SAVE NORTH KINGSTOWN
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56% of Registered NK Voters are Independent
NORTH KINGSTOWN WATER
ABSOLUTELY
FAKE
NEWS!!
Please read below to learn about what
is really going on in this town. There are some people who will profit from further development, at the demise of our (barely) clean drinking water.
*"The Groundwater Committee recommended that the GW Reservoir should maintain its current protections and not be downgraded to the status of the GW Recharge Area. The Groundwater Committee is not recommending any additional protections to the Reservoir.
Tom Sgouros' following statement in the "clean water-yes" document (link below) is wrong and very misleading. "The problem with protecting the entire recharge area at the same level as the wellhead area is that there is quite a bit of the recharge area that cannot be a well because of other restrictions, like the perimeter requirement. Unnecessary restrictions are a route to legal liability for the town, so it would simply be too expensive to increase restrictions with no specific purpose (i.e. someone will sue)."
*DEMOCRATIC MISINFORMATION MACHINE - Unfortunately Tom Sgouros is spewing out misinformation to push thru the “development at all cost” agenda. After all party member campaigns over 75% funded by those outside NK and much of it by the builder trade unions who don’t drink our water. Kathleen Guarino who is a member of the groundwater committee tried to correct him. He refused to modify his article based on “his” definitions. I tried to correct him as he lied about the reservoirs not being included in the wellhead protection. My post showing the Hunt reservoir is indeed included in our town ordinance still in effect today, deleted. He is controlling the narrative. He references an ordinance that prohibits industrial uses suggesting all is protected, but it’s the commercial use protections that are being downgraded and removed. He places confidence in newly added monitoring well requirements. These are the equivalent of smoke detectors in your house, they don't prevent the fires. Once they show cause for alarm, it’s too late, damage is done. Preventing hazardous uses from building over the groundwater eliminates the possibility of contamination, monitoring only lets you know the contamination has happened.
Things derail when he claims the Groundwater and Conservation committee are trying to include the whole recharge area (50% of NK) in the wellhead protection. This is totally false. The Committees are asking to MAINTAIN the reservoirs (key pockets of saturated soils deep enough to satisfy potential public wells) which are CURRENTLY BEING PROTECTED!
He puppets the Water Directors narrative the 11-12 acres perimeter requirement around wellsites as if that is all the protection needed. RIDEM has expanded Well 6 protection area alone from 300 acres to 700 acres stretching from Old Baptist clear over to Exeter (1.5 miles). Then he blames the bulk of contamination on you and I. While the town cannot ban the pesticides and fertilizers we buy at Home Depot and put on our lawns, they currently have the statutes in place to prohibit 11 hazardous commercial uses from locating over the Hunt Reservoir. Why do away with them?
When Tom says, “It is not going to make it easier for developers to build” it’s naïve, he doesn’t understand, or an outright lie. The town is purposley opening a window to allow developers to submit plans for toxic and hazardous uses over the Hunt Reservoir where they "currently" are banned before the town finalize plans for wellhead relocations which may very well create new wellhead protection zones over this same area. Dangerous uses are only banned from wellhead protection areas protecting todays existing wellheads. There is no foresight to protect future wellhead locations.
*The new re-write of the water ordinance does indeed have the reservoirs as just another aspect of the “recharge” general area, whereas the original kept reservoirs in the protection of the well head areas. This new recharge reference makes it “easy” for developers."
DRINKING WATER:
The source(s) of our drinking water is referred to as Groundwater 1 (aquifers) which is recharged by Groundwater 2 (surrounding areas).
*NK CVD Zoning vs NK Drinking Water Quality and Supply #2*
North Kingstown’s Compact Village Development
(CVD) ordinance allows for compacted commercial and
residential property. Once an area is rezoned and
developed CVD, the commercial development can
increase.
Over a 3 year period 2012 – 2015) NK, officials
exclusively targeted (3) Ten Rod Rd areas for CVD
zoning for increased development -
• Rolling Greens
• Home Depot / Stop & Shop / Walmart Plaza’s
• Lafayette Village
- The 3 targeted CVD’s are within NK’s Groundwater Zone 1 and or Zone 2.
- NO areas outside of Ten Rod Rd have been proposed for CVD rezoning.
