PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island health and environment officials warned residents of the potential threats posed by contaminated floodwaters, the Associated Press reported.
New England was struck by three days of heavy precipitation this week, causing massive flooding. Rhode Island was hit particularly hard, according to the story.
Raw sewage, garbage and other contaminants are being carried in floodwater to the state’s rivers and streams and may end up in Narragansett Bay, the ocean inlet that is the lifeblood of the shellfishing industry, the article stated.
Treatment plants in Warwick and West Warwick and a pump station in Cranston have been overwhelmed by the flooding, causing even more problems for the state’s citizens, according to the story.
“The impact on this infrastructure is unprecedented,” said Curt Spalding, administrator of the New England region of the Environmental Protection Agency. “It’s a very rare occurrence when wastewater plants are completely disabled by flood, literally taken out and become inoperable. This is a very serious matter.”
To read the entire article, click here.
For related information, click here.
Every month in 
