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Activities 2003
SUMMARY OF KICKEMUIT RIVER COUNCIL'S ACTIVITIES FOR 2003
  1. Kickemuit River Council attended the series of Watershed conferences sponsored by Rhode Island Rivers' Council. Information was shared with Council members.
  2. Kickemuit River Council attended the Watershed Conference with Massachusetts Watershed groups run by Laura Ernst.
  3. Kickemuit River Council attended and participated in (with a display and a donation of a Kickemuit River Council T-shirt) the grand Pawtuxet River Festival.
  4. Kickemuit River Council participated in the all day "ZAP the Blackstone Day" with a display and meeting the public to discuss the Kickemuit River. Many citizens knew of the Kickemuit and had quahogged or kayaked there and many did not. We explained. We were impressed by the expanse of the river, and the activities. It was a good day.
  5. Kickemuit River Council attended, with a display, and participated in the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns conference in Warwick with Meg Kerr, Rhode Island Rivers' Chairperson. We cheered when William Rabidoux, Sewer Engineer in Bristol, who went in on weekends to test Kickemuit River Council storm drain effluent samples, won a prize. It was interesting also to meet the firm who evaluated the properties for Bristol. They were very aware of the Kickemuit River and its effect on advantageous property appraisals in Bristol. We tried to find a company who made a device that would test fecal bacteria counts in the river - but to no avail.
  6. Kickemuit River Council nominated Marco Vecoli for the Warren Land Conservation Trust's Award for all the incomparable work he has done for the Kickemuit River.
  7. Kickemuit River Council developed with the Warren Sewer Commission, under Brian Remy, Chairperson, and Woodard and Curran Sewer Engineering firm, the "Blue Tab" Project to identify homes on the older sewer line on the westerly shore of the Kickemuit River where it was unknown if they tied into the sewers and where the storm drains were identified as poorly affecting the Kickemuit River by Kickemuit River Council's testing.
  8. 112 homes have been evaluated, and the Sewer Department has followed through with enforcing tie-ins. The Sewer Commission and Department is wonderful on this matter. There are 93 homes still to complete. We have applied for 6 grants to complete this project before the streets are paved. We have been refused by 4 organizations. We have come to realize that organization do not want to make waves with their grants. Our hope is the Environmental Protection Agency. We are waiting to hear from the other two. It is innovative, important, and necessary. Let us hope.
  9. Kickemuit River Council has worked with Justine Calcina from the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District, Jane Harrison of the Warren Conservation Commission, and Lenny Bellet of Save the Bay to develop a Watershed Action Plan for the fresh and saltwater Kickemuit. We used the information that Brown University collected in Swansea to help formulate the Plan. We have participated in a public hearing on the Plan. We are now incorporating the concerns and suggestions brought up at the public hearing. We are hoping for a November completion date.
  10. Kickemuit River Council is in the process of evaluating the new Harbor Management Plan for the Town of Warren to see if we have any additions to suggest.
  11. We have met with Michael Abruzzi, Warren Town Manager and the Fish Ladder Team to see if we could be of help with the Fish Ladder. We were not able to help.
  12. The success of this project is in the hands of the Bristol County Water Company and Department of Environmental Management.
  13. Kickemuit River Council continued to let residents know of the Bristol Pumpout Boat that services the Kickemuit River.
  14. Kickemuit River Council sent Fall River a birthday card to the City Council for their 200th birthday and sent a Happy Birthday letter to all the citizens of Fall River to Letters to the Editor of the Fall River Herald. We had worked hard to help Fall River receive funding for its Big Dig and we wanted them to know that we were proud of them for being on schedule with a completion date of December, 2004. We also thanked the City Council for sending a unanimous declaration to the Environmental Protection Agency that they wanted Brayton Point to be held to the Clean Water Act. Kickemuit River Council had brought information and spoke to them about the problem. We thanked the City Council for giving us time to speak to them. We hope they have a Happy Birthday! They deserve it.
  15. Kickemuit River Council continues to communicate with Damien Houlihan at the Environmental Protection Agency about Brayton Point Power Station and the time delay in effecting changes to help Mount Hope Bay. We thank Timothy Mooney from Senator Chafee's office for his support and suggestions. State Representative Gallison, too was helpful, along with Senator Felag, Representative Anguilla, Representative Malik who helped us with the petition. We appreciate their advice and support.
  16. Kickemuit River Council attended Department of Environmental Management's 25th Anniversary Celebration and we note the importance of funding and supporting Department of Environmental Management.
  17. Kickemuit River Council wrote a letter of support to the Laurel Park Improvement Association in their successful grant application to control invasive plants along the Kickemuit River. The work of Janis and David Urban is heroic in this venture.
  18. Kickemuit River Council was happy to see work done by Mr. Massed of the Warren Highway Department to improve the Harris Avenue Right of Way. It has been a concern of ours for a long time. Access to the Kickemuit River and along the shore is a top priority.
  19. Kickemuit River Council asked the Environmental Protection Agency to help with cleaning a stream near the Housing for the Elderly that is stagnant and too high in fecal. Improving the flow might help with protection of the elderly from mosquitoes that can breed in the stagnant water. The stream heads for the Kickemuit River.
  20. Kickemuit River Council is committed to fighting to keep a nefarious commercial dock in an area that is dry at low tide, and collects the sediment from the river by littoral drift, near a beach that has been there since 1921, close to the most prolific quahogging area of the river, and with flaws and discrepancies in the application - out of the Kickemuit River - a Type 2 estuary. It is discouraging that this dock was granted by Coastal Resource Management Council by Administrative Assent - no hearing - no input from Towns or Department of Environmental Agency - or from the Coastal Resource Management Council File 67-12-1 - with a new number at Coastal Resource Management Council's suggestion - A96-2-44. The person was even dredging by a hydraulic device in the river and stirring up the sediment to poorly affect his neighbors, particularly to the north. This is a very bad situation. Kickemuit River Council and the Towns of Warren and Bristol do not want this commercial dock or the illegal dredging. Coastal Resource Management Council has issued a Cease and Desist on the dredging.
  21. Kickemuit River Council thanks the Warren Sewer Commission, under Brian Remy, Chairman, for their work in constructing a sewer line to connect the homes on the Warren-Bristol line. We thank the Town of Bristol for picking them up and the Town of Warren for agreeing to it.
  22. Kickemuit River Council thanks Matt Calouro, Warren Harbormaster and Drew Lombardo, Assistant Harbormaster; Mr. Massed, Warren Highway Department; Stan Dimock from Save the Bay; the Singles Volunteers of Rhode Island Club, Juan Mariscal, Scoutmaster and Boy Scout Troop 6 of Bristol; and all the members of the Kickemuit River Council and other volunteers who came to help clean the shores of the salt and freshwater Kickemuit River. We are grateful and amazed.
  23. Kickemuit River Council thanks the Warren Times, Bristol Phoenix, and Providence Journal for their help in publishing our many letters, concerns, information on our open meeting, information on the public hearing on the Watershed Plan. They all are the voice of the Kickemuit. We are thankful.
  24. Kickemuit River Council walked the freshwater Kickemuit River and took pictures at many of Environmental Protection Agency's GIS points of possible pollution into the freshwater Kickemuit River and the reservoir. We shared them with Lorraine Joubert at University of Rhode Island, and shared the most worrisome with Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Environmental Management, and Massachusetts Riverways.
  25. Kickemuit River Council - Janis Urban and Ann Morrill - met with Jackie Sonas of Rhode Island Natural History at Janis Urban's home to begin the planning of a Blue Crab Restoration Project. We are meeting with Roger Williams University on November 8, 2003.
    26. Kickemuit River Council conducted a fundraiser (raffle) and recruited new members to put into practice ideas obtained at the Rhode Island Rivers' Watershed Conferences.
  26. Kickemuit River Council is going to work for the restoration of the Clean Air Act, and the protection of the Clean Water Act. The
    27. Kickemuit River Council brought ideas on estuaries into the public schools and encourages the use of the Audubon Society's educational program. The children are inextricably bound to the success of all our estuaries.
  27. Kickemuit River Council analyzed the results of the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District investigation through Justine Calcina to identify the causes of the storm drains in Bristol that are still above 15 fecal that poorly affect the river. Thank Department of Environmental Management and Joseph Migliore for sharing the latest ambient and storm drain surveys of the Kickemuit River, so that we can analyze them and plan a strategy of correction.
  28. Kickemuit River Council continued to work with the Sewer Department in an education program for septic system help and protection.
  29. Kickemuit River Council is going to work on and develop a web site: www.kickemuitriver.org. This will be a big undertaking for us.
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