Charlestown officials say they don’t know what potential impact a late September deal made by the Narragansett Indian Tribe to offer water from an aquifer as a secondary water supply for the proposed Burrillville Clean River Energy Center power plant could have on the local water supply.
That’s because key details were redacted by Chicago-based Invenergy Thermal Development LLC in a Water Supply Plan Supplement document filed by Invenergy on Sept. 28 to the state’s Energy Facility Siting Board.
And town officials say the federally recognized tribe, which has an 1,800-acre settlement plot in Charlestown, never contacted them about the deal.
“It’s hard to make logical comments based on fact when you don’t have the facts,” said Charlestown administrator Mark Stankiewicz.
The partially redacted document explains the Narragansetts have contracted with Invenergy for use of wells connected to the Lower Wood aquifer, located within the Pawcatuck Basin, which town documents say is part of the “EPA-designated sole source aquifer.” However, the specific sources, the amount of water to be drawn, the frequency of removals and the routes taken from Charlestown to Burrillville are redacted.
Stankiewicz said the only remaining action for the town was to file as an intervenor with the Energy Facility Siting Board, which is considering the proposed power plant.
The siting board on Oct. 17 accepted Charlestown as an intervenor, which will lead to a public hearing on the town’s involvement. Stankiewicz said he hopes to receive an unredacted copy of the agreement before the hearing, which can be held after a 30-day waiting period from when the town was named an intervenor.
While the aquifer is partially located on Narragansett land, it services most of Charlestown – a town of well and septic-tank users. A depleted reserve could also impact supply to Richmond, Hopkinton, South Kingstown and Westerly, said Stankiewicz.
“As with any aquifer within a particular watershed, taking water from one watershed area to another” could be detrimental if the original source isn’t recharged, he said.
Virginia Lee, Charlestown Town Council president, said she was “surprised” to learn of the agreement from local media reports. She added that it was “too early” to say what the impact of the water loss would be on the surrounding community.
“We don’t know how much is being withdrawn or which wells [will be drawn from],” she said.
A spokesman for Invenergy, which has proposed a 1,000-megawatt power plant, declined to comment.
The tribe’s administration office directed questions to John Brown, the tribe’s historic preservation officer. Brown declined to answer questions on the agreement with Invenergy.
