Research and Demonstration Projects

1985 and 1987
National Sea Grant Project
Nitrogen reduction systems treatment evaluations conducted over a 5 year period.

1996
Warwick Alternative System Deomonstration System Project
URI OWT Program, working under the auspices of a grant with RDEM, RICRMC< EPA< RIAES< RIICA, and City of Warwick install six innovative and alterative experimental systems. Performance of these systems reported to RIDEM TRC for review and policy decisions.

1996
Rhode Island Aqua Fund Alternative Demonstration System Project
URI OWT Program operating under a RI Aqua Fund grant with RIDEM, RICRMS, EPA, RIAES, RIICA, and the communitites of Warwick, North Kingstown, and Portsmouth install 12 alternative onsite wastewater systems to demonstrate technologies to help protect Narragansett Bay. Treatment performance of these systems reported to local and national audiences and to RIDEM TRC to facilitate policy decisions.

1996
National Onsite Wastewater Demonstration System Project - Phase II
URI OWT Center working under the auspices of a grant with USEPA, NSFC, RIDEM, RIAES, RIICA, and Towns of Charlestown and South Kingstown to install seven innovative and alternative experimental systems in the Green Hill Pond Watershed. Green Hill Pond is a poorly flushed coastal lagoon, sensitive to nitrogen inputs and closed to shellfishing due to high bacteria levels. Treatment and operational performance of these systems reported to local through national audiences and to RIDEM TRC for review and policy decisions.

2000
EPA National Community Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Demonstration Project
Block Island and Green Hill Pond Watershed Project
Rhode Island Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) and URI OWT Center crafts a $3 million USEPA grant proposal for the towns of Charlestown, Block Island and South Kingstown. Partners included RIDEM, RIAES, RIICA, and RICRMC. Overall goal of this project is to help these three Rhode Island communities to develop and expand their wastewater management programs, and to use their success to help illustrate how other communities throughout the US can achieve the same goals.

2001
Glocester, RI Onsite Wastewater Demonstration Project
This onsite wastewater demonstration project was funded by USEPA Section 319 Clean Water Act Funds administered by RIDEM. URI OWT Center and RI NEMO worked with RIDEM, RIAES, and RIICA partners to install two individual and four small community alternative demonstration systems to replaced failed systems in Chepachet Village. Performance of these systems reported to local through national audiences and to RIDEM TRC for review and policy decisions.

2002 – 2003
USEPA - Block Island and Green Hill Pond Watershed Project
URI OWT Center working with USEPA, RIDEM, RIAES, RIICA, RICRMC, and Towns of Charlestown, Block Island and South Kingstown install 25 alternative onsite wastewater demonstration systems to replace failed septic systems under the auspices of the USEPA Block Island and Green Hill Pond Watershed Project. Performance of these systems reported to local through national audiences and to RIDEM TRC for review and policy decisions.

2005-2006
NOAA Research Project
Evaluation of leachfield aeration technology for improvement of water quality and hydraulic functions in onsite wastewater treatment systems. This 2-year NOAA-Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) research project is being conducted under the leadership of Principal Investigator Professor Jose’ Amador at URI CELS Laboratory of Soil Ecology and Microbiology. NEOWT Program staff (David Kalen, Holly Meehan and George Loomis, co-investigators supporting this research) assisted in identifying and evaluating research sites, obtaining state permits, negotiating conditions with project stakeholders, troubleshooting and on-site instrumentation.