Clean Bays receives federal grant to clean Seekonk, Providence rivers, upper Narragansett Bay

A CLEAN WAY: Clean Bays Executive Director Kent Dresser cruises around Bold Point in East Providence, where the group will remove two sunken barges thanks to an $87,000 state grant. / PBN PHOTO/FRANK MULLIN
A CLEAN WAY: Clean Bays Executive Director Kent Dresser cruises around Bold Point in East Providence, where the group will remove two sunken barges thanks to an $87,000 state grant. / PBN PHOTO/FRANK MULLIN

MIDDLETOWN – A $194,800 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant has been awarded to Clean Bays to remove marine debris from the Seekonk and Providence rivers and upper Narragansett Bay.

The funding for the nonprofit was announced this week by U.S. Sens. Jack F. Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Reps. James R. Langevin and David N. Cicilline.

For more than 100 years, the Providence and Seekonk rivers and portions of upper Narragansett Bay have been dirtied by broken and abandoned pilings, wrecked vessels, docks, auto parts, hardware, appliances and other trash, according to information from Whitehouse’s office. As a result, large portions of the waterways are unusable to the public, it said.

The funding will enable Clean Bays to begin removing pilings and other marine debris over the next several years. The funding also will be used for outreach and to create volunteer opportunities for additional cleanup efforts.

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“As a Rhode Islander who loves our bay and beautiful rivers, and who understands how a clean, safe shoreline can promote jobs and economic growth, I’ve been a strong advocate for cleaning up these areas,” Whitehouse said in a statement. “Clean The Bay will put this funding to work restoring a tremendous asset for Providence, East Providence and other surrounding communities.”

Kent Dresser, Clean Bays executive director, said the funding will allow his organization to undertake the next phase of a debris mitigation project “that’s generations overdue” on the Providence River shoreline. He said crews will begin next month and work in the area throughout next year.

Clean Bays specializes in removing marine debris from shores and waterways in Narragansett Bay and southern New England.

Last year, thanks to a $50,000 grant from Newport’s 11th Hour Racing, Clean Bays conducted a pilot program in the Seekonk River to test equipment for safely removing wooden pilings embedded in the riverbed. The equipment was proved to be effective, allowing the organization to pursue the NOAA funding.

Clean Bays official name is Clean The Bay Inc.

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