WOONSOCKET Partially treated waste is entering the Blackstone River from the Woonsocket treatment plant, and residents are advised to avoid any contact with the river.
The discharge will continue indefinitely, a news release from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said Sunday afternoon, and while it is going on, people should not wade, swim, boat or fish on the river or eat fish from the river.
The R.I. Department of Environmental Management was notified Sunday morning by the privately operated Woonsocket Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility at 11 Cumberland Hill Rd. in Woonsocket. A DEM news release said the plant was given letters of noncompliance with operations and maintenance practices in November 2021 and March 2022. The precautions are in effect from the plant to the Slater Mill Dam in Pawtucket until further notice.
The BVPC will be paddling in the watershed but will avoid the Blackstone river from Woonsocket south, until it is deemed safe to paddle.