Project Progress

The Sawmill Pond watershed plan is being developed by the Horsley Witten Group, Inc. (HW), James Geremia and Associates (Geremia), Narragansett Engineering (Narragansett), and Inter-Fluve, Inc. (Inter-Fluve) in partnership with the Town of North Kingstown (together, the project team). As part of the development of the watershed plan, the project team will complete a number of tasks, including data collection, public outreach, an assessment of pollutant loading from neighborhoods potential commercial and industrial land uses, an evaluation of stormwater management opportunities and Sawmill Pond/stream assessment. Progress on the Sawmill Pond watershed plan is documented by task, as follows.

Data Collection

The project team reviewed prior studies and plans developed by the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, as well as land-use and wetland protection related ordinances and regulations to acquire a better understanding of existing conditions and constraints. The team also compiled Geographic Information System (GIS) data from the Town and State agencies to map resources (e.g., wetlands and streams) and constraints (e.g., land use, drainage information) within the watershed. Additional data collected for the watershed assessment include prior water quality data and wastewater information, particularly related to existing onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) repairs. This task is complete.

Public Outreach

HW developed this project website to provide information related to the project and progress made.  A section of the website is designed to receive comments from the public.  These comments will be reviewed by the project team.

A first public meeting was facilitated by HW on July 8, 2009 to present project goals and progress to date.  Approximately 30 people attended the meeting.  A copy of the documents presented at the meeting is available on the project website. 

The project team invited the public to participate in a portion of the stream assessment on July 29, 2009.

A second public meeting was held on Tuesday, November 10th at the Davisville Elementary School, to review and discuss the draft results of the Sawmill Pond and Sandhill Brook stream assessment that was completed in early October, 2009. Approximately 25 people attended the meeting. A copy of the documents presented at the meeting is available on the project website.

Neighborhood Commercial/Industrial Site Assessments

Concurrent field assessments were conducted on April 30, and May 1, 2009, based on maps developed during a detailed desktop analysis of the watershed using GIS data. Field crews from HW, Geremia, Narragansett, and the Town visited neighborhoods and commercial and industrial areas to identify stormwater drainage and infrastructure, density, potential pollution sources, observed stewardship behaviors, and overall layout and design. Field crews took notes and pictures during the field work to document observations, findings, and recommendations in a draft report to be submitted to the Town in the near future. This report is available online through the project website.

Stormwater Retrofit Inventory

During a desktop analysis, HW identified 29 locations where stormwater could be managed to reduce pollutant loading and/or increase infiltration. These sites, referred to as stormwater retrofits were initially identified within the watershed using geo-referenced aerial photography, land use data, and available stormwater drainage network information. During the April 30 - May 1 field assessment conducted by the project team, field crews investigated all candidate locations, making note of stormwater flow paths, potential pollutant sources, and other relevant elements, taking representative pictures, and identifying potential retrofits. Observations and recommended stormwater structural practices for individual retrofit candidate locations are provided in a report submitted to the Town and available online through the project website.

Stream assessment

The field work for the Sawmill Pond/Sandhill Brook stream assessment was completed in late July 2009, by staff from HW and Inter-Fluve, with participation from the Town.

The consultant team has completed a report documenting the findings of a stream assessment and pond evaluation that includes three major components: (1) an evaluation of existing stream and pond conditions; (2) the identification of potential stream and pond restoration opportunities and infrastructure repair needs; and (3) a preliminary prioritization of stream and pond restoration activities throughout the Sawmill Pond Watershed.

This report complements a previous evaluation of upland conditions, which included a summary of potential stormwater retrofit and pollution prevention opportunities, the results of which were presented in a public meeting this past July. It is available through the project website. The findings from both the stream corridor and upland assessment reports will be used to inform overall watershed management recommendations.