Phase I of Dredging Completed Ahead of Schedule

We have a lot to celebrate with the completion of Phase I of the Providence River Dredging Project.

The Providence Foundation coordinated the project in partnership with the City of Providence, the Coastal Resources Management Council, The Nature Conservancy, WaterFire, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, and the I-195 Redevelopment District to recover The Providence River and its tributaries.

Dredging was completed ahead of schedule. Approximately 22,000 cubic yards of road silt and sand were removed from the bottom of the river. In certain areas, such as the Waterplace Park River basin, that extended to about 4 ft deep.

Significant sections of the rivers from Waterplace Park to Point Street Bridge were impassable to boat traffic 50% of the time. Mud and debris were exposed at low tide. The shallow depth and piled up muck threatened the rivers’ ecosystem and increased the risk of flooding. The build up of silt had a major impact on WaterFire, which could only take place at high tide, or with (an expensive) closure of the hurricane barrier necessary to maintain water depth.

How did we get here?

One reason: the basin that makes up Waterplace Park is a natural catch-all. The currents bring literal tons of salt, sand, and gravel along the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuk and it settles in the basin. Another–The river hasn’t been dredged “shore to shore” since the Providence River Relocation Project was completed in 1994.

“Have you seen sandstone? The way it’s layered? That’s what the bottom of Waterplace looked like, but every segment was lined with plastic bags.” Says dredging coordinator with the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, Dan Goulet.

“For every hour of dredging we need 15 minutes to clear our equipment”

Along with ropes and rags, plastic bags spell serious trouble for the dredging process which relies on a sort of vacuum with rotating blades. “For every hour of dredging we need 15 minutes to clear our equipment” says Paul Olander project manager from J.F. Brennan Company, who was contracted for the job.

In late October, Providence’s plastic bag ban ordinance took effect, which should significantly cut down on this particular type of refuse. However, while taking a tour the last day of dredging, I follow Goulet’s gaze towards a white blob floating on the surface of the river. He says, “They’re still floating down”

“They’re still floating down”

There are also talks in place to offer alternatives to Waterfire vendors’ red solo cup use, remedying our addiction to single use plastics, and improving trash can covers. As for the myriad of larger items found in the river, such as bikes, refrigerators, and rental scooters, Goulet hopes that more stringent oversight will be enforced in the future.

“The weirdest thing we ever found was a gym bag with boxing gloves. Those are hanging up in our trailer” Says Olander.

Dan Goulet surverys trash pulled from the river. Image by Kia Davis

Both the Woonasquatucket and the Moshassuk flow through several urban areas, where the waters take on sediment and garbage. Luckily, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council has rallied partners and invested heavily in revitalizing public spaces and assets along it’s shores. In total, sixteen acres of contaminated land and 52 acres of abandoned public lands have been restored. Community efforts such as these will go a long way in preventing the type of build up we’ve seen over the last few months.

Project Manager Paul Olander and Dredging Coodinator Dan Goulet. Image by Kia Davis

The recent work in both dredging and revitalizing land around our rivers will see greater flood storage capacity, improvement of water quality and habitat, and reduction of odor caused by siltation at low tide. Turning these areas into usable, enjoyable public spaces provides ample opportunity for environmental education and awareness among community leaders and the general public.

In fact, Dan Goulet has plans to turn the dredging project’s plastic trash haul into a traveling art project to speak to our impacts on our natural spaces. To realize this, he is working with both our dredging project partners and the Avenue Concept.

The Providence Foundation is working with the State House to secure funding for completion of Phase II dredging from the Pedestrian Bridge to the Hurricane Barrier.