Partly treated sewage found running into Blackstone River
(AP) — Environmental officials are urging residents to avoid a stretch of the Blackstone River after finding that sewage was leaking into the river from a wastewater treatment plant on Sunday.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said it’s investigating the discharge of partly treated wastewater from the Woonsocket Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility. Officials said they were made aware of the discharge Sunday morning and that it is “currently ongoing.”
Residents are being urged to avoid swimming, boating or fishing in the river from Cumberland Hill Road in Woonsocket to the Slater Mill Dam in Pawtucket. The advisory will remain in effect until further notice.
The treatment plant is operated by the private firm Jacobs, and treats about 10 million gallons of sewage a day, according to the department. The agency said it previously issued letters of noncompliance to the facility in November 2021 and March 2022 regarding “operations and maintenance concerns.”
Jacobs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Related News
From Archive

- Contractor killed in San Francisco trench collapse, prompts investigation
- HDD mud spills force authorities to halt wastewater pipeline construction in NY’s Genesee County
- Inside infrastructure: GIS offers best way to improve underground facility maps
- Groundbreaking advances made with EPBM tunnel constructed below sea level
- Russ Ford named 2024 MVP of underground infrastructure industry
- Geotechnical Conditions And How They Relate To Pipe Bursting
- HDD mud spills force authorities to halt wastewater pipeline construction in NY’s Genesee County
- Editor’s Log: Who’s behind those pearls of wisdom (or that poison pen)?
- CGA’s DIRT report correlates infrastructure investment with increased excavation damage
- California approves PG&E rate increase to underground power lines for wildfire prevention
Comments