Westerly - State of Rhode Island: Division of Planning

The Westerly Comprehensive PlanThe second largest of the Westerly ponds is Winnapaug (446 acres), between the Misquamicut andWeekapaug areas of the town. Dense development, particularly in Misquamicut and Weekapaug,has produced high runoff rates from these areas. In some cases, stormwater drainage carrieseffluent from failing septic systems. Safe shell fishing limits for bacteria have been exceeded in thepond. It appears that dissolved phosphorus concentrations there have decreased threefold duringthe last 10 years; however, nitrate concentrations in Golf Course Cove and adjacent waters haveremained very high. 28The third and smallest Westerly pond is Maschaug Pond (42 acres), located between the areas ofMisquamicut and Watch Hill, unique in that it is completely land-locked, although major stormevents periodically result in influx of salt water. The Town of Westerly Onsite Wastewater ManagementPlan reports that Maschaug Pond is well protected from runoff generated in Misquamicut by anearthen dike and, subsequently, there are few threats to water quality in the pond. However, thereare no water quality monitoring data to support this assertation.4.3.2 Quality of GroundwaterThe town of Westerly withdraws water from the Bradford and Westerly Aquifers through sevenlarge community supply wells: Bradford Wells I and II, the Crandall Well, and the three White RockWells. The Noyes Avenue Well is currently not approved by the RIDEM.The quality of the Pawcatuck Basin’s groundwater is generally good to excellent, but there areisolated sources of contamination. Hazardous waste spills have been documented in the Crandall,Noyes Avenue and White Rock wellhead protection areas. 29 As of 2006, the RIDEM hadinventoried 38 leaking underground storage tanks, several of which are located within Westerly’saquifer recharge and wellhead protection areas.Elevated levels of nitrates and bacteria, which can result from failing septic systems, have beendetected in the system. 30 Research at the University of Rhode Island estimates that septic systemsaccount for more than 50 percent of all nitrogen entering the watershed as recharge groundwater. 31The Noyes Avenue and White Rock well head protection areas have both experienced chemicalcontamination events from fuel spills. The wells in the system have also exhibited elevated levels ofsodium, resulting from winter road salting. 324.4 Management and Protection of Surface Waters4.4.1 Watershed LevelEntities responsible for management and protection of surface waters include the RIDEM Office ofWater Resources (groundwater quality, stormwater management, onsite wastewater, and wetlandsregulations), the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) (preservation, protection,development and restoration of coastal areas, including coastal wetlands) and the Rhode IslandRivers Council (RIRC) (oversight, planning and coordination).28 …Ibid. p. 529 …University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension, April 2003, Westerly Source Water Assessment, Appendix E, pp. 1-4…James J. Geremia & Associates, Inc., March 2001 (revised December 2001), Water Supply System Management Plan Update for WesterlyDepartment of Public Works Water Supply Division: Volume I – (Part 1 of 2), p. 5-530 …University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension, April 2003, Westerly Source Water Assessment, pp. 2-631 …Pawcatuck Watershed Partnership, 1998, The Pawcatuck Watershed Report, p. 1332 …University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension, April 2003, Westerly Source Water Assessment, pp. 2-6peter j. smith & company, inc. 46