Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Surfers Organize While State Threatens Town

It's about time! A group of surfers are organizing & have met at the Elks in Newport. They are concerned with water quality, water access, and parking. Presently they are considering a name and whether or not to affiliate with larger organizations.
I'd love to be in touch with these surfers. You don't have to be a surfer to have the same concerns. It's about time that some local groups started being concerned with this. Beach closing after beach closing. It's getting worse, not better and with not much outcry. Parts of beautiful Third Beach are permanently closed. First Beach must be closed when we have an inch of rain. This is because the sewer pumping station next to it cannot handle the overflow & dumps some of it into the ocean. The town also pays for haulers to remove the overflow at great cost, but they evidently can't do it fast enough.
In a related article, the DEM has given Middletown 30 days to comply with an order to replace the sewer line on Memorial Blvd. The town was been trying to cope with this ongoing problem, but evidently not fast enough. Doing this should end the sewer runoff problem by increasing the size of the pipeline running to the procesing plant in the north end of Newport (which was quite smelly the other day, although it's NOT supposed to smell). Not complying can cost the town large bucks in fines.
Too bad they didn't decide to hire a new Sewer Maintnance Supervisor which may have given their efforts a bit more credence. This is a burgeoning problem that's been going on for years. Newport residents are already considering a sewer moratarium on new connections. How would this effect Middletown is unknown. It could be argued, though, that Middletown only has one connection.
Middletown uses more than double its alloted sewer output & sends it to Newport. The area of Middletown nearest the beach (where I live) has seen an explosion of motels with more to come. When will Newport say no more? Middletown should have considered its own treatment plant years ago. The Base holds two treatments plants that it doesn't use. But the Navy frequently isn't very good at sharing.
This is an ongoing problem that is only getting worse. Could well be on the agenda in the coming elections in both towns.
This notice from the State could present real monetary problems FAST. It would be nice if the State actually HELPED instead of threatened.
I wish the "surfer" group well.
The info above came from the Newport Daily News. After a day the archives cost & Google. I've pleaded the case of more open & free access, but no go.

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