Q&A: The proposed Misquamicut sewers

A proposal to extend the towns sewer line to parts of Misquamicut is being reviewed by town officials, including the Town Council and the Public Works Committee. What follows are 10 questions on the proposal. The answers are based on information provided by Town Manager Steven Hartford and other advocates of the project:

What is the catalyst/motive for the proposed project?

This is the third attempt to extend the sewer line to Misquamicut in recent memory. A similar effort was voted town during a town-wide referendum in 2000. Plans for sewers at Misquamicut were also rejected in 1984.

Officials say the current proposal comes in response to state environmental policies and a state Department of Environmental Management rule requiring owners of property within 200 feet of a coastal shoreline feature, including salt ponds, to install denitrification septic systems to replace cesspools. Nitrogen, a by-product of human and other animal waste, is thought to harm water bodies by causing fish disease, algae blooms and low dissolved oxygen levels.

After a meeting with Misquamicut Fire District residents in July, town officials set about looking for a long-term solution to prevent the proliferation of the costly denitrification systems, many of which require above ground sand filters that take up space in yards and many consider to be unsightly. The systems, which range in price from about $30,000 to $45,000, require maintenance and eventual replacement, and remove only about half of the nitrogen produced by a residence or commercial building. The solution developed by officials is the current sewer extension proposal.

Extending the sewer line, advocates and state environmental officials say, is the best environmental practice for the sensitive area and anticipates the implementation of stricter state regulations.

How was the project area determined? Why not extend the sewer line farther down Atlantic Avenue?

The proposal currently calls for two phases, both in what officials say is an environmentally critical area. The first phase of the project is a section of Atlantic Avenue, Maplewood Avenue to Winnapaug Road. Phase II is most of the rest of southwestern Misquamicut.

To extend the sewer line further down Atlantic Avenue, past Winnapaug Road, would risk disturbing the barrier beach and is prohibited by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), officials have said.

Is hooking into the sewer system optional?

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Q&A: The proposed Misquamicut sewers