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City outlines $50 million resilience plan for Easton's Pond; utilities say drinking water remains safe
Summary
Rob Schultz, head of utilities, told a council workshop that Easton's Pond dams have a long history of water‑quality and structural issues and that a $40–50 million dam‑rehabilitation project is in design; he said regulatory testing shows the treated water is safe while larger repairs are pursued.
Rob Schultz, head of utilities, told the Newport City Council at a workshop that Easton's Pond and its dam complex date to the late 1700s and have long experienced water‑quality and structural problems that have worsened with recent extreme weather.
Schultz summarized past studies (including USDA and engineering reports) and recalled dam‑safety violations issued in 2016. He said the city has completed interim repairs such as riprap and slope stabilization and is advancing a conceptual design for a comprehensive resilience project he estimated at roughly $40–50 million. "We actively been working with dam safety since '16," Schultz said during his presentation, adding, "So, the water is safe. It's treated."
The utility manager described operational steps the city takes to maintain supply — keeping pond levels higher when feasible, moving water between ponds to reduce advanced treatment needs, and continuous regulatory monitoring. He said the utility runs tens of thousands of regulatory tests annually and uses online analyzers that flag anomalies; the Department of Health also conducts independent monitoring.
Why it matters: the project is intended to harden spillways, address seepage and erosion, and reduce the risk of dam failure during intense storms. Schultz said the conceptual design supported a federal BRIC grant application and that the design work has been refined but funding remains uncertain. The city committed to continuing design, coordinating with state regulatory agencies and seeking funding options.
Next steps: staff said they will pursue design advancement, coordinate with Coastal Resources Management Council and dam‑safety regulators, make public design documents when possible and return with updated timelines and funding plans.
