Today, Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) announced that the construction phase of the Pleasant Valley Stream – Stormwater Management Project will begin as early as this week.
The project is the first to use tree filtration systems to clean stormwater and groundwater runoff in the City of Providence. Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan joins with partners including the Providence Parks Department, Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), GROUNDWORK Rhode Island, and the Friends of the Pleasant Valley Parkway in bringing this project to fruition. The project first began in 2016 through community discussions and with neighborhood surveys.
“Stormwater mitigation is important to the ecosystem of the Pleasant Valley Parkway and stream,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan, Ward 5 Councilwoman. “As a resident of the Parkway, I know first-hand the challenges that flooding has caused residents living in this corridor. And because the Pleasant Valley Parkway is the largest section of the Woonasquatucket River that makes ground in a residential neighborhood, we must ensure that the area’s stormwater runoff is cleared of contaminants and pollutants. This is not only good for the environment but also benefits the Narragansett Bay cleaning effort. This is yet another step towards making Providence a greener and more sustainable City.”
Since 2016 there has been robust community outreach and engagement to the residents along this corridor. Partners have conducted programming, and have helped neighbors by retrofitting their homes with rain barrels, permeable pavers, and rain gardens. This project does not only include the installation of tree filters, but it also includes other plantings that are both aesthetically pleasing but help to clean and slow the runoff that is caused by heavy rains. These systems that are being installed are designed to purify stormwater runoff, and will work towards keeping one of Rhode Island’s most precious resources clean of pollution and contaminants. In addition to this structural project educational signage, and pet waste collection stations will be installed throughout the Pleasant Valley Parkway.
The city received grant funding from RIDOT and the DEM for this project back in 2016 and has recently received final design approval moving the project forward. The project is estimated to be completed by the end of August of this year.
About Tree Filtration Systems:
Tree filter systems integrate common street trees with stormwater collection to achieve a viable and sustainable alternative to a traditional “end of pipe” system, while still meeting stormwater management and remediation goals. Tree filter systems utilize the principal of “bioretention” – the natural process by which chemicals and sediments are removed from stormwater runoff prior to subsurface infiltration.