Work Performed in Conjunction with Centredale Manor Restoration Superfund Project
PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management announces that work to limit access to the flood plain of the Woonasquatucket River in North Providence will begin next week. This work will be performed in connection with the Centredale Manor Restoration Superfund Project and will limit access and exposure to potential contamination from the Centredale Manor Superfund site resulting from flooding of the river.
DEM has hired a local contractor, United Fence of Johnston, to construct fences and install new cover on properties that have experienced flooding from the river. The contractor will be working from the northern boundary of the Centredale Manor Superfund Site along the Woonasquatucket River in North Providence and moving south towards the Lyman Mill Dam. The project will continue through September.
"DEM is pleased to perform this interim action, while working with EPA towards a long-term, complete, site-wide remedy," said DEM Director Janet Coit. "This work will mitigate risks to public health by preventing potential exposure to dioxin and protect the Woonasquatucket River by mitigating the spread of contaminants. We are also pleased to hire a local business to perform the work and create jobs in Rhode Island."
The Centredale Manor Restoration Project was listed on EPA's National Priorities List in February 2000. EPA has coordinated with DEM and the RI Department of Health on a comprehensive environmental cleanup for the Site. In September 2012, EPA issued a cleanup plan for 1.5 miles of contaminated property in and along the Woonasquatucket River. This plan included the cleanup of multiple contaminants, including dioxins.
Limiting access to the flood plain is a necessary precaution until the cleanup gets underway. DEM will be managing and overseeing the construction project.
For additional information, contact Louis R. Maccarone II, in DEM's Office of Waste Management at 401-222-2797, ext. 7142 or via email at louis.maccarone@dem.ri.gov; or Emily Zimmerman at EPA at 617-918-1037 or via email at zimmerman.emily@epa.gov.