Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council
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Contact Info
The Watershed Council Office is at
27 Sims Avenue
Providence, RI 02909
(next to The Steel Yard)
Tel: 401.861.9046
Fax: 401.861.9038


If you have questions or comments about this site please contact Bruce Hooke

If you have questions about the activities of the Council please contact our Executive Director, Alicia Lehrer
Ongoing Projects

Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project

Fish Passage
Freshwater Wetland Restoration
Riparian Buffer Restoration Project
Centredale Manor/Woonasquatucket River Superfund Site
Unnamed Streams Project


Please see our Water Quality page for information about some other important projects in the watershed!
Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project
  Bicycles in Olneyville Square
 
Bikes await riders in Olneyville Square.

The Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project is a program of the Watershed Council to promote the development of a bicycle path, restoration of parks, and the reclamation of Brownfields for public use. Since its inception, 52 acres of public land have been restored for active and passive recreational use, and construction will begin on the off-road bicycle paths in 2004. Please visit the Greenway Project page for more information.

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Fish Passage

Fish have once again become a common sight in the tidal portions of the Woonasquatucket. The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is working with NRCS and other partners to provide fish passage at the first five dams on the Woonasquatucket to allow fish such as shad and herring, which migrate from salt water to fresh to spawn, and eels, which migrate from fresh to salt to spawn, to move up and down the lower river. The fish ladder at the first dam, at Rising Sun Mill is complete (see photo at right) and we are moving forward on the other dams. The next dam, known as Paragon Dam, is slated for removal this summer.

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Freshwater Wetland Restoration

A collaboration of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) and the University of Rhode Island Department of Natural Resources Science began in the summer of 1999 to identify and prioritize wetland sites for future restoration. This project is funded by the EPA and has two phases.

Phase I:

  • Development of restoration site identification methods, using:
    • Current and historical aerial photos, RIGIS data, field surveys
  • Development of site nomination form
    • To involve watershed residents and to benefit from local knowledge base
  • Review of proposed methods by watershed and wetland restoration stakeholders

Phase II:

  • Identification of sites in the entire watershed
  • Prioritization of identified sites
  • Feasibility studies at selected high-priority sites
  • Feasibility study (ecological, economic, administrative)
    • e.g. cost estimates, logistical concerns
  • Development of a Freshwater Wetland Restoration Plan for the entire watershed
    • Including site recommendations, potential funding sources, etc.
  • Creation of a web site that focuses of freshwater wetland restoration in Rhode Island
  • Collaboration with watershed residents, wetland restoration stakeholders, and other restoration programs throughout the project
Read the Project Overview (PDF Format - about PDF format)
For more information, please contact:
Carol Murphy Nick Miller
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
 Dept. of Natural Resources Science
Office of Water Resources 210B Woodward Hall
235 Promenade St. University of Rhode Island
Providence, RI 02908 Kingston, RI 02881
(401)222-4700 ext. 7208 (401)874-7058
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Riparian Buffer Restoration Project

A grant from the U.S. Forest Service and collaboration with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) made it possible for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council to hire a consulting firm, Kleinschmidt Associates, to:

  • Identify potential riparian sites along the river
  • Inventory and prioritize riparian restoration opportunities
  • Select appropriate demonstration site
  • Implement demonstration site restoration

The results of this project are available on the RI DEM website. The Watershed Council is using the results of this report to select riparian buffer sites for restoration projects.

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Centredale Manor/Woonasquatucket River Superfund Site

Remedial actions to address dioxin contamination in the Centredale Manor area, and downstream from this area, continue under the guidance of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others. For details see the separate page we have set up just for this project: Centredale Superfund Site

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Unnamed Streams Project

The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council in partnership with Audubon Society of Rhode Island is trying to identify names for the unnamed streams in the watershed. To view a map of the named and unnamed streams in the watershed click here. If you know the name of any of the unnamed streams in the watershed please contact us.

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