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News Release
RI Department of Environmental Management
235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
For Release: July 24, 2002
Contact: Gail Mastrati 222-4700 ext. 2402
Stephanie Powell 222-4700 ext. 4418

DEM AWARDS $825,000 IN STORM WATER MANAGEMENT GRANTS

PROVIDENCE - Department of Environmental Management Director Jan Reitsma today awarded 33 cities and towns a total of $825,000 in grants that will improve water quality throughout Rhode Island. The grants, from the Rhode Island Clean Water Trust Fund, will be used to develop storm water management plans.

"These grants will provide vital support to Rhode Island's cities and towns to assist them in the development of storm water management plans," said Governor Lincoln Almond, who congratulated the communities for their commitment to the ongoing process of protecting and preserving water resources.

"Storm water control and management is a critical aspect of maintaining and restoring the quality of our state's waters," said DEM Director Reitsma. "The grants presented today reflect DEM's commitment to working in partnership with municipalities and providing them with the financial resources needed to develop local storm water management plans."

Storm water runoff is one of the most significant remaining sources of water pollution. When it rains or snows, the water that runs off streets, parking lots, industrial sites, and construction sites can wash sediments, oil, grease, toxics, nutrients, pathogens, and other pollutants into nearby storm drains that discharge to local streams and waterways. A significant public health and environmental threat, storm water runoff can contaminate drinking waters as well as cause beach and shellfish closures. Urban development is highly correlated with water pollution. Storm water management programs help to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization on our water resources.

Municipalities that develop storm water management plans will take an important first step toward meeting new pollution discharge elimination system regulations that became effective this spring. Rhode Island is required to implement these regulations as part of a new federal mandate from the EPA. The new regulations require Rhode Island's 32 municipalities with storm sewers in urbanized areas to obtain permits for their storm water discharge by March 2003. To obtain a permit, each municipality must develop a local storm water management program.

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