PROVIDENCE, RI – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is soliciting comments on studies detailing total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) developed for bacteria impairments of the Nonquit Pond tributaries in Tiverton and Little Compton – Borden Brook, Quaker Creek, and Tributary to Nonquit Pond – and will hold a virtual public workshop on Monday, Jan. 30. At the workshop, DEM representatives will describe the state's water quality assessment process and TMDL development for the Nonquit Pond tributaries.
WHAT: Virtual public workshop to discuss Nonquit Pond tributaries TMDLs WHEN: Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, 3 PM WHERE: Zoom call (click here for link) Meeting ID: 410 439 8151 Passcode: 494430 Find your local number: by clicking here
To join the public hearing using your phone for audio, click on "Join by Phone" and follow the information on the screen to dial in. All participants will be muted upon joining the meeting. Following a presentation on the results, DEM will take questions and comments via voice or chat. To make a comment during the hearing, participants should click the "Raise Hand" button on the screen or type into the chat, which will be monitored.
All interested parties are invited to submit comments on the draft TMDLs by Wednesday, March 1. Written comments can be submitted to Skip Viator (skip.viator@dem.ri.gov) or by mail to Skip Viator, DEM, Office of Water Resources, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908. Draft documents can be found on our website.
DEM's Office of Water Resources assesses the quality of the state's surface waters by comparing available monitoring data against the state's established water quality criteria to determine whether the waters are suitable for such uses as swimming, fish/shellfish consumption, and aquatic life. As part of the process, DEM identifies surface waters that do not meet water quality criteria for which a water quality restoration study, known as a TMDL, is required in accordance with the federal Clean Water Act. The tributaries to Nonquit Pond were determined to be impaired for bacteria, and a TMDL to bring the waters back into compliance with water quality criteria was developed under Rhode Island's statewide bacteria core document.
For more information about DEM divisions and programs, visit www.dem.ri.gov or follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.