PROVIDENCE - The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that it has reissued discharge permits for the Narragansett Bay Commission's (NBC) Bucklin Point and Field's Point Wastewater Treatment Facilities.
The Bucklin Point facility serves Central Falls, Cumberland, Pawtucket, and portions of Lincoln, East Providence, and Smithfield. The Field's Point facility serves Johnston, Providence, North Providence, and portions of Lincoln and Cranston. The new Rhode Island Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (RIPDES) permits authorize the discharge of treated domestic/industrial sewage from these facilities, stormwater that enters the combined sewer systems, and the Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) associated with the collection systems. The permits set discharge limits to protect water quality and ensure compliance with technology-based caps.
Under the new permit requirements, NBC must also expand their current program to reduce the amount of stormwater discharged to its combined sewer systems; develop a system to provide web-based notification to the public on CSO occurrences; and develop a resiliency plan with actions that will be taken to maintain operation and protect key collection and treatment system assets from climate change impacts. The previous RIPDES permits for these facilities were issued in 2001 and modified in 2005 to include nitrogen limits. DEM has been working with NBC on the reissuance of the permits since 2015, and held a public hearing on the draft permit in January 2017.
Visit www.dem.ri.gov to view the permits and response to comments. Follow DEM on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM or on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) for timely updates.