2002 Emergency Watershed Protection Program

Rhode Island Summary

Overview

The Emergency Watershed Protection Program was set up by Congress to respond to emergencies created by natural disasters. It is designed to relieve imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms and other natural occurrences. All projects must be sponsored by a political subdivision of the State, such as the city, county, or conservation district. NRCS may pay up to 75 percent of the construction cost of emergency measures. The remaining 25 percent must come from local sources and can be in the form of cash or in-kind services.

Accomplishments

Rhode Island NRCS staff responded to only one request for EWP assistance in 2002. That project is our Program Focus to the left. Luckily, Rhode Island did not have many natural disasters in 2002.

State contact

Joseph Bachand
Resource Conservationist, USDA NRCS EWP Program Manager
60 Quaker Lane, Suite 46
Warwick, Rhode Island 02886
Phone: 401-822-8818
Fax: 401-828-0433

Program Focus

St. Rocco’s Church parking lot is located in the Town of Johnston on Simmons Brook. Simmons Brook converges with the Pocasset River approximately 300 feet downstream from the project site. Simmons Brook has a watershed of 6.4 square miles. Land use in the watershed is a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial uses. The area where the project is located is mainly commercial, but there are several residential properties adjacent to the project.

Stream bank erosion first occurred during a March storm in 2001 that dropped several inches of rain in the watershed. Before the storm, trees had fallen in the brook. The fallen trees acted as a small dam in the brook. As more debris came down the river it was trapped behind the fallen trees and further impounded the water in the brook. The impoundment directed the stream flow into the bank of the parking lot and caused the initial erosion. Although the damage was not life threatening, further erosion would have resulted in the loss of more parking lot and deposited more sediments and asphalt into Simmons Brook and ultimately into the Pocasset River.

When the stream erosion was discovered, the Town of Johnston and St. Rocco’s Church notified NRCS. The Town applied for assistance to stabilize the stream bank through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP). EWP provided both technical and financial assistance for the stabilization of the stream.

Rhode Island’s EWP Dollars and Contracts by Congressional District

Rhode Island EWP Dollars and Contracts (includes inactive or cancelled contracts)