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Thursday, February 22, 2024
Photo: NBC
Rhode Island is a great place to live, play, eat, and attract tourists thanks to the beauty and richness of Narragansett Bay. Critical to Rhode Island’s environment and economy is his nearly 30-year effort to build the Narragansett Bay Commission’s (NBC) three-phase combined sewer overflow (CSO) project.
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“When all is said and done, NBC ratepayers will have invested nearly $2 billion in the health of the Bay. In the process, this project will improve the health of more than 2,000 direct and indirect It has created jobs and the resulting clean water has provided an economic boost to the fishing and tourism industries,” said NBC Chairman Vincent Mesorella.
The project is one of the largest public works investments in Rhode Island history. This phase will create approximately 1,700 direct and indirect jobs.
After centuries of abuse, including the Industrial Revolution, untreated waste, and emissions from the jewelry industry’s plating process, the Bay has been negatively impacted for more than a century. Ta.
“It is certainly exciting to know that with the CSO project we will be able to reverse centuries of pollution and ensure that our children and grandchildren will only know a healthy bay,” Mesorella said. Told.
GoLocal Tunnel Tour in July 2022 PHOTO: GoLocal
NBC has now completed the excavation and lining of the 3.2-mile Pawtucket Tunnel. This project is Phase III of the CSO project, collectively known as RestoredWaters RI. It features a deep rock tunnel 125 feet below the surface.
The tunnel will store and transport storm-related combined sewage and stormwater overflow to NBC’s Bucklin Point Wastewater Treatment Facility, where it will be fully treated before being discharged into Narragansett Bay. All of this will lead the way to cleaner waterways across Rhode Island.
A tunnel boring machine (TBM) cutterhead, named ‘Chloe the Clean Water Cruncher’ in keeping with naming tradition, was installed in a tunnel near Bucklin Point on June 22, 2022, and is used to excavate tunnels. It marked the symbolic beginning of the work. Since then, TBM has excavated 3.5 miles of soil material spanning Pawtucket and Central Falls.
“We are excited to complete this important milestone in the Phase 3 RestoredWaters RI project,” Mesorella said. “We are proud of the investments made through this project, including significantly cleaner Narragansett Bay, reopening shellfish fisheries, and ensuring all Rhode Islanders will enjoy healthier oceans for generations to come.” In particular, we continue to see positive results from those who have contributed every day to the project’s success, including the NBC Board, local council representatives and government supporters, ratepayers, and those who have contributed to the success of the project. We want to thank the community we serve.”
Once tunnel boring was completed, the concrete-lined tunnel was able to store, treat and discharge 58.5 million gallons of combined sewage and stormwater overflow. Storm-related sewage will be pumped to NBC’s Bucklin Point Wastewater Treatment Facility for complete treatment.
The next steps in this phase of the CSO program include the installation of drop shafts and outfalls to divert storm-related sewage overflow into the tunnel.
RestoredWaters RI is the largest public works project in Rhode Island history. We continue to improve the health of shellfish fisheries and beaches across the state, reduce annual combined sewer flooding, and create green space for public access. Phase 3 of the project has supported 1,700 direct and indirect jobs over the past three years.
NBC Chairman Vin Mesolella (right) Photo: GoLocal, July 2022
CSO Phase III Facts:
CSO Phase III is divided into four subphases. Phase IIIA includes the Pawtucket Tunnel, the largest single facility in Phase III and represents approximately two-thirds of the projected project cost.
According to NBC, the tunnel is an important step toward compliance with a consent agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). The agency stated:
– This program will help protect Narragansett Bay’s water quality, reduce annual combined sewer overflows by 98%, and reduce shell reserves by 80%.
– In 2019, the project received financing for 49% of the project cost through USEPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (WIFIA).
The CSO Phase III Facility Project will include the design and/or construction of:
– 11,600 feet long deep rock tunnel providing 58.5 million gallons of storage
– 2 firing and receiving working shafts
– 4 drop shafts to divert storm flow into the tunnel
– A 160-foot deep tunnel pump station that transports flow from the tunnel to Bucklin Point WWTF for treatment.
– Several “green infrastructure” projects. Provide a permeable area on the ground surface to absorb rainwater and keep it away from the sewer system.
– Changes throughout the sewer system to optimize flow
– Limited areas of sewer separation, where rainwater is channeled into separate pipes from sewerage.
The purpose of this project is to implement the final phase of the federally mandated CSO reduction program and significantly reduce CSO volumes in the Bucklin Point service area, resulting from a 3-month long storm (1.614 inches of rain in 6 hours). The goal is to eliminate flooding.
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