The goal of the Island Waters projects is to improve water quality on and around Aquidneck Island by establishing an effective partnership for managing stormwater among the three Island municipalities. AIPC works with its municipal partners in Middletown, Portsmouth and Newport, Aquidneck Land Trust, Clean Ocean Access and Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District (ERICD) to leverage approximately $1.8 million in funding.

The Island municipalities, RI DEM, EPA, NIEWPCC and RIIB have prioritized, designed and constructed stormwater improvements, implemented best management practices, and have engaged the public in support of community investments to restore water quality. These green stormwater infrastructure installations benefit our shared coastal and drinking waters and were completed at a fraction of what it would have cost for each municipality to implement them independently.

The first was a Wet Vegetated Treatment System (WVTS) on Island Drive in Middletown, which improves the health of Sisson Pond in Portsmouth. The photos below capture pre-, during and post-construction at Island Drive. The second was a Best Management Practice (BMP) at Hoogendoorn Nurseries in Middletown which redirects polluted stormwater from flowing down Berkeley Avenue to a catchment basin, improving the health of the Maidford River.