NBC may take over troubled Woonsocket wastewater plant amid lawsuits

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — The Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC), renowned for its award-winning turnaround of Rhode Island’s largest wastewater treatment plant at Field’s Point, is preparing to assume operations at the troubled Woonsocket Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The potential move comes as the city and the facility’s operators face lawsuits brought by the Rhode Island Attorney General and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), along with a class-action lawsuit from city residents.

In March 2023, Attorney General Peter Neronha and RIDEM Director Terry Gray filed a civil lawsuit in Providence County Superior Court. The complaint alleges that Woonsocket, along with its contractors Jacobs Engineering and Synagro, repeatedly violated environmental laws by releasing partially treated sewage into the Blackstone River.

The lawsuit claims multiple permit violations under the Rhode Island Clean Water Act, the State Freshwater Wetlands Act, the state’s Environmental Rights Act, and the common law of public nuisance. Part of the complaint includes the dozens of inspections performed by DEM officials between February 2022 and March 2023, all urging equipment upgrades at the facility.

The class-action lawsuit filed by Woonsocket-area residents claims odors from the plant have depressed property values and disrupted daily life.

Under the proposed transition, NBC would assume both operational control and technical oversight from the City of Woonsocket.

Several factors position NBC as the logical choice to lead Woonsocket’s wastewater recovery, including their decades of experience and funding access.

In the late 1970s, NBC was ranked the second worst wastewater treatment facility in the country, now it is ranked one of the best.