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Community Partnerships Expand in Pawtucket
The Stormwater Innovation Center is gearing up for expanded partnerships through the City of Pawtucket for stormwater infrastructure, education, outreach, and restoration initiatives.
By Rebecca Reeves, Stormwater Education and Outreach Manager
Stormwater Park Planned at the New Tidewater Landing
Tidewater Landing, a development site currently in-progress along the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, will eventually host a 10,000 seat soccer stadium and event plaza with retail and residential space. A pedestrian bridge over the river will connect the Tidewater mixed-use area to another development, referred to as the Division Street Development. Planning for the site has also included consideration of environmental impacts, resulting in the installation of a stormwater park in this new development.
This nature-based solution will improve water quality in the Seekonk River by redirecting flow away from the Tidewater property and local roadways into water quality basins where it can move through filtration media. The Stormwater Innovation Center (SIC) has coordinated design review meetings with the Tidewater Advisory Committee, sharing stormwater expertise and input about existing design plans.
The new stormwater park will also include educational elements, such as interpretive signage and student art. Once the park is completed, the SIC plans to collaborate further with the City of Pawtucket, conducting research and monitoring at the site to ensure the park elements are working effectively and water quality is improved over time, as well as providing technical support for the City’s future stormwater designs.
Leading Students in Education and Communication Initiatives
The Tidewater property will also host walking trails, including a boardwalk through its wetland areas, providing a birds-eye view of how nature and stormwater management techniques can improve water quality. The SIC plans to collaborate with nearby Pawtucket schools to produce materials such as interpretive signage to enhance the educational potential of these public access areas. The City of Pawtucket has also expressed interest in developing educational videos in collaboration with local schools that can be displayed on digital boards along the Tidewater walking paths.
Through the SIC Stormwater in Schools program, students at the Jacqueline Walsh School for the Performing & Visual Arts in Pawtucket will also be engaging in lessons, activities, and a field trip to learn first-hand about water quality concepts. Rain barrels will be supplied by the City of Pawtucket to be painted by students using themes they have learned related to water quality and stormwater mitigation. Similar art projects may be installed at the Tidewater Stormwater Park in the future.
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