Story from ProJo/Weekend Edition

This is an interesting story as you watch two states share a resource, in this case, the Blackstone River, but very much disagree on how to control the level of discharge and pollution going into that very historic, very important, to both tourism, river.


"R.I. A.G. criticizes Mass. environmental officials over river sewage; Mass. responds

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Attorney General Peter Kilmartin is criticizing Massachusetts environmental officials for supporting a wastewater-treatment plant seeking less stringent limits on phosphorous and nitrogen discharge to the Blackstone River.

Kilmartin said in a letter released Friday that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has taken an "anti-environmental position" by supporting a push by the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District for less stringent limits.

Assistant Attorney General Michael Rubin says the district's wastewater-treatment plant is discharging seven times more phosphorous and three times more nitrogen than is allowed in Rhode Island under federal limits imposed in 2008. He says the district is operating under 2001 standards while fighting the new limits in court.

Massachusetts officials had no immediate comment."

Our first city on this year's tour for the show is in Pawtucket, a city very much contemplating the river as an integral part of their past, and vital to their future. We just filmed a new show with a designer from the Pawtucket Foundation who talked eloquently about the City's development plans centered around the growing beauty of the Blackstone.

At the heart of the story is the economics of investing or not investing in cleaning up and preserving the quality of the river, and what happens if you can't get everyone to agree on the importance of the river as an asset to the area.

We'll hear lots more about this on tour this year.