Brownfields
Success Story
Attracting Wildlife to a
Former Dumping Ground
Town of Coventry, Rhode Island
In the late 1990s, Coventry officials decided that a vacant property in the
middle of town needed a serious makeover. The property at 100 Sandy Bottom
Road was a staging site for construction projects that left behind asphalt
spoils, concrete, rock, soil, machine parts and metal, among other debris.
Discarded material had piled up at the dumping ground for decades, releasing
contaminants into the environment.
Local officials saw greater potential for the blighted, neglected plot. They
envisioned a sustainable resource that could enhance the community and
protect local wildlife—a public park and a restored wetland habitat where people
could escape the hustle and bustle of their daily lives.
"There was never a question of what we would do with the Sandy Bottom
property," said Guy Lefebvre, town director of parks and recreation.* "We
acquired it to protect an open space in the heart of town."
Though their vision was strong, funding was tight. It took many years of hard
work and collaboration to pull off the project, but by working with federal, state
and local partners, the town saw its vision come true on October 12, 2013, the day
it opened the Sandy Acres Recreation Area.
The Opportunity
In the 1980s and 1990s the town began forming a plan to connect the Merrill
S. Whipple Conservation Area it owned with the Sandy Bottom property and
a nearby meadow to form a large, contiguous open space along the Pawtuxet
River. Nestled between two state highways, the Sandy Bottom property is
located along the main road that runs through the town's business area. "The
idea was to create an oasis and green space in the middle of all the commercial
properties in that area," said Lefebvre. The town acquired the Sandy Bottom
property in March 2000.
iuy Lefe
&EPA
EPA Grant Recipient:
Town of Coventry
Grant Type:
EPA Brownfield Community-Wi
Assessment
Former Use:
Vacant Property Used as an
Unofficial Dumping Ground
Current Use:
Sandy Acres Recreation Area
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Crews redistribute screened soil to prepare
the site for landscaping.
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Located between
two busy highways,
the park is a
showcase
welcoming visitors
to the area.
Guy Lefebvre
Director
Coventry Parks and
Recreation Department
The Funding
Lefebvre and his team knew that getting the funding together to redevelop
the property was going to be a challenge. It might have taken much longer to
do so without assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). At that
time, FWS was involved in remediating a nearby Superfund site, the Picillo Farm,
where hazardous waste was disposed in several unlined trenches. As part of a
settlement, the parties responsible for the contamination were required to pay
restitution to several agencies involved in the cleanup. FWS wanted to use those
restitution funds to help protect the environment in Coventry, and so the agency
awarded $40,000 to the town to help restore the Sandy Bottom property.
With this news, the town applied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) for funding to assess the site in 2008. The Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management (RIDEM) awarded funds for wetland restoration
and park construction, and FWS awarded an additional $143,000 grant to
support flood plain expansion. The town also received funding to remediate
the property from its sewer commission, which wanted to install a new sewer
pumping station on the property.
The Cleanup
In 2010, RIDEM conducted a series of environmental assessments and identified
contamination that required remediation using its EPA Brownfields Assessment
and 128(a) grants. The state agency also prepared a remedial action work plan
for the property, which the town was required to follow.
Site improvements began in 2012. The town's department of public works and
department of parks and recreation cleared trees and removed contaminated
soils and solid waste. The town encapsulated a specific area of contaminated
soil in response to an environmental land use restriction instituted by RIDEM.
To restore two acres of wetland, workers first removed material that was
dumped next to the river and then constructed a storm water retention basin
for runoff from the road. Next they hired a contractor to mitigate Phragmites,
a common, rapidly growing reed that chokes waterways and can displace
native wildlife.
After excavating and remediating the soil, and clearing the wetland basin,
crews began landscaping the entire site, installing special wetland plantings,
trees, shrubs and evergreens. Crews also constructed a walking path and guard
rails, and the town is working to install a 400-foot-long elevated boardwalk
that traverses a cedar swamp en route to the Whipple Conservation Area.
The town also has plans to install amenities such as park benches and picnic
tables by the end of 2015. A parking lot constructed at the entrance to the
park can accommodate two dozen cars.
The completed wetland basin now provides
an expanded flood plain.
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The Benefits
The 20-acre Sandy Acres Recreation Area officially opened to the public for the 2013
Columbus Day weekend. Visitors now can enjoy fishing along the Pawtuxet River, where
RIDEM stocks trout in April and October each year. The town also plans to provide for
canoe and kayak access from a launch site at the end of the trail.
The park brings people together. Youth groups visit for hikes and to learn about local
wildlife and the wetland. Plans are underway to expand community programs that will help
maintain the park. Coventry already has an Adopt-a-Spot program to help the Parks and
Recreation Department during spring cleaning around town. The town can expand that
program to maintain the recreation area, too. The local River Watch group can expand its
program to test the water quality at locations throughout the park.
The town met its goal of enhancing wildlife habitat: turkeys, deer, turtles and many species
of waterfowl and songbirds all inhabit the park. The Pawtuxet River Authority gave the
Town of Coventry a protection award for making the acquisition to protect wildlife.
The completed wetland basin now provides an expanded flood plain—a benefit the town's
residents take seriously after a storm in 2010 caused severe flooding in town. "There were
31 inches of water in my basement," said Lefebvre. "Knowing the capacity of the expanded
floodplain, residents can rest assured that it will help prevent that type of flooding in town
from happening again."
Residents also can be assured by the added security that comes from transforming the
formerly vacant property. Before the revitalization, anyone could access the property
from any point along the quarter-mile of the adjacent road. Now, entry is limited to one
driveway, and the property is sustained for only its intended use. The rules and regulations
that govern public parks now govern the site, including curfews.
The park also increases commerce at nearby restaurants and shops. People who come to
enjoy the park often stay in the area to have lunch or dinner, and those interested in fishing
can stock up on gear at the tackle shop across the street.
For Lefebvre, the best part of the process was in seeing nature restored. "We've given
people a beautiful space to enjoy."
For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields web
at www.epa.gov/brownfields
or contact Jessica Dominguez
at (617) 918-1627 or
Dominguez.Jessica@epa.gov.
November 201
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