Home / Water Division / NWD Capital Improvement Projects / Easton Pond Interim Stabilization Project
NWD Capital Improvement Project
Active Construction
Project Type
Dam Safety and Interim Stabilization
Current Phase
Active Construction
Estimated Cost
Not separately budgeted
Funding
Water Division Operating Budget
The Easton Pond Interim Stabilization Project consists of vegetative clearing and stabilization for the sediment basin associated with the North and South Easton Pond Dams. The work addresses near-term dam safety concerns while the City advances the long-term Easton Pond Dam Resilience Project. The interim project is designed in alignment with state dam safety regulations and critical drinking water supply protections.
Increasing storm frequency and intensity have created the need for additional structural reinforcements to prevent damage and reduce risk until the long-term stability plan can be implemented. The associated risk of structural deterioration necessitates urgent mitigation measures.
The Easton Ponds are the primary drinking water source for the City of Newport, the Town of Middletown, and a portion of the Town of Portsmouth. The long-term resilience project will deliver comprehensive coastal storm protection, but that project requires multi-year design, permitting, and federal funding. The Interim Stabilization Project protects dam integrity in the near term, preventing the conditions described above from progressing into a structural failure event while the larger project is funded and built.
The permitted scope of work, as approved by RIDEM and CRMC, is Vegetative Clearing and Stabilization for Sediment Basin (North and South Easton Pond). Work elements include:
The Newport Water Division submitted an Application for State Assent to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), Office of Compliance and Inspection. The application was accompanied by a project report and engineering plans detailing the Interim Stabilization Project.
Current project approvals take precedence over and supersede any previous approvals.
The Easton Ponds are the primary drinking water source for Newport, Middletown, and a portion of Portsmouth. Protecting dam integrity now prevents near-term structural risk while the long-term resilience project is funded and built.
The Interim Stabilization Project is being implemented to protect the integrity of the primary drinking water supply for Newport, Middletown, and a portion of Portsmouth. Drinking water service to customers will not be interrupted by this work. Construction-phase impacts on site access and nearby roadways will be communicated to the public as construction advances.
This page summarizes a long-term capital project. Information is updated as design, permitting, and construction milestones are reached. For questions, please contact the Newport Department of Utilities at 401-845-5600.