Sewer district outlines steps to protect Bridgegate Square as committee weighs wider Ocean Avenue risks

Claire Cummings, acting chair of the New Shoreham Coastal Resilience Committee, opened the March 4 meeting with a focused discussion on Bridgegate Square and related infrastructure vulnerabilities.

The sewer district representative, Dylan (speaking for the sewer district), told the committee the district plans to raise the controls and egress at pump stations "5 feet over the existing elevation" and to bring controls up out of flood-prone areas. "Limiting the inflow in through manholes is … a prior priority," Dylan said, describing how inundation through manholes strains conveyance and pumps.

Why it matters: Bridgegate Square is a drainage hub for Ocean Avenue and adjacent streets; repeated inundation can overwhelm the town’s gravity sewer system, increase treatment costs and risk public-health impacts. Committee members and utility representatives said some sections of Ocean Avenue and low-lying areas near the Block Island Maritime Institute (BIMI) are already showing repeated problems.

Dylan outlined the district’s practical approach. He said submersible pumps can remain in the wet well during flood events but that the controls and working platforms must be kept dry and accessible. "The pumps themselves are submersible… It's really the controls that need to be removed," he said. The district has a portable generator that can connect to four of five pumping stations; Old Harbor Pump Station has a triple-backup arrangement, and the district's priority is to site on-site generators at lower stations where feasible.

Dylan gave capacity figures to explain operational margins: the wastewater treatment plant is rated for 450,000 gallons per day; current averages are roughly 53,000 gallons per day in the off season and about 230,000 gallons per day in summer, with July 4 peaks near 315,000–320,000 gallons. The district keeps 50,000-gallon tanks available for temporary offline detention. "At this point, I have no concerns about capacity," he said for normal operations, while adding extreme events present different risks.

Committee members and others read written input from Mike Shea of the roads department. Claire Cummings read Shea’s assessment that "stormwater for the most part is controllable in Bridgegate Square" but that one old culvert by the bagel shop and bank is compromised and needs engineering to replace or raise it. Shea also noted that Ocean Avenue and the Westside Road corridor were priorities for the town’s hazard mitigation planning.

Utility coordination and priorities emerged as a theme. Jeff Wright of the power company (written input discussed by the committee) said the power plant itself is on higher ground and not an immediate vulnerability, but the company would respond to roadway or sewer changes as needed. Members emphasized that elevating one piece of infrastructure can shift flood paths and that solutions must be considered at the watershed scale.

Cost and scope: private or structural fixes (for example, raising entire streets or pump stations in place) were described by Dylan as costly and often infeasible — "you would have to change the whole topography… That would be extremely costly." Committee members discussed options that range from targeted fixes (culvert repair, isolation valves or preemptive plugging of vulnerable laterals) to full engineering studies. Fuss & O'Neil and other firms had been contacted about studies; Dylan and others warned that an isolated engineering study for a single site can be expensive — the committee referenced a $200,000 estimate for a BIMI-focused building-and-site study, not including permitting or construction.

Public engagement and thresholds: Members and members of the public urged clearer thresholds for action (for example, what frequency or depth of inundation would trigger infrastructure reconfiguration or emergency isolation). A long public comment period urged the committee to define short-term contingency steps and longer-term thresholds, and to prioritize the continuity of essential services — police, fire, the grocery and airport access — when making trade-offs.

Next steps: Dylan said he would share engineering plans for pump-station raised platforms and other design documents with the committee. Allison Ring, town planner, reminded the group the town hazard mitigation plan is entering public review and a town-council hearing in early April; projects identified in that plan would be eligible for FEMA-related grant funding.

The discussion ended with members asking staff to compile existing reports and models, clarify the study scope, and prioritize short-list vulnerabilities for phase-based planning rather than pursuing standalone, high-cost studies without a defined problem statement.