Town manager says Scarborough wastewater plant overwhelmed in summer; 20-year plan submitted to DEM

At the Narragansett Town Council meeting on Sept. 2, Town Manager Jim reported the town has submitted a facilities plan update for the Scarborough Wastewater Treatment Facility to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and expects to seek council adoption after DEM review.

The plan is a 20‑year facilities document intended to guide maintenance and upgrades for the plant, which serves the southern part of Narragansett near Scarborough Beach. "The raw sewage is not released into the ocean," Town Manager Jim said, describing how the plant treats effluent and discharges it via an outfall about 2,000 feet offshore under an existing permit. He said the plant "reliably meets and exceeds the permit requirements for 10 months out of the year approximately."

The manager told the council the plant cannot handle peak seasonal loads in July and August: "It's estimated to be approximately a 120,000 extra gallons of solid waste and liquid waste per day during that period of time," he said, and that condition has compromised treatment performance and caused odors in nearby areas. He said aeration equipment was last replaced in 2019 and that short‑term deodorizing measures have been used while longer‑term improvements are prioritized.

Town staff said DEM has inspected the facility and requested continued short‑term odor control and improved record keeping. The manager said the town applied for a grant to cover the facility maintenance plan (dates as spoken in the meeting were given as "October '2" and awarded in "January '3") and that an RFP was issued, with a consultant onboard for more than two years working toward DEM approval and then council adoption of the plan.

The manager told the council the plant could not be fixed quickly and emphasized coordination with DEM. He also noted that, as the town wraps up the summer season, parking enforcement officers issued just over 4,700 parking tickets for the season.

Why it matters: The plant serves Narragansett's southern neighborhoods and Scarborough Beach; seasonal peak flows that exceed the plant's processing capacity affect local air quality and suggest infrastructure needs that could require capital projects and outside funding. The facilities plan would shape those decisions over the next two decades.

Council response and next steps: Councilors asked whether the recent higher flows represent a new trend or a longstanding problem; the manager said the issue has been ongoing but was worse this year. The manager said the town and DEM are communicating and that staff will present the DEM‑reviewed facilities plan for council adoption once DEM completes its review.

Clarifying details from the meeting: Estimated extra peak seasonal load: "approximately a 120,000 extra gallons of solid waste and liquid waste per day" (as stated by Town Manager Jim). Last facility plan update: February 2007 (as stated). Aeration equipment replacement: 2019 (as stated). Short‑term deodorizing measures in use; DEM inspection noted odor detection outside the plant gate and record‑keeping concerns. Grant application and consultant work: described in the meeting as an application made in "October '2", awarded in "January '3"; the transcript did not specify full four‑digit years for those statements.

Speakers quoted in this report spoke during the town manager update portion of the meeting. The town manager said the plant "cannot handle" the seasonal peak loads and that there is "no quick fix."