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Woonsocket officials press forward on incinerator shutdown amid regional debate over Quonset pyrolysis plan
Summary
Woonsocket leaders told the council they will move ahead with plans to close the city's wastewater incinerator and negotiate timelines with the Narragansett Bay Commission, while NBC and Quonset Development Corp. are proposing a pyrolysis processing facility at Quonset Point as an alternative. Councilors objected to late intervention by the governor and stressed the community’s interest in closure.
Woonsocket Mayor and council members told the City Council on May 4 they intend to proceed with a planned permanent closure of the city's wastewater incinerator and are negotiating a defined timeline and transition with the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC).
Mayor Beauchamp said NBC, in coordination with Quonset Development Corporation, has proposed a pyrolysis sludge-processing facility at state-owned Quonset Point to handle regional biosolids once Woonsocket ceases incineration operations. The mayor said the city has been managing sludge processing for decades and will not delay the incinerator shutdown while other communities debate alternatives.
"Woonsocket will not delay the closure of its incinerator while others debate whether they are willing to accept what we have managed for years," the mayor told the council. He said any agreement with NBC will include a "defined timeline for that closure by a date certain."
Multiple council members expressed frustration with what they described as last-minute state intervention in a matter NBC and Quonset Development Corp. have been researching for years. Council members said NBC has studied pyrolysis technology and that local leaders expect a transition plan that protects environmental and financial interests.
Supporters of the switch argued NBC's proposed alternative and the Quonset site would distribute responsibility across the region; opponents in neighboring North Kingstown have voiced environmental concerns. Council members said they respect those concerns but stressed that Woonsocket will move to end incinerator operations and seek offsite processing options.
Council members and the mayor said detailed contract drafts and legal reviews are under way and will be brought before the council for deliberation. One councilor asked for prompt presentation of facts and proposed agreements so the council can vote on any transfer of operations and timelines.
