Waste Site Cleanup & Reuse in New England
Showcase Communities: Providence, Rhode Island
Photo of the Woonasquatucket River.
Riverside Mills
This six-acre site is part of Rhode Island's Woonasquatucket River
Greenway project, an urban revitalization effort to restore greenspace
and stimulate investment along the river. In 1989, a fire destroyed
all but one office building on the Riverside Mills property. Key
EPA funding, such as the Brownfields Showcase
Community grant, has allowed the City of Providence to perform
an environmental assessment of the property, remove all of the solid
waste found at the site, and begin planning for future use.
Photo of Merino Park.
Woonasquatucket River Greenway Mural.
Lincoln Lace and Braid
This nine-acre site, also part of Rhode Island's Woonasquatucket
River Greenway project, is located adjacent to residential neighborhoods
and the 18-acre Merino Park. Contamination of this property has
spread to the river, and cleanup of the site is necessary to ensure
that no further toxins are released into the water. Using money
from Brownfields Showcase Community funds,
the City of Providence removed the source of contamination and cleaned
up the site. The city is now poised to begin next steps, including
creating high quality wetlands on the site and planning for its
future use, either as more greenspace, or possibly to host a new
school.