Here’s Al (vp for Big River) presenting a check for $900. to the West Greenwich Conservation Commission. Its the proceeds from the First Annual “Tour Du Big River” held last September. Its our financial contribution to the 2010 Big River Clean-up. The date for the event was set last night for Saturday April 10th, so mark your calenders.
best wishes
huffin & puffin pete
Rhody Rovers got permission to ride through a portion of Big River Feb 21st while the ground is frozen. I’m told this will be ride is a small scale club ride only. See attachment for details.
Its good timing that we have a ride in Burlingame the same day….
best wishes
huffin & puffin pete
This was in 2/2/10 Kent County Times:
Big River source found to be clean
COVENTRY: Ground water is plentiful and of an excellent quality in the Big River Watershed Area.
Recently drilled wells in the watershed area have come back with positive test results, said Kenneth Burke, general manager of the Rhode Island Water Resources Board.
The site, on the banks of Reynolds Pond in Coventry, is expected to produce roughly 4 million gallons daily when it is fully operational, Burke said, and that amount will have little to no impact on the levels in the pond and will not outstrip the aquifer.
The two ten-inch pumps were tested for a week in December, Burke said.
The subsequent tests show that the gravel at pump sites is a little finer than their studies had predicted, Burke said, but the water that has come back is of an excellent quality.
At this point all the water would need [to be drinkable] is a PH adjustment and the addition of air and chlorine, Burke said. Unlike other water sources in the state, at this point it would not need the addition of iron and manganese.
If we pump water in a sustainable amount, we shouldn’t have a problem there, he said.
Getting the wells in place is a big step for him, Burke said, and for the rest of the board because they have owned Big River for more than 40 years with the intent of developing a reservoir. Now they are finally on the cusp of having a water product to offer to local suppliers.
While the reservoir was the first plan for the property, the board learned in 1990 that the Environmental Protection Agency was not going to approve their application to build one, Burke said. Before they allowed Rhode Island to build another reservoir, they wanted them to look at the current sources of water in the state and determine whether or not they were being used efficiently. Another concern that has developed since the 1990s, Burke said, is that industry and population in Rhode Island are shrinking and not many businesses are dependent on water like they used to be.
There isn’t the demand for building a reservoir now, which could produce up to 30 million gallons of water daily, he said.
However, using the site along Reynolds Pond is not the long-term plan, Burke said. The two wells that were installed in 2009 were to test capacity. Other wells will have to be developed to draw up a water source. Before that can happen, the board needs approvals from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) and needs demand from local suppliers like the Kent County Water Authority (KCWA).
They are working directly with both these groups, he said. All the work by Reynolds Pond was done collaboratively with RIDEM and he has been in continual conversation with the water suppliers.
KCWA General Manager Tim Brown is interested in the product that will come if the wells succeed, he said, but his board is not ready to get heavily involved.
There are a number of questions that need to be resolved, Brown said. They’ve just started this and well fields take at least a decade to really get the water. The bottom line of the whole thing would be the cost of the water. It would have to be comparable to the cost of what we purchase from the Scituate Reservoir or what we produce in our own well fields. If its comparable it would be very promising.
This spring will bring further study to the well sites in Big River, Burke said. A team of biologists will examine the impact on Reynolds Pond and further analyze the environmental impact of the wells.
While developing the wells, Burke also intends to take the EPA’s concerns from 1990 head-on and see what work needs to be done so that someday the land can be used for a reservoir.
He is very sensitive to the original purpose of the watershed area, Burke emphasized. I know many of the people who lost their land [when we started this], he said. This makes the long-term work of building a reservoir important to him.
In the meantime, the 8,400-acre property is open for hikers and hunters and area groups can petition the board for one-day passes to use the land, Burke said. This winter the Rhode Island General Assembly overrode a gubernatorial veto on a bill that allows mountain bikers to use the property, he added. Because of this, the board has reopened its land use plan which, could stand to be rewritten, he said.
Creating a business plan with environmental engineering firm Westin & Sampson is the next step now that the water quality and quantity are established in the aquifer, Burke said.
They are working with us to discuss selling the water and from a financial position approaching the water supply community with what we have to offer, he said.
After the fieldwork is finished this spring, the final full permit package will go to RIDEM for review.
From Steve O
Hey Pete
Thought you might be interested to hear of an Environmental Police
encounter at Arcadia on Sunday morning. Group of six including
myself, Fred, and four friends from over the line in CT. His issue
was our compliance with the blaze orange requirement. Here’s what we
had:
Me: slightly faded orange fleece vest (which in the past you have
mentioned might not comply). Wrong-o, he liked it. I also had a
signficantly faded orange helmet cover. I passed.
Dan: bright orange long-sleeve cotton T-shirt worn as outermost layer. Passed.
Fred and two others: blaze orange mesh runner’s vests complete with
all the reflectors and piping and bright as the noonday sun. FAIL.
The law says it has to be SOLID. No mesh allowed.
Finally, one guy had on racing garb, about 1/4 of which was big
patches of bright freakin’ orange, head to toe, front to back. He had
the solid thing nailed, and he surpassed the 200 square inches by a
wide margin. While tinted slightly to the red side of true blaze
orange, it was plenty good enough in my opinion. FAIL. Envirocop
thought the color was too far from blaze orange. I realize the law
actually specifies the shade of orange scientifically, but neither the
envirocop nor I had a meter handy.
We finally got out of it and were allowed to continue our ride after
some polite discourse with me at the helm, Fred backup. I was playing
the graybeard card. Responsible adults, yessir, that’s us.
Message: them vests have got to be solid, no mesh; and perhaps it
goes without saying but the closer to true blaze orange the better.
Got any favorite sources for compliant blaze orange vests?
Best regards,
Steve O.
Orange Vests have been seen at:
Walmart (seasonal), Bass Pro Shop (seasonal), Construction Safety Equipment Stores (there one in East Prov)….
thanks for the heads up Steve!!!
still huffin & puffin pete
Where: Burlingame State Park, Charlestown, RI
When: 9:00 A.M., Sunday, February 21st, 2010
LED RIDES (trails not marked, go out in led groups)
Brought to you by EFTA and NEMBA
Cost: $5 for NEMBA members, $10 for Non-members
Proceeds benefit the Good Vibe Youth Ride
For more info/possible cancellation/directions: rinemba.org
Bring Reflective Orange (200 sq. in. solid, minimum)
Directions to Burlingame are:
From the north on Rt. 1, Charlestown, RI: Take the Prosser Trail exit
off Route 1 South (after the Kings Factory exit). Continue north on
Prosser Trail for about a mile to the Burlingame Park, Watchaug Pond
Picnic Area Parking Lot on left.
DO NOT take the Campground exit!
From the south on Rt. 1, Charlestown, RI: Take the Prosser Trail
turnaround on the left, directly after the Ninigret exit (on the
right), then take Prosser Trail exit off Route 1 South. Continue
north on Prosser Trail for about a mile to the Burlingame Park,
Watchaug Pond Picnic Area Parking Lot on left.
Contact Lennon at zel@cox.net for more info.