The 102 acres of ponds and lakes in the park have been used for over 100 years for canoeing and row boating. The manmade lakes, designed in the 1870's, are shallow and the combination of nutrients flowing in through the drainage system and summer heat leads to eutrophication (evidenced by high amounts of algae in the summer).

"We are still thinking about how to deal with the nutrients coming into the park," he said. "We know beyond a doubt we have a nutrient problem." Specifically, he mentioned the presence of low levels of dissolved oxygen and high fecal coliform counts.

On another front, the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project is working to promote multiple uses of the river corridor, according to another participant. That effort includes testing for dioxins, PCBs and bacteria. The group has also launched an educational campaign. "We are using the river as a catalyst for urban revitalization," this person said. The effort to make the river more visible to the public is cosponsored by the city of Providence, the Providence Plan, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the EPA.

One person noted that there was not much activity geared toward the West River. This person said he is aware of a few groups that would like to do some work on the river, and this was a possible area for creation of community-based efforts.

The group also heard of EPA and RIDOH efforts to test water quality at Narragansett Bay beaches. "We know it is not safe in wet weather conditions," a participant told the session. "This (information) is going into the web-page (RIDOH's) so people will know if there are health issues to swimming."

This person continued, "The number one priority is to get city residents and the state active in dealing with this CSO (Combined sewer overflow) problem. I see a tremendous conflict happening down the road when the cost of dealing with the CSO gets allocated to users of the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) system and everybody else. The equity of poor neighborhoods paying for cleaner water is going to be a big issue. The whole NBC effort needs to be the number one thing talked about over the next five years."

One person felt, "public education is an issue that needs to be addressed." In particular, this person felt that information about water borne hazards that potentially threaten public health is not adequately shared with the community. She felt that addressing those issues through an education campaign would increase community involvement in addressing the issue. Another participant felt signs should be posted at water access points throughout the city to inform users about the safety of various activities (e.g., fishing, swimming).

Another suggestion related to the perceived need for information and education included a suggestion to provide homeowners with an informational pamphlet explaining the outcomes of various disposal and resource use activities.

Group members suggested actions that government should take, including the establishment of a consistent policy between both city and state governments in regard to future development. A need to reclaim waterway buffers was expressed, as was a suggestion to acquire more reservoirs to feed into the water system. One person said that the city and state should provide more resources to community-based organizations.

The River Reconnaissance efforts were lauded by group members who felt they should be expanded to include all rivers in order to quantify both point and non-point sources of pollution.

One participant suggested that allowing on-street parking would reduce non-point sources of pollution as homeowners would remove asphalt that covers their yards, increasing the amount of permeable surface area in the city as a result. Another participant suggested that the city should develop a policy that both encourages and controls permeable ground surface.

There is a continuing need to identify and fund the cleanup of contaminated sites along rivers, and that effort should be extended beyond brownfield sites, one person said.