- FACT: if our aquifer becomes contaminated, our drinking water will be unsafe for years.-
March 13, 2021
My letter to Town Council regarding Groundwater Ordinance
John McGinn (Geologist and Groundwater Committee Chair) stated things so simple at the first public hearing. In essence, “The wellhead protection areas protect the water drawn from the current wells. The reservoir protection protects the water drawn from future wells”. With plans currently underway to relocate well 6 due to contaminants in the water (my understanding PFOS, PFAS, or PFOA Town refuses to share the report with the public), and 3 other wells with natural occurring manganese from another area which Tim does not want to spend the $6M to treat for; relocation of wells is a necessity and options for wellsite locations are dwindling. New wells will always be over or very near to the reservoir due to the capacity needs for public wells. Now is not the time to remove reservoir protection from the ordinance.
In speaking with Ralph, he mentioned that the town staff was hesitant because it would require non-DEM maps. That is not the case at all and demonstrated on his computer. The RIDEM map has multiple layers including the reservoirs, community wellhead protection areas, and recharge areas and others. Each layer easily toggled on or off.
Please add the following highlighted text- (c) Criteria for designation of groundwater protection overlay zones. The designated zones described in this subsection have been mapped based on the best available scientific information. The most current RIDEM Groundwater Classification Map, Groundwater Aquifer/Reservoir Map and Wellhead Protection Area Map included in the RIDEM Groundwater Quality Rules (250-RICR-150-05-3) will be utilized. The characteristics of soils and subsoils in these areas are such that any use introducing pollutants, contaminants, or waste into the natural drainage system could adversely affect the quality of municipal drinking water sources.
The groundwater recharge and wellhead protection overlay district zones are as follows:
(1) Wellhead Protection/ReservoirOverlay Zones:
Designation: Wellhead Protection Overlay Zones for community water supply wells are areas
underlain by groundwater classified GAA by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental
Management (RIDEM) pursuant to Rule 3.9(A)(1) of the Groundwater Quality Rules (250-RICR-
150-05-3). All of North Kingstown’s municipal wells are completed in stratified drift; the wellhead
protection overlay zones were determined using an analytical model for delineation of well
capture zones in stratified drift and hydrogeologic mapping of the upgradient till deposits.
These areas directly contribute recharge to our municipal wells, making them critical to the
protection of our drinking water quality. This zone also includes those areas mapped as groundwater
Reservoirs (>40 feet saturated thickness, >4,000 ft. sq./day transmissivity) in the Hunt, Annaquatucket,
Pettaquamscutt and Chipuxet aquifers.
Why is town staff and Planning Commission digging their heels in so deep to remove protections that have been around for decades uncontested? Why would you put future drinking water at risk? With all the land in North Kingstown, why is it so important to locate 11 hazardous and specific uses currently prohibited over our reservoirs to now locate in these sensitive limited areas? There are endless commercial uses still allowed and less than a dozen hazardous uses that are being restricted for good cause. Who is behind this?
If you downgrade the reservoirs [as you appear to be], and you move well 6 south eliminating the WHPA, [as you currently are focusing your testing sites]; you will free up the whole bottom half of our largest deposit of drinking water (the Hunt Reservoir) to add new car dealerships, medical, dental, machine shops and just a couple other hazardous uses currently prohibited in wellhead and reservoir areas. You will open up 80% of the Hunt Reservoir, equivalent to the blue outline depicted as “789 ac” shown in Groundwater Resources map above. You are placing a major portion of our reservoirs at risk and appear to be placing development interests over public health and safety. Instead of listening to the Groundwater and Conservation Committees, geologists and hydrologists or the majority of the public who spoke at the public hearing; why are you so resolute on removing uncontested protections put in place for decades? Why not just leave the reservoirs protected and walk away with a slam dunk ordinance everyone is happy with?
Kevin Maloney
The Planning Department and Water Department have plans to downgrade protections of our Groundwater Reservoir as part of the complete rewrite of the NK Code of Ordinances section 21-186 “Groundwater recharge and wellhead protection overlay districts”. Please read the attached informational PDF and feel free to distribute.
Wickford Junction
(Between Walmart and the train station.)
Developers can’t complain about difficulty in getting projects thru NK these days. Planning Commission ignores key elements of our ordinances and Comp Plan. Lately on the Groundwater Protection ordinance, put in place to protect the quality of our drinking water ignored with one development receiving 11X the allowed density for the site. And last night the Planning Commission unanimously recommended they would vote favorably to approve the 152 Apartments for Wickford Junction.
Public was mainly focused on wastewater issues, not the apartments. There was significant discussion and agreement by the developer, PC, and public that the current OWTS system has grossly been improperly maintained. The current system (apparently operated by an association comprised of all WJ businesses) has had numerous issues including allowing trees to grow over the leech fields, missing manhole covers, and broken vent pipes and even raw sewage witnessed by the town engineer flowing across the parking lot and into storm water basins from one of the association tenants. Yet without hesitation the PC is approving the project.
PC and developer acknowledge the OWTS is currently vastly under-utilized and the developer is seeking modification of the zoning ordinance from the Town Council so he will be exempt from the density set forth in the Groundwater Protection Overlay and allow them to max out the nutrient loading levels for the site.
WJ’s current OWTS has brought to light the town’s lack of enforcement for OWTS system failures. However the developer had issues with a proposed penalty that called for shutting down the system and trucking out the wastewater if the system exceeded allowable nutrient loading until rectified, calling it Draconian. So the PC has asked the developer to come back at the Preliminary Stage with their suggestions for suitable penalties to impose on them when the nitrate loading exceeds allowable limits!
Sadly, on the trip home after leaving the PC meeting, I could smell raw sewage out on Ten Rod Road as I passed by WJ. Tonight 12/27 the smell was as pungent as I ever remember at WalMart. Hard to believe the PC ignores the historical issues at this site and trusts the site ownership to approve maximum residential density. When things go wrong, it will be in grand style!
Worse than originally thought!
Due to current ownerships neglect and lack of maintenance, vegetation had obscured the drainfield portion of the problematic Wickford Junction Treatment Plant. Dialing back time and utilizing a 1997 map on the RIDEM GIS site, it has become apparent that the drainfield partially sits over the reservoir and only 113’ from Well 6 Wellhead Protection Area. 152 residential units along with wastewater from all other Wickford Junction commercial uses concentrated in one small location over our reservoir and just over 100’ from Well 6 protection area. Doesn't bode well for the drinking water. Master Plan Public Hearing Tuesday 7:30p at Municipal Office Bldg. (KM)
From Planning Dept write up for the upcoming Wickford Junction Apartments Master Plan Public Hearing on Tuesday 12/21. Gotta appreciate the date knowing everybody is busy with Christmas preparations to attend the meeting. Agenda and background material can be found here: http://www.northkingstown.org/.../Agenda/_12212021-2192 The issue for me isn't the apartments. The issue is piping wastewater across the development and within 50-100' of the reservoir and 200' of wellhead protection area for well 6. Whats a little more chlorine in the water for those in the north end.
Wickford Junction will pipe sewerage to the septic system over Ground Water #1. This system is 20 years old, it can not handle that much more volume...and it is OVER Ground Water 1...drinking water.
Is this what you want to be drinking in North Kingstown? Do you want your children drinking it? Your pets? Do you want to bathe in it? Clean with it?
Vote November 2022...
Preferably for those who care about North Kingstown, not those who lobby to build more in North Kingstown! (BUILDRI)
Pinewood Village
(The old Baldhill Nursery)
Tuesday night the Planning Commission approved the 88 unit (22 affordable) Pinewood Village project. This proposal applied through the Comprehensive Permit process, was given boundless latitude.
The commission was tenacious on changing language to include “shall” and “must” throughout setting the conditions; yet totally disregarded its use, (which they originally drafted) in determining if the project fit the underlying zoning of CVD. 21-95 (1) and (4) Establishment of CVD District/Allowable uses A CVD must include both residential and nonresidential uses as allowed in section 21-95(4). When Rolling Greens was on the docket they refused acknowledge the Bald Hill Master plan w/ 70k commercial approved and said CVD developments are treated separately. Now that RG is approved, they claim CVD development is treated as a whole.
More importantly, the Groundwater
Protection Overlay was put in place to
enforce Public Health and Safety of the town
drinking water. Public health and Safety is a
grounds to deny a Comp Permit. Per our
ordinance: Groundwater recharge and
wellhead protection overlay 21-186 (d)(1)
Permitted uses in Zone 1 and Zone 2
Groundwater Protection Areas. The average
density of any residential development shall
not exceed one dwelling unit per two acres
and the use is not prohibited in table 1 in
subsection (h) of this section . No density
bonuses shall be granted in groundwater
protection areas. This project is 11X the
allowed density for that property! After
subtracting what is allowed (7 market rate/1
affordable), the PC has granted an additional 59 market value units to the developer and ignored groundwater protection statutes; all to gain 15 affordable units over the 10% requisite for the town.
