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Councilors press DPW on flooding along shared Narragansett Bay interceptors; department cites inter-jurisdiction limits
Summary
Councilors asked DPW about recurring flooding tied to regional interceptors that cross Providence and Narragansett Bay authority infrastructure; DPW said some pipes are regional assets under the Bay authority and recommended joint planning but committed to continued proactive local maintenance.
Councilors pressed DPW Wednesday about recurring flooding in areas served by regional sewer interceptors, including stretches where the city—s pipes tie into regional infrastructure overseen by Narragansett Bay or other regional authorities.
Residents and councilors said episodic flooding and backups on streets such as Hamilton Street are recurring problems that require coordination beyond the city—s immediate control. DPW acknowledged the problems, described recent proactive maintenance and cleaning the department has done with new equipment and an expanded crew, and said larger interceptor repairs fall to the regional authority that owns the interceptors.
Why it matters: Flooding from overloaded or failing sewer interceptors causes property damage, safety risks and repeated constituent complaints. Councilors asked what steps the city is taking to improve responsiveness and what joint planning can be undertaken with the regional authority.
DPW response and next steps DPW said it has invested in additional sewer crew capacity and vacuum truck equipment to address cleaning and localized maintenance; staff described repeated efforts to make affected locations safe and to do temporary fixes while the city coordinates with the regional interceptor owner for long-term repairs. DPW also said it has done proactive work in flood-prone neighborhoods this year.
Councilors asked DPW to escalate communication with the regional authority and to report back with a joint plan for longer-term fixes where the interceptors are the likely cause of recurring backups.
Ending: DPW said it will continue proactive cleaning and short-term fixes and will seek a joint strategy with the regional sewer authority to pursue durable repairs and funding where the larger interceptor is the responsible asset.
