EPA: Don’t swim in the Woony!

Seen warning signs posted along the Woonasquatucket River in Johnston or North Providence? Here’s why reading them is important.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns Johnston, North Providence and Providence residents to take caution around the Woonasquatucket River this summer as contamination in and around the water may pose health risks. Several signs posted along the river advise local residents to not eat the plants or wildlife that live in and around the river, swim or wade in the water or dig in the riverbanks.

“The warning signs are to remind [locals], and people who may not live along the river coming to visit, just about the safety around it,” said Charlotte Gray, community involvement coordinator for the EPA.

However, the EPA approves of canoeing and kayaking in the river, as well as walking, running and biking along the banks, but recommends washing thoroughly after any contact with the water, sediment or soil.

“There are safe ways to use the river. Boating is safe in the river, it’s mainly contact with the sediments and floodplain soil that we want people to avoid,” said EPA Remedial Project Manager Hoshaiah Barczynski.

The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council often hosts community paddle excursions in canoes or kayaks at various locations along the river, which are approved by the EPA.

“I would say that we’re not getting indications that the river is often used,” said Gray. “I’ve done some door-to-door work and people are well aware not to go in the river. The mayors on both the Johnston and North Providence sides have made it clear that people are not going into the river.”

The contamination in the Woonasquatucket River stems from the Superfund site at the Centredale Manor apartment complex. The site consists of about 9 acres, extending south from the Centredale Manor down the Woonasquatucket River to the Lyman Mill Dam, according to the EPA.

From the 1940s-1970s, the site was home to Atlantic Chemical Co. and New England Container Company, Inc., who contaminated the site with dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls. During that time, chemicals were released directly into the ground, buried and emptied directly into the river.

“This is not an EPA-led cleanup,” said Barczynski. “It is a cleanup that is being performed by the responsible parties, the people who have been legally found to be liable for this contamination.”

Since cleanup efforts started in the fall of 2019, remediation of the source area at the Centredale Manor has been completed. The cleanup process mainly consisted of consolidating and capping contaminated soil with a cap that is appropriate for hazardous waste.

The cleanup effort has now moved downriver, focusing on targeted areas where there has been higher contamination. “We have not yet taken on the entire floodplain soil of the river because we are still figuring out the best way to contain and dispose of the soil,” Barczynski said. “In the meantime, we have controls in place to prevent exposure to people. We have fencing along the site where contamination is at unacceptable levels, and we have signs downriver to prevent people from using the river in unsafe ways.”

Barczynski hopes people will someday be able to swim in the river.

The EPA is currently completing its five-year review of the Centredale Manor site. The cleanup team predicts that it will be completed in the fall, when it will be posted on the EPA website for public viewing. For urgent questions surrounding usage of the river, contact the EPA toll-free hotline posted on the warning signs, 1-888-372-7341.

“We’ll keep the public informed,” said Gray. “We’re here, and we’re available.”

Editor’s Note: Greta Shuster is a Beacon Media editorial summer intern.