Founded in 1879, the Association was the first organization of its kind in the United States, providing members with sanitary guidance and oversight to improve public health. Waring later established the engineering firm Waring, Chapman & Farquhar in 1887, with offices in Newport and New York. Some of the original clay drainage pipes laid under his supervision are still in use today.

The City’s first wastewater treatment plant was constructed in 1955, using Imhoff tank technology to provide primary treatment, removing solids and allowing cleaner effluent from wastewater generated in Newport, Middletown, and portions of Naval Station Newport to be discharged. Before the plant was constructed, wastewater from homes, businesses, and industries flowed directly into local streams, drainage channels, and Narragansett Bay without treatment.

In the 1970s, the Water Pollution Control Division began an ambitious sewer separation program to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) into Narragansett Bay. During this time, much of the City’s stormwater system was installed, transforming the original combined network into a primarily sanitary sewer system. Many stormwater catch basins were disconnected from the old system and rerouted into the new stormwater infrastructure. While a separate stormwater system has been established, Newport’s sewer system still contains both separate and combined components.

To further reduce CSOs, the Wellington Avenue CSO Treatment Facility was constructed in 1978, designed to treat, store, and disinfect excess flows from the combined system portions in the southern part of the city. With advocacy from Save the Bay and strong community support, Newport voters approved a $4 million sewer bond in 1986 to modernize the treatment plant. Secondary treatment processes were added to meet increasingly stringent water quality standards. Secondary treatment goes beyond simply removing solids (which happens during primary treatment) to actually remove dissolved and organic matter that can harm the environment. Construction was completed in 1991. That same year, the Washington Street CSO Treatment Facility came online, further strengthening the City’s commitment to protecting Narragansett Bay.

Over the following two decades, WPC implemented 40 plus capital improvement projects under a mandated 20 year System Master Plan and Consent Decree with the EPA and RIDEM. These investments included the modernization of the Water Pollution Control Facility completed in 2019, while reducing CSO volumes by over 80 percent, an estimated 35 million gallons annually.

Today, every combined sewer overflow discharge in Newport is treated and disinfected before entering the Bay, a major environmental milestone compared to the pre 1955 era, when the city’s wastewater received no treatment at all. With that significant legacy behind us, the city’s primary water quality challenge has shifted: it is no longer untreated CSOs, but rather stormwater runoff that demands ongoing attention.

From its roots in 19th century public health reform to its 21st century focus on climate and community protection, the story of Newport’s Water Pollution Control Division is one of innovation and adaptation. What began as combined sewers and untreated wastewater has evolved into modern, dual systems that protect public health, ensure clean waterways, reduce flooding, and build a more resilient Newport for generations to come.