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Council sends desalination concerns to Harbor Commission after residents raise water-quality questions
Summary
After receiving letters about a desalination proposal and private testing, the council voted to forward the matter to the Harbor Commission; the commission chair said state reviewers found the desalination design "conservative" and recommended a small outflow relocation.
The Little Compton Town Council voted to refer concerns about a proposed desalination unit and its harbor outflow to the Harbor Commission for technical review and report back to the council in August.
Council members discussed a resident's letter alleging water-quality problems and a private testing report. One councilor summarized that the item should be reviewed by the Harbor Commission before the council takes policy action. "Make a motion to send this to the Harbor Commission for discussion," a council member said; the motion carried by voice vote.
Ben Gauthier, chair of the Harbor Commission, told the council he had reviewed correspondence and participated in a RID (state) review of the preliminary design. "They found the design to be extremely conservative," he said, and reported that the Harbor Commission and reviewers recommended moving the unit's outflow slightly away from the town dock to give fishermen extra margin.
A harbor liaison and commercial fishermen described concerns that desalinated outflow with higher salinity could temporarily affect recirculating tanks used for catching shellfish. "They were concerned about the water being too salty going into the tanks, killing the catch," the liaison said, describing potential commercial impacts.
Council members asked the Harbor Commission to include any historical sampling data and prior correspondence in its review. The council's referral asks the Harbor Commission to return findings at the August council meeting and to clarify whether earlier letters or reports had been considered.
The referral is procedural: the council did not adopt an ordinance or condition the project; it requested technical review by the Harbor Commission before further action.