I don’t understand how this “shall” could be overlooked. How is it the commission decides 5mg/l (taken from the Groundwater Overlay ordinance) is a hard line in the sand, but no bonuses densities allowed can be ignored and allow not double but 11X?
I applaud the affordable living aspects. My beef is the continuing disregard for our groundwater and ignoring of zoning ordinances. I would welcome the project anywhere in town, even across the street with a zone change, where it isn’t in a groundwater protected zone.
The only good coming out of this is the majority of the community has been fighting to keep the commercial out of the area for years. (KM)
NK WATER:
NK has 11 wells that draw water from 3 reservoirs. 3 of the 11 wells have been shut down due to manganese and the town is looking to relocate a 4th. We are running out of areas to draw the water from. The kicker is the town is focusing development over one of the main NK reservoirs rather than Post Road.
#Fact: All of the Rolling Greens residential wastewater (approx. 96 dwellings) is going to a treatment plant directly over the newly defined wellhead protection area for Well 6.
#Fact: The town has known about this newer information for a number of years and it’s been on the back burner for the Planning Commission to review and get approved by the Town Council.
#Fact: Wickford Junction wants to build 152 apartments and plans on pumping the wastewater across the development to a spot less than 100 feet from one of our reservoirs.
Fact: Tarbox was approved despite the town ordinances prohibiting new automobile dealerships directly over the reservoir. The oceans are rising and maybe we can all switch over to expensive desalinization. That’s the way things are heading.
Kevin Maloney
The Town Council has blamed social media (you) for spreading misinformation about their recent vote to downgrade our groundwater protection in certain areas. This article explains where the misinformation is actually coming from.
https://www.independentri.com/opinion/article_f557d0ea-aaea-11ec-bffb-57ea03ab3db6.html?fbclid=IwAR1lO26XUOQz82GAsfON-9vQ_kPwoAnLpnc2n9P088aTmQu3Pnurwyg5RgI
*While the bulk of the proposed ordinance is certainly positive, the Director of Water is seeking to weaken NK’s groundwater protection by removing the reservoirs from the highest of 2 tier protections. This would allow various hazardous commercial uses to develop over our reservoirs, which currently are not allowed. The town council appointed Groundwater Committee (including geologist and soil specialist) and our Conservation Committee have both unanimously voted to continue the highest tier protection for the town reservoirs. The Planning Commission over 3 meetings has failed to even discuss the merits of maintaining reservoir protection and is pushing forward with the Director of Waters proposed draft removing them. Meanwhile one third of the town’s wells are down due to Manganese, staining, and other contaminants, one being drawing sand into the system. Why would the guy we trust to provide safe drinking water be pushing to open up protected sources of drinking water for more hazardous development? This is our drinking water folks!
QDC's new well #3 is a Drinking Water Well within 2,000 Ft of the pond that has a 30 inch pipe from the facility going into it. (New Transfer Station on Rt 403, past the dump). Written in the permit it states backwashing of area in facility is permitted. Water will contain Asbestos, Creosote, Oils and Pesticides from spray of wood debris. Section 11 states few homes are located north and northwest of this location....if DEM had made a site visit, they would have seen Old Baptist Rd, School St, Davisville Rd, and Sachem Rd.
Due to Covid... DEM Staff worked from home not in the office.
North Kingstown’s Town drinking water is drawn from (underground) aquifers which are vulnerable to contamination. Until recently, measured levels of contamination in our drinking water was considered safe for consumption. Unfortunately, that has changed prompting the closure of nearly 50% of Town Wells due to unsafe levels of contamination. THEN, without concern to the growing contamination of our Town wells (drinking water), Councilors Mancini, Page and Anderson decided to take a huge step backwards by voting to DOWNGRADE our aquifer and Well Protections. WHY? Furthermore, after our Water Director publicly stated that there was no reason for the downgrading our drinking water, I publicly asked Councilors Mancini, Page and Anderson “why are you downgrading our drinking water protections” - they did NOT respond.
A huge debt of thanks to Kevin Maloney for all that he tried to do for North Kingstown! You can see that he spent an enormous amount of time researching, documenting, and trying to protect the different water sources in town. Let us please take all of his effort to heart and save North Kingstown...the water, the trees, the wildlife, and the rural character.
THANK YOU KEVIN!!