as treasurer following the 2014 election.

The first stop on the tour, attended by town officials and local elected leaders, was the administrative building behind Warren Town Hall, which houses the administrative offices for the police and fire departments. Police personnel got to show off their new evidence room and renovations made to make the building more energy efficient.

The group then trekked the short distance to the wastewater treatment plant, which is in the finishing stages of a $20 million climate resiliency project financed through the Infrastructure Bank that enabled the town to elevate various crucial components of the facility — like a backup generator and some of the pumping infrastructure — to protect against a catastrophic storm.

“The Narragansett Bay has risen six inches in the last 30 years, which is terrifying,” Mr. Magaziner said. “Extreme weather has become more frequent. So, all Rhode Island communities have to prepare for sea level rise and extreme weather and protect their critical infrastructure, like wastewater systems.”

Mr. Magaziner mentioned that he was encouraged by more communities initiating plans to begin resiliency projects, like Warren has done, following the approval of bond allocations in 2018 and 2020 for climate resiliency projects.

“It’s not just for the coastal communities that resiliency is important,” he said. “You’ll remember in 2010 that one of the hardest hit communities from the flood was West Warwick. This is not just an issue that coastal communities need to tackle, but the whole state.”