Warwick officials review $3 million plan to dredge Warwick Cove; Nature Conservancy proposed as administrator

Warwick City planning staff and state officials briefed the City Council and the finance committee on a $3,000,000 dredging project for Warwick Cove and recommended contracting with The Nature Conservancy to manage the work.

The project, funded in the state budget, would focus on dredging the entrance to Warwick Cove where a sandbar narrows navigation near Oakland Beach. "The city had received $3,000,000 to execute this project, just the dredging of Warwick Cove," said Tom Kravitz, city planning director. Megan Depreet, manager of the Office of Planning and Development at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, told members she and DEM staff recommend using The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as a pass-through administrator because the conservancy has led similar projects and can move more quickly than state processes.

Why it matters: The cove is a recreational and boating access point for the city. Dredging could improve navigation and safety at the boat ramp but will require decisions about where to place dredged material. Placement affects cost and permitting and may trigger a public hearing, Depreet said.

Council members and residents asked about long-term costs and jurisdictional responsibilities. Councilwoman Donna Travis (Ward 6) urged the city to coordinate near the existing jetty at Oakland Beach to limit repeated sand deposition that covers the boat ramp, noting the Army Corps of Engineers had promised five‑year maintenance in prior meetings but had not delivered. "The Army Corps of Engineers stood there at a public meeting and said that they would dredge it every 5 years. They'd never been out there," Travis said.

Depreet and Kravitz said placement decisions will be central to final cost estimates and that TNC will evaluate options to keep costs within the $3,000,000 budget. "We know that we cannot go back to them for anything more than $3,000,000 or else we'll be voiding this contract," Depreet said. Kravitz told the council the channel entrance moves over time and that maintenance will likely be needed on a regular schedule; officials discussed a five‑year maintenance expectation.

Officials also noted they had reached out informally to the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and that CRMC and local harbor management coordination, including the harbor master, would be part of the permitting and placement decisions.

No formal council vote on the dredging contract was taken at the meeting. Staff said they would return with a procurement and contract recommendation, anticipated schedule revisions depending on approval timing, and opportunities for public engagement where required.

Ending: Project administration by a conservation organization aims to accelerate work, but council members and residents pressed for clarity on maintenance responsibilities and material placement to avoid repeating sand build‑up at the ramp and to protect public access